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Telemundo reporter killed while in New Orleans to cover Super Bowl, woman arrested

A Louisiana woman has been arrested following the death of Telemundo sports reporter Adan Manzano, who died this week in New Orleans while covering Super Bowl LIX.

Danette Colbert, of Slidell, was arrested in New Orleans Thursday night on fraud and theft-related charges, Kenner Police Chief Keith Conley said at a Friday morning news conference.

Manzano, a reporter and sports anchor for Kansas City’s Telemundo affiliate, died Wednesday while on assignment to cover the Super Bowl for his third straight year, the station confirmed in a statement.

The 27-year-old newscaster was found dead in his hotel room in Kenner on the afternoon of Feb. 5. There were no signs of obvious trauma to his body, police said, adding that his cause of death has yet to be determined.

When detectives processed the crime scene, they discovered that a cellphone and the credit card Manzano used to check into the hotel were missing, Conley said.

The hotel’s security camera footage also showed Colbert leaving the hotel room on the morning of his death.

After investigators executed a search warrant at Colbert’s residence, they located Manzano’s cellphone and credit card, some narcotics as well as a stolen firearm, which does not appear related to the case, according to Conley.

Colbert used Manzano’s credit cards in different stores around New Orleans, authorities said.

The suspect’s criminal history includes two instances where she drugged a victim before stealing the person’s “access device card and things of that nature,” Conley told reporters.

“She plays a confident game,” Conley said. “She’s definitely a career criminal. All her crimes are… access to vice, frauds, simple robberies, thefts, things of that nature.”

At this time, Colbert is only being charged with property crimes and not for Manzano’s death, authorities said.

General

2025 Critics Choice Awards: How to watch, where to live stream free

Hosted by Chelsea Handler, the 30th Critics Choice Awards will broadcast live on E! Friday, Feb. 7 at 7 p.m. Eastern Time (6 p.m. Central).

According to E!, celebrities set to present during this year’s Critics Choice Awards inlcude Kate Hudson, Orlando Bloom, Kristen Bell, Sarah Michelle Gellar, David Harbour, Ewan McGregor, Josh Groban, Kathryn Hahn, Keri Russell, Lupita Nyong’o, Matt Bomer and Michelle Yeoh

Meanwhile, movie stars up for major acting awards include talent’s like Wicked’s Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, Emilia Pérez’s Selena Gomez, Karla Sofía Gascón and Zoe Saldaña, Timothée Chalamet, Angelina Jolie, Demi Moore and Denzel Washington.

TV stars like Jeremy Allen White, Quinta Brunson, Jean Smart, Keri Russell and Adam Brody are also up for big awards on Friday night.

Where can I watch the 2025 Critics Choice Awards?

Those without basic cable can still live stream the Critics Choice Awards on Friday night with either Fubo or DirecTV Stream. Both offer free trials for new subscribers who can watch for free before committing to a paid subscription.

Those who are willing to wait can also watch the Critics Choice Awards the next day with Peacock.

What is Fubo and DirecTV Stream?

Both Fuboand DirecTV Stream are set up like any other streaming service, but rather than offering exclusively on-demand content, they both offer a plethora of exclusive live TV channels.

Fubo considers itself a sports-focused live streaming service, but overall, its standard package comes with over 100 live TV channels for $79.99 a month after its free trial. These channels include ESPN, ABC, NBC, CBS, TLC, MTV and much more.

Fubo also comes with a variety of shows and movies users can watch on-demand along with the option to record your favorite TV shows.

DirecTV Stream is similar to Fubo as offers many of the same channels and features. At $101.98 a month after its free trial, the base package comes with a little over 75 live TV channels.

Those interested can check out all of DirecTV Stream’s channel packages here.

General

Which SEC basketball arena is the loudest place to play? Nate Oats weighs in

When it comes to tough road environments, schools that start with “A” belong at the top of the list if you ask Alabama men’s basketball coach Nate Oats.

The subject was brought up ahead of this weekend. The Crimson Tide is heading on the road to face Arkansas on Saturday (7:30 p.m., ESPN) at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

“Yeah their fan base, when we play in there, that place is loud,” Oats said. “I mean, I think Auburn’s probably the loudest place in the league. But going into Arkansas, they rival it. We’ve had some really good games there. Come out in the good end and bad in and both. On the road, it would be great if we could have a great start and quiet them early. They’ve got a good fan base. Good basketball people there who understand what the game is about.”

Neville Arena seats 9,121. Bud Walton Arena seats 19,368.

Alabama will travel to Neville Arena on March 8, the final game of the regular season. With the Crimson Tide ranked No. 3 and Auburn at No. 1 heading into this weekend, it could very well decide the winner of the SEC regular season title.

Nick Kelly is an Alabama beat writer for AL.com and the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X and Instagram.

General

Mediterranean food chain opening first Alabama restaurant in Huntsville’s Hampton Cove

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What Bruce Pearl said about Chad Baker-Mazara’s technical foul against Oklahoma

In a team filled with talent and personality, few Auburn basketball players draw as much attention as Chad Baker-Mazara.

The senior wing from the Dominican Republic is Auburn’s second-leading scorer (13 PPG) and is one of the most passionate players in the country. That passion is heavily embraced by Auburn fans, but draws ire from opposing fans and players.

One example was Tuesday night’s 98-70 win against Oklahoma, a game in which Baker-Mazara was once again successful in getting under his opponents’ skin. It even drew what looked like an elbow to the midsection from Sooners guard Jeremiah Fears as the two came up the court in the second half.

Tensions in the game bubbled throughout and it eventually ended with Baker-Mazara receiving both a common foul and technical foul in one sequence, giving him his fifth foul and ending his night.

It happened after Baker-Mazara fouled Fears on an inbounds pass, resulting in Fears getting up and trying to get in Baker-Mazara’s facing while talking to him. Baker-Mazara responded with words of his own, but there was no physical contact between the two players after the play.

Head coach Bruce Pearl passionately laid into his team during the ensuing timeout, and tensions seemed to lower from there.

“Just represent the name on the front of the jersey and the name of the back of the jersey,” Pearl said after the game when asked what his message was. “Play how we play.”

Pearl was asked during his Friday news conference about Baker-Mazara’s technical foul and whether his passionate and sometimes chippy play was something he discussed with him.

“Chad’s done a great job not taking the bait. He’s really, really, really improved playing with passion and energy and emotion, and yeah, for some reason, the Oklahoma game, there was a lot of that going on and we haven’t seen a ton of that all year,” Pearl said.

Last season, the most notable instance of Baker-Mazara’s antics hurting the team was when he was ejected for elbowing an opposing player against Yale. Auburn eventually lost that game, exiting the NCAA Tournament in the first round.

That hasn’t been as much of an issue for Baker-Mazara and Auburn this season, but Pearl pointed out that teams could still try and provoke Baker-Mazara.

“We’re trying to stay away from it. So, I’m sure it’s something that could be part of somebody’s game plan to be overly physical or try to get him stirred up, try to get him out of the game,” Pearl said.

Auburn’s next game comes Saturday afternoon against No. 6 Florida. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. and the game will be streaming live on ESPN2.

Peter Rauterkus covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @peter_rauterkus or email him at [email protected]m

General

Wayfair is offering a major deal on the the colorful Mesa Series grill

Wayfair is offering new discounts on grills and griddles this week, including $100 discount on the new Monument Mesa Series colored gas grill.

With this deal, you can get a Monument Mesa Series 2-burner gas grill in one of five colors for around $250 instead of the normal price of $355. The exact discount depends on which color you want.

According to Wayfair, the new Monument Mesa colored gas grill features a powerful output of up to 24,000 BTUs from its two high-quality 304 stainless steel burners, durable porcelain-enameled cast-iron cooking grates, a clearview® window lid and foldable shelves.

The colors available when purchasing the Monument Mesa Series grill include blue, light blue, red, gray and black. The grill also comes with a thermometer, side burner, removable drip pan and stainless grease tray.

Those interested in this deal can checkout the full listing on Wayfair’s website here. You can also browse all deals Wayfair is offering on grills this week here.

General

Mobile police combat violence at apartment complex where 5-year-old was shot, chief says

The Mobile Police Department is currently working on a plan to address violence after a string of incidents at an apartment complex this year.

According to Chief William Jackson, the plan isn’t being made public but there is already an increased of law enforcement patrolling the Oak Ridge Apartments.

“I was notified of residents’ concerns about ongoing crime in the Oak Ridge Apartments community the day prior to the shooting, but before our plan and efforts could be put into place, a shooting occurred,” Jackson said.

“While those plans aren’t being made public, residents are already seeing a larger law enforcement presence which will continue in the days ahead.”

After only a month into 2025 there have been three violent incidents at the complex including shots fired at a vehicle and a 5-year-old being struck by gunfire during a shooting Wednesday night.

The child survived with non-life threatening injuries and one individual, Zion Sashington, 18, has already been arrested in connection to the shooting.

According to WKRG, a resident at the complex, Ervasia Adams, said it is, “very dangerous over here.”

Jackson said his department is going to reach out to residents and hopes they can work to address violence in the area,

“I understand the frustrations these residents have about violence where they live, and they have every right to be upset about an incident like this occurring near their homes,” Jackson said. “My investigators are going door to door to speak with each resident about their concerns. Residents shouldn’t have to live in fear, and I urge anyone with knowledge of this incident, or others, to work with us as we combat the violence together.”

General

UConn-St. John’s free livestream: How to watch Big East basketball game, TV, schedule

The No. 19 UConn Huskies play against the No. 12 St. John’s Red Storm in a Big East basketball game tonight. The matchup will begin at 7 p.m. CT on FOX. Fans can watch this game for free online by using the free trials offered by DirecTV Stream and Fubo TV.

The Huskies enter this matchup with a 16-6 record, and they have won back-to-back games. In their most recent game, the Huskies defeated No. 9 Marquette 77-69.

During the victory, Solo Ball led the UConn offense. He ended the game with 25 points and shot 7-9 from three-point range, so he will look to perform similarly tonight.

Notably, Ball currently leads the team in scoring.

The Red Storm enter this matchup with a 20-3 record, and they possess an 11-1 record in conference play. Notably, the team has won nine consecutive games. In their last game, the Red Storm defeated Marquette 70-64.

During the victory, RJ Luis Jr. and Kadary Richmond led the St. John’s offense. The two players combined to score 35 points, so they will try to continue their offensive success this evening.

Fans can watch this Big East basketball game for free online by using the free trials offered by DirecTV Stream and Fubo TV.

General

Derrion Reid faces uncertain future with injury this Alabama basketball season

Derrion Reid, the five-star freshman, moves into the final month of the regular season with uncertainty because of his injury.

Reid is out definitively for Alabama men’s basketball’s game against Arkansas. And the Crimson Tide will see from there as Reid deals with what has previously been described as a lower-body injury.

“He will be game-to-game,” Alabama coach Nate Oats said Friday, “moving forward until he is able to go through a full practice and not experience any type of significant discomfort.”

Reid missed several games over two weeks in January with an injury. Then he played 12 minutes in both the wins over Mississippi State and Georgia.

“Derrion had a little bit of discomfort following the Georgia game,” Oats said. “We had him out, brought him back. Continuing to increase his basketball workload. Since we anticipate him having a long, successful basketball career long after he is done playing in college, we didn’t want to jeopardize any of his long-term health. We’re trying to make decisions that benefit him both in the short term and the long term. We don’t try to use anybody just to win games.”

Reid, a true freshman and former McDonald’s All-American, has averaged 16.9 minutes per game this season. He is averaging 7.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.3 steals, 0.3 blocks and one turnover per game.

The Crimson Tide’s next game will be against Arkansas on Saturday (7:30 p.m., ESPN) in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Nick Kelly is an Alabama beat writer for AL.com and the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X and Instagram.

General

Cracker Barrel fires back as Waffle House adds surcharge to eggs

Cracker Barrel leadership scrambled to make their own breakfast announcement after 24-hour restaurant chain Waffle House announced it would be tacking on a surcharge of 50 cents per egg.

“Egg prices are staying put, but we’re doubling your rewards,” the company announced in a Facebook post yesterday.

“Starting today through next Wednesday 2/12, all Cracker Barrel Rewards members will earn double pegs [rewards points] on all egg dishes.”

Waffle House’s announcement was attributed to soaring egg prices due to shortages caused by an aggressive strain of the avian flu.

Company representatives said it is “continuously monitoring egg prices and will adjust or remove the surcharge as market conditions allow.”

The average price for a dozen eggs in the U.S. has increased 50% in the past year, NBC News reported.

In the week ending Jan. 18, a dozen eggs cost $5.29, compared to a year ago when they were $3.50. The increase is being blamed on bird flu outbreaks that have caused the slaughter of 13 million hens since December.

A Cracker Barrel spokesperson told WKRC recently that they were hopeful the fluctuations in price would be “short-lived,” and added that they couldn’t “predict how long this shortage will last.”

Another spokesperson said keeping egg prices the same was an extension of their company values in an email to TODAY.

“A surcharge on eggs?” the email said.

“Well, there’s nothing hospitable about that. At Cracker Barrel, country hospitality is as important to us as a hearty breakfast, and that means not charging extra for eggs.”