Fifth in a series of stories profiling top high school football players by position. Today, Vincent Shields, Murrieta Valley offensive lineman.

For those who love dogs, offensive tackle Vincent Shields of Murrieta Valley High needs to be on your must-invite list. His mother and father run a dog training business. There are five dogs living at their home. All the female dogs are named after Disney characters. Vincent swears dogs can be trained to do anything, like open the refrigerator.

He just got a golden retriever puppy named Nala, the wife of Simba from “The Lion King.” The question is will Shields train her to rush the passer so he can practice his blocking techniques against someone with agility and a hunger to do anything for biscuits?

“That would be a good challenge,” he said.

The football journey of the 6-foot-6, 285-pound junior involves a change of positions, a change in eating habits and a recognition he has found his calling.

“He’s a freak athlete,” former Murrieta Valley offensive line coach Alex Rosenblum said. “That kid has had an amazing offseason.”

Teammates share a laugh with Vincent Shields as he engages in a power lifting exercise.

(Sandy Huffaker / For The Times)

By the end of the summer, Shields was nearing 20 scholarship offers after just one season as an offensive lineman. That’s what happens when college recruiters discover someone with size, good footwork and the ability to improve.

He started at right tackle last season for a school that has been producing outstanding linemen.

“We love to run the ball,” Shields said.

He was a defensive end as a freshman before Rosenblum convinced him to become a blocker. It opened a path that Shields has embraced.

“He told me at the end of my freshman year, ‘You’re going to start and if you make a mistake, it’s OK. Everything is a learning experience.’ I made mistakes and he was supportive,” Shields said.

He has been receiving private instruction to understand his role of blocking specific defenders and adjusting when linebackers blitz. All that was thrown at him as a sophomore, so it was no surprise he had some offside penalties. A year later, there’s no telling how dominant he can become.

“It takes a different person to play O-line,” he said. “It’s violent and that takes a special person. Not everyone is meant for the mental part and physical part. Are you going to take another man against his will and drive him down the field?”

Murrieta Valley offensive tackle Vincent Shields, center, does exercises during practice.

(Sandy Huffaker / For The Times)

Shields said he has been playing tackle football since he was 11. He was primarily a linebacker to take advantage of his athleticism. Then he started to grow and eat and eat.

Those were the days he loved French fries, chips, hamburgers and anything fried. He once ordered three 4×4 burgers from In-N-Out, which is four beef patties and four slices of cheese. He used to order from Chick-fil-A two chicken sandwiches, four chicken strips and 10 chicken nuggets.

Then he learned about nutrition and choices. He’s been eating steak and grilled chicken lately.

“I’ve done a good job shedding the bad weight,” he said.

His father, a former Marine, likes to cook, so everyone is watching Shields’ eating habits. He’s 17 with an appetite like a dog.

And speaking of dogs, the family has Shields’ golden retriever, a Rottweiler named Fancy, a giant schnauzer named Goose and two Belgian Malinois named Hero and Baymax.

That’s enough dogs to form a starting offensive line. But one of them has to beat out Shields, who intends to cause a whole lot of trouble blocking opponents over the next two seasons.

“I can’t wait,” he said. “You’re going to see a jump and a lot of people are going to wonder how it happened.”

Sunday: Godschoice Eboigbodin, JSerra defensive lineman

Offensive linemen to watch

Austin Attalah, Orange Lutheran, 6-8, 270, Jr.: His size alone makes him a can’t-miss prospect

Amaziah Siale, Mission Viejo, 6-7, 360, Sr.: Louisiana State commit can take on sumo wrestlers

Lance Ciechanowski, Sierra Canyon, 6-6, 275, Jr.: Let’s see who gets by him on pass plays

Drew Fielder, Servite, 6-6, 270, Sr.: USC commit is a former tight end who should dominate

Jackson Hill, Chaminade, 6-6, 300, Sr.: Notre Dame commit keeps getting bigger and stronger

Vincent Shields, Murrieta Valley, 6-6, 285, Jr.: Moves to left tackle as his blocking skills progress rapidly

Lex Mailangi, Mater Dei, 6-3, 350, Sr.: Oregon commit was a much-desired college recruit

Elisha Mueller, St. John Bosco, 6-4, 295, Jr.: Braves’ best blocker since Wyatt Davis

Lucas Rhoa, Orange Lutheran, 6-5, 305, Sr.: Texas commit has been a standout since his sophomore year

Jack Schein, JSerra, 6-6, 290, Sr.: Colorado State commit comes from a program that develops linemen

FROM the first ‘we’re here, cheers!’ to a cheeky afternoon vino settled by the sea, wine can be the perfect holiday accompaniment.

Yet, with the average price of a glass nudging up to £20 in some parts of the world, it’s not always easy to find good wine for a decent price.

Fortunately, there are still some parts of Europe where you can ensure your bank balance can stay in the pink as you drink.

I’ve been visiting vineyards and tasting wines as a journalist for more than 15 years and even hiked the famous ‘Hollywood Hill’ Hermitage.

My experience of studying with the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) – one of the world’s most revered wine qualification providers – has allowed me to travel the wine world virtually, too.

Now undertaking the highest tier qualification, the WSET Diploma, I immerse myself in a different grape region every day. So it’s safe to say I know a where to find some of the biggest bargains around the world.

So whether you’re looking to let your hair down with friends or just want to feel your shoulders soften after a hectic summer with the rugrats, here are my go-tos for an affordable getaway woven with wine…

Athens, Greece

The capital of Greece plays host to some of the world’s best bars where you’ll be lucky to get change from a 20 euro note for a single drink.

Yet this doesn’t mean there are no bargains to be found in the city.

In the Plaka area, at the foot of the Acropolis Hill, regular happy hours promise glasses of wine for as little as €2 (£1.71).

These are typically malagousia (white) or agiorgitiko (red) wines – they’re not the very best Greece has to offer, but they’re chalice sized, drinkable, and a good choice for a laid back early evening drink with friends.

Cheap eats in Athens take the form of souvlaki – skewers of spit roasted chicken or pork served in pillowy pitta with chips.

At Souvlaki Livadia, close to the Omonia metro stop, skewers are just a few euros including free bread.

For an affordable place to stay, Hotel Marina Center, a 25-minute walk from the Acropolis, has rooms from €51 (£44).

Lourmarin, France

An hour on a bus from pricier Aix en Provence, the hilltop town of Lourmarin is officially recognised as one of France’s prettiest villages.

Its centre is all limestone buildings with wooden window shutters, crooked cobbled lanes, and overflowing hanging baskets.

And the town is as easy on the wallet as it is on the eye, especially when it comes to wine.

Tucked inside a cave beneath Lourmarin’s 15th century castle, Le Caves du Château offers tasting sessions of six wines for €15 (£12.84) which works out to just over £2 a glass.

The pours are generous and – if the owner takes a liking to you – you might even get an extra taste for free.

Visit on a Friday to take advantage of the market that floods Lourmarin centre every week. Colourful food stalls are leaden with dry-cured meats, cheeses, and breads, which you can put together as a picnic lunch for less than a tenner.

When it comes to shut-eye, meanwhile, Ò Mamma Mia has rooms from €75 (£64) a night.

Top wine tip: Depending on the day, you’ll get to sample blends made from juicy syrahs, spicy grenaches and rare serine grapes with dark cherry and berry flavours.

Porto, Portugal

The trick to getting a bargain wine in Porto, in northwest Portugal, is to seek out the street sellers.

Pop up stalls regularly set up in locations like Jardin Morro and along the banks of the Douro in the Vila Nova de Gaia area, selling glasses of Portugal’s signature vino verde wine for €3 (£2.57) and three shots of port for €5 (£4.28).

If you want to combine sightseeing with sipping, the Pink Palace is a real giggle.

Entrance to this rosé themed attraction is €25 (£21), but the price includes five samples of rosé wine, and there are dozens of interactive exhibits to discover – including a giant pink ball pool.  

One of the cheapest things to eat in Porto is a classic francesinha – a multi decker, gravy-slicked sandwich. Each one will set you back about a tenner but is so big, you won’t need to eat for the rest of the trip.

On the accommodation front, there are plenty of affordable places to stay in Porto, from hostels with private rooms like Being Porto to B&Bs and apartments.

Centrally based Lusitana Hotel, for example, has doubles from €60 (£52) a night.

Bratislava, Slovakia

In the cobbled Old Town of the capital of Slovakia, the Slovak National Collection of Wines gives you 100 minutes to taste 80 wines for €40 (£34) which works out at 43p a sample if you can somehow manage them all.

To work up a thirst first, make the uphill walk to Bratislava Castle before returning to the Old Town to make a wish on the bronze Čumil statue, which emerges from a drain cover amongst the cobbles.

If you want more wine later, Grand Cru is the best wine bar in the city.

You won’t find wine for 50 cents a glass here, but you’ll get to taste gems like peachy devín and a grape called palava, all under the expert guidance of owner Martin.

For a place to crash out afterwards, We Stay has apartments in a restored 17th century Old Town building from €64 (£55) a night.

Top wine tip: You’ll taste your way through some better-known grape varieties like chardonnay and some that may be new to you such as peppery blaufränkisch and dunaj, bursting with red fruit.

Bari, Italy

Perched at the top of Italy’s stiletto heel, Bari is an fun port town where both life and prices remain largely unchanged by mass tourism.

Within the spaghetti streets of the Old Town, restaurants advertise offers like Antica Salumeria Di Lapesara’s two glasses of local wine and three cheeses for just €10 (£8.50).

It’s easy to find bargain bites in Bari, too.

The city is teeming with places that serve panzerotto (a type of pasty) or pucce (filled bread rolls) for as little as €2 a portion.

If you’re self-catering, pop to Strada Arco Basso. Known as ‘the street of the nonnas’, it’s an alleyway where local matriarchs make and sell fresh orecchiette pasta every day – you can pick up a bag for just €2.50.

For a wallet-friendly place to stay, Arvian B&B near the Old Town has rooms from €115 (£98) a night.

Top wine tip: In this part of the world, you can expect local grape varieties like verdeca and fiano (white) and aglianico and primitivo (red).

Kos, Greece

The birthplace of Hippocrates, or the ‘Father of Medicine’, Kos offers wines that are its own kind of medicine.

A 15-minute Uber ride from the centre of Kos Town, there’s a cluster of vineyards the serve affordable wine flights.

At family-run Hatziemmanouil, where the tasting terrace is topped with wine barrel tables in view of the vines, you can taste eight wines for €20 (£17) and the price includes a small board of cured meat, cheeses, breads, and tomatoes.

A short walk away, Ktima Akrani is a little pricier – with four wines costing €15 (£12.84) – but offers a tasting terrace that is all plump sofas, rattan, and wood, so it’s worth the extra pennies if you want a touch of lux.

To bed down, Bristol Sea View Hotel has apartment rooms from €94.50 (£81) a night.

Top wine tip: Count on tasting syrahs, grenaches, and one of Greece’s flagship grapes, citrussy assyrtiko.  

Béziers, France

This castle crowned hilltop city in southern France is surrounded by the Languedoc wine region, so it’s a great spot for a bargain drink.

If you’ve hired a car, you can also motor out into the vineyards of Fos.

Here, wineries like Domaine Ollier Taillefer offer tastings like six wines for just €10 (£8.50) and if you buy a bottle or two to take home, they sometimes waiver that cost.

The wines aren’t too badly priced at Béziers market, either – wine bar Jaja (a slang word for table wine) serves glasses from €4 (£3.50).

If you’re trying to save your cash just try not to be tempted by the croque truffle, which sells for nearly forty quid a metre at a stall across the street.

Or on the edge of the Old Town, Maison Carne serves wine by the centilitre, where you’re left in charge of the pour.

You’re only charged for the centilitres you drink and the rest is taken away at the end of your experience.

For a cheap place to stay, Hotel Paul Riquet, a five-minute walk from the Old Town, has rooms from €42 (£36) a night.

Top wine tip: The area is best known for its syrah, grenache, carignan and chardonnay wines.

Bilbao, Spain

Once you’ve ticked off Bilbao’s gargantuan Guggenheim art museum and ridden the funicular up Mount Artxanda for panoramic views of the city, it’s txakoli time.

This light, slightly sparkling wine is Bilbao’s signature drink, and it’s served in bars all over the city, for a few euros a glass.

Plaza Nueva in the Old Town is the best place for a txakoli crawl. All four sides of this suntrap square are lined with bars, with al fresco seating areas.

As well as serving wine, these joints serve pintxos – northern Spain’s equivalent of tapas, but typically served on cocktail sticks rather than in bowls or on plates.

Sold for €2 to €3 a portion, options include stuffed mushrooms, cured ham on mini baguettes, tortilla, and gilda (olives, anchovies, and pepper on a stick), and three to four can make a decent substitute for lunch. Favourite haunts include Café Bilbao and Taberna Ona.

To sleep it all off, Casual Mardones Bilbao has rooms in the Old Town from £92.45 a night.

Ohrid, North Macedonia

This red-roofed town on the banks of Lake Ohrid is dubbed North Macedonia’s Lake Como, although the cost of living in the two locations is incomparable.

Of course, prices are a little higher in the city’s bars and restaurants, but they’re still pocket friendly.

Near the lively Old Bazaar area, places like Star Cinar sell local wines for a few euros.

The food here is affordable, too. Share a platter of five dips and bread for £4 or tuck into a mućkalica (smoky stew) for less than £5.

For more choice, head to Winery Mal Sv. Kliment in the Old Town, where you can sample wines made from local grapes like ohridsko crno and pamid for less than €5 (£4.20) a glass in a cool, stone walled, tasting room. 

One of the cheapest ways to stay in Ohrid is to book a private villa.

Dozens of options, like Villa Malezan and Villa Dvor, can be booked for less than £50 a night.

Dolenjska, Slovenia

A 50-minute drive or one hour 45-minute bus journey from Slovenian capital Ljubljana, Dolenjska is the land of Cviček – a light, fruity, lower alcohol, traditional red wine that’s so loved by locals it has its own wine princess.

This part of Slovenia is ideal for a girls’ escape.

Dozens of stone vineyard outbuildings have been converted into cottages with facilities like wine barrel hot tubs and saunas.

Many of them, including Matjaz’s Homestead, offer wine blending experiences which let you blend your own bottle of Cviček wine in the cellars – for just €5 (£4.28) a bottle.

Stays in Dolenjska’s vineyard cottages can be booked for as little as €100 (£85) for four people.

Aug. 14 (UPI) — An American missionary who was kidnapped in Niger last fall has been released, officials said Thursday.

Kevin Rideout, 50, was abducted by three men from outside his home in the capital of Niamey on Oct. 21.

The details of his release are unclear, but he was in FBI custody and in good health as of Thursday, The New York Times reported.

Rideout, a pilot, was in Niger working for SIM, a North Carolina-based missionary organization.

“We are grateful to confirm that our good friend and brother in Christ, Kevin Rideout, has been released after over nine months in captivity,” SIM International Director Phil Bauman told CNN in a statement. “Kevin is in good health in the care of US officials.”

President Donald Trump said “the United States of America looks forward to welcoming” him home.

“Kevin was kidnapped by Jihadi terrorists in West Africa – the epicenter of Islamist terrorism, where there have been more deadly attacks in the past year than anywhere else on Earth,” the president added on Truth Social.

Indian PM said the Maoist-influenced Naxalite armed rebellion is largely gone, but its ideological backers still pose threat.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said the country has largely eliminated a Maoist rebellion which it battled for decades but still faces a threat from the movement’s ideological backers.

Speaking on India’s Independence Day on Saturday, Modi said India had succeeded in “getting rid of armed Naxals” – referring to members of the Maoist-influenced Naxalite movement that challenged state authority across swaths of central and eastern India.

However, he said “dimagi Naxals” (intellectual Naxals) are looking for opportunities to create violence, and need to be “identified and isolated”.

The phrase “dimagi Naxal” echoes the politically charged label “urban Naxal,” a term Modi and leaders of his Bharatiya Janata Party have previously used for activists, academics, intellectuals and other government critics.

The remarks come weeks after a youth-led protest movement, the Cockroach Janta Party, emerged as a rare challenge to Modi’s government and helped force the resignation of his education minister.

While Modi did not mention the protests, he repeatedly highlighted initiatives aimed at young Indians, including AI skills training and free online coaching for competitive exams.

He said India had transformed from a “fragile” economy into the world’s fastest-growing major economy over the past decade and reaffirmed his government’s goal of turning the country into a developed nation by 2047, the centenary of its independence.

India’s Naxalite movement began in 1967 with an uprising in the village of Naxalbari in eastern India, and grew into a decades-long armed rebellion championing the rights of landless farmers, the rural poor and Indigenous communities. Thousands of civilians, rebels and security personnel died in the fighting.

Modi said the Maoist movement had “destroyed the future” of generations of young people and credited his government’s security and development policies with sharply reducing Maoist violence since taking office in 2014.

Rights groups have for years accused India’s government of using anti-terror laws, sedition-related provisions and foreign-funding rules to squeeze civil society and target activists, journalists and groups critical of its policies.

The school year is beginning in the Los Angeles area, with LAUSD back this week and Pasadena Unified School District starting Monday. My 10-year-old daughter just got her new backpack and shoes and is aflutter about her return for her final year of elementary school. But she’s sad about one thing in particular: Last year her school had to choose to keep PE or art. It voted for art. She loved both, and didn’t think the choice was fair. I asked her to write about it and said I’d share her thoughts with readers.

For context, late last school year PUSD laid off more than 150 full-time-equivalent certificated positions. According to United Teachers of Pasadena President Jonathan Gardner, that number included almost 25 art, music, dance, orchestra and choir teachers. It also included librarians, coordinators for special education and counselors, and, of course, plenty of irreplaceable regular teachers. It’s a bitter pill for educators and parents to swallow, especially when the country is spending billions on an ill-advised war in Iran that was never approved by Congress and many people in the city are struggling to afford groceries and healthcare.

My daughter, Henri Boo Biller, gets into that a bit in her essay:

“Because the district couldn’t pay for certain activities and classes anymore, subjects like art, music and PE have ended. Some people have protested about these layoffs and budget cuts, but the children are especially sad.

Kids love and adore some of these teachers that have been teaching them how to draw or play a sport or musical instrument. Taking away these activities is ending certain opportunities for kids. For example, kids love to run and play just as much as they love to draw and sculpt. Taking away one of the two wouldn’t mean that the kid doesn’t still want to do it!

One of the subjects they’ve been taking away in some schools is music. This is a problem because some kids can’t afford instruments or lessons from an expensive instructor. That’s why music is so important, to let kids learn an instrument without having to pay big bucks for it. Taking away that is taking away a giant opportunity. The instruments the kids are learning, such as trumpet, trombone, flute, guitar, saxophone, cello and violin are expensive instruments that are hard to find, or at least hard to find in good condition.”

I’ll interject here. This is true. My family benefits from a school-loaned saxophone for my daughter.

In her essay, my kiddo interviewed her neighbor and best friend who lives across the street, asking her what she thought should be done about these budget cuts. Her answer broke my heart.

Q. What do you think we can do about these changes?
A. Have more fundraising events throughout the year. As well as school sales, bake sales and lemonade stands.

My daughter continues, “As [my friend] mentioned, we could hold more school sales like bake sales and lemonade stands. But we could also think about why this is happening. The money that is usually going to schools across the country is instead being used by the government to buy more weapons for the war in Iran [editor’s note: we have discussed that one thing being funded doesn’t necessarily take away from another, and that it is really a matter of what we prioritize as a society] … and because of this PUSD and other districts are having to take away certain programs. Some of these programs are even their main selling point! Programs like art, music and PE are being shut down, ending certain opportunities for children. We can try to get some of that money back, like the interview stated, or protest to show the world we mean business. Thank you for your time. Next week I will come back with an equally intriguing topic. Have a nice rest of your week! I’m Henri B. Biller, signing out.”

As her mother, I vote for protest! We do mean business, right?

I’m arts editor Jessica Gelt sending my love to the teachers of the city. This is your arts and culture news for the week.

The week ahead: A curated calendar

FRIDAY

Battleship Potemkin
Sergei Eisenstein’s epic 1925 silent film screens with the world premiere of a live music score for string quartet and vocal quintet composed and conducted by George Sarah. Sarah also performs on synths/electronics, joined by soprano Jenna Hansen, mezzo soprano Anna Caplan, tenors George Sterne and Sean McDermott, Kaija Hansen on violin/viola, Katie Kim on violin and cellists Carolyn Regula and Paul Hyun.
8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Sierra Madre Playhouse, 87 W. Sierra Madre Blvd. sierramadreplayhouse.org

SUNDAY

Jas Ahluwalia and Kamaljeet Ahluwalia of Absolute Focus.

(Sierra Madre Playhouse; courtesy of the artist)

Absolute Focus + Chris Votek
The husband-and-wife duo of Santoor virtuoso Kamaljeet Ahluwalia and tabla master Jas Ahluwalia are joined by cellist Votek for an afternoon of traditional Hindustani raga.
4 p.m. Sierra Madre Playhouse, 87 W. Sierra Madre Blvd. sierramadreplayhouse.org

Pacific Chorale’s Choral Festival
The annual event brings hundreds of community members together with the voices of the Chorale for Maurice Duruflé’s “Requiem.” Robert Istad conducts the Pacific Chorale’s Festival Chorus.
5 p.m. Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. pacificchorale.org

TUESDAY

Gershwin, Bernstein & More
Gianandrea Noseda and the National Symphony Orchestra make their Bowl debut with music from “West Side Story,” “An American in Paris” and Dvořák’s “From the New World.”
8 p.m. Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N Highland Ave., Hollywood. hollywoodbowl.com

WEDNESDAY

An Enemy of the People
Director Bart DeLorenzo has reimagined Henrik Ibsen’s classic play to highlight its contemporary resonance in a society in decline. The cast includes Lauren Campedelli, DeJuan Christopher, Dennis Dun, Clay Hollander, Jason McBeth, Cara Mitsuko and Jay Paulson.
Previews, 8 p.m. Wednesday-Aug. 21; opening night, 8 p.m. Aug. 22; 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and Wed. Sept. 16; 3 p.m. Sundays through Sept. 27. Odyssey Ensemble Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd. odysseytheatre.com

Herbie Hancock performs at the 2026 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.

(Amy Harris / Invision / AP)

Herbie Hancock Celebrates Miles Davis
The Grammy-winning keyboardist has recruited a stellar lineup including two of Miles Davis’ former bassists — Ron Carter and Marcus Miller — trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard, former Davis saxophonist Kenny Garrett, bassist Christian McBride and conductor-arranger Vince Mendoza, to honor Davis through his music.
8 p.m. Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N Highland Ave. hollywoodbowl.com

THURSDAY

Presented in VistaVision
A tribute to the cinematography technique created by Paramount Pictures in 1954. Its popularity waned in the 1960s but contemporary filmmakers such as Brady Corbet, Yorgos Lanthimos and Paul Thomas Anderson have embraced the format. The series begins with John Ford’s “The Searchers” (1956) in 70mm on Thursday, and includes “North by Northwest” (1959), also in 70mm, and “One Battle After Another” (2025), the first film shot in VistaVision to win the Academy Award for best picture.
7:30 p.m. Thursday; the series continues through Aug. 31. Academy Museum, 6067 Wilshire Blvd. academymuseum.org

Gustavo Dudamel conducts his final concert in Disney Hall as L.A. Phil music director on June 7.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

Celebrating Gustavo at the Bowl
As Gustavo Dudamel departs L.A. for New York, he goes out with a bang of four nights with four different programs: Beethoven Ninth with the L.A. Phil and YOLA on Thursday; Gustavo’s Fiesta, with Los Tigres del Norte, singer-songwriter Lila Downs, Mariachi Reyna de Los Ángeles, singer Sílvia Pérez Cruz, La Sonora Dinamita and Los Panchos, joining with the L.A. Phil for a night of Latin music on Aug. 21; Foo Fighters with the L.A. Phil and YOLA on Aug. 22; and last, but not least, “A Concert for Venezuela: A Benefit to Support Earthquake Relief” on Aug. 23.
8 p.m. Thursday-Aug. 22; 7 p.m. Aug. 23. Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N Highland Ave. hollywoodbowl.com

— Kevin Crust

Retrospective

L.A. Times arts coverage from the past …

Lynda Benglis. “MI,” 1984. Glass, sandcast, powdered; ceramic oxides, metal inclusions 13 1/2 x 17 x 16 in. Los Angeles County Museum of Art, gift of Daniel Greenberg and Susan Steinhauser.

(Museum Associates / LACMA; Lynda Benglis / VAGA, New York)

Shattering expectations

Aug. 6, 2006

It was 1986 and Daniel Greenberg and Susan Steinhauser were 10 years into their passion for collecting glass art. Their home was lined with the kinds of works they loved.

That was when Stephanie Barron, a curator at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, called to suggest that they look at an unusual piece at Margo Leavin Gallery in West Hollywood. Titled “MI,” it was a thick twist of sand-cast glass with a roughened texture reminiscent of glass unearthed from ancient sites. Even more unusual, the artist was Lynda Benglis, better known for avant-garde sculpture and performance and video work.

It was as if glass, as an artistic medium, had reached a critical juncture. “A whole group of artists who were not part of the glass movement but who worked in glass suddenly appeared,” Greenberg says.

He and Steinhauser viewed “MI” with puzzlement at first, then respect and finally appreciation. “This was part of our learning experience,” he said. “It expanded our horizons.” The couple helped LACMA purchase the piece. READ MORE

— Scarlett Cheng

Culture news and the SoCal scene

Anthony Hopkins at Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles on Aug. 1.

(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

Anthony Hopkins’ first love was music, and, at 88, he’s returned to it. Later this month, the two-time Academy Award-winning actor will release his debut album, “Life Is a Dream,” on Decca Classics, featuring London’s Philharmonia Orchestra and conducted by Gustavo Dudamel.

Dudamel will play his final show at the Hollywood Bowl later this month as the music and artistic director of the L.A. Phil, and although the city has had years to get used to the idea of losing him, it still stings. In a tender, thoughtful column filled with insider information, Times classical music critic Mark Swed looks back at Dudamel’s arrival in L.A. more than 20 years ago to track how the Venezuelan wunderkind went from “rising star to star to savior.”

Swed also broke the news that German composer and conductor Matthias Pintscher will be Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra’s new music director, replacing Jaime Martín beginning in the 2027-28 season. “Pintscher, who is 55, says he is not ready to make any grand statements about LACO other than being eager to explore West Coast music and that he loves combining old with everything else,” Swed wrote.

Michael Shaeffer as King Aerys II Targaryen in the “Game of Thrones: The Mad King,” which opened Saturday at Royal Shakespeare Theatre.

(Johan Persson)

The wildly popular “Game of Thrones” franchise, which began in book form and spawned one of HBO’s most successful series of all time, is branching out to the stage. A 3.5-hour play, “Game of Thrones: The Mad King,” opened last weekend at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon. Author George R. R. Martin was in attendance to celebrate, and audiences seemed delighted by the expansion of the fantasy world-building effort, with many fan questions answered.

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art this week announced its flagship restaurant: Skywalker Grill, inspired by founder George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch in Marin County. The restaurant is located on the top floor of the museum with sweeping views of the city. It will be open for lunch, dinner and weekend brunch with hours that last long after the museum closes. Think American cuisine with California-sourced ingredients, including a signature Skywalker Ranch Wagyu burger.

Self Help Graphics & Art in Los Angeles.

(Sarahi Apaez)

Self Help Graphics & Art announced the launch of a $6-million capital campaign for the completion of its permanent home at 1300 E. 1st St. in Boyle Heights. The fund is intended for the final phase of a major renovation that will turn the space into a destination arts and culture center. The goal is to complete the project by the end of the year.

Three public art pieces by street artist Banksy have cost British taxpayers more than $200,000, as public authorities work to remove, manage and protect the art, a freedom of information record request obtained by the BBC recently found.

— Jessica Gelt

And last but not least

One of L.A.’s most beloved taco trucks now has a brick-and-mortar home in Studio City.

A British mum named Ellis has boasted about a ‘hidden gem’ she found during her recently family holiday to Benidorm, explaining it’s just eight minutes away from the city centre

Benidorm is known to be a top holiday destination for Brits looking to soak up the sunshine with budget prices. While it boasts two gorgeous and popular beaches, one holidaymaker is now urging tourists to visit a lesser-known hidden gem just an eight minute tram ride away from the city.

British mum Ellis often shares her travel recommendations to others, claiming her goal is to find hidden gems and lesser known attractions in popular tourists attractions. And during a recent holiday in Benidorm, she went on to show off a gorgeous award-winning beach that many tourists have no idea even exists.

“Would you believe me if I told you this beach has won nearly 40 years of consecutive awards?” Ellis said at the start of the video, as she panned the camera to show off the gorgeous sandy beach, with palm trees and turquoise waters.

The beach in question is El Albir Beach (Playa del Albir), which is a clean, Blue Flag-awarded pebble and shingle beach located in L’Alfàs del Pi on Spain’s Costa Blanca, nestled between the resort town of Benidorm and the coastal village of Altea.

It has earned the prestigious Blue Flag award consecutively for decades maintaining the distinction every single year since the international environmental program began in 1985. This award is awarded annually by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) for exceptional water cleanliness, safety protocols, sustainable environmental management, and accessible facilities.

On top of that, the beach was also named the second best “refreshing” beach in the Valencian Community by National Geographic. The magazine praised the pebble beach for its crystal-clear water, peaceful atmosphere, and scenic views.

And Ellis also had lots of praise about the beach, as she said: “So turquoise you can literally see clearly to the bottom, which makes it look like it’s really shallow and it’s actually really deep and intermittently over the tunnel.

“They’re keeping announcing that it’s a smoke free and vape free zone, which in my opinion makes it even more rare and unique.”

In 2025, the mayor of L’Alfas, Vincente Arques announced a ban on vaping and smoking on all beaches in the area in order to prevent littering, but also to promote a healthier lifestyle for residents of the area. If you’re caught smoking, it could lead to a fine of up to £1,700 (€2,000).

She went on to explain the beach was a pebble beach, but said they were were tiny and white, making them soft to walk and lay down on.

“And it absolutely baffled me how quiet it was considering it was such a stunning beach,” Ellis added. “But would you believe this is the closest beach of Benidorm and probably 99% of visitors that go there don’t even know it exists.”

First Test, Darwin (day three of five)

Australia 198: (Smith 71; Mahmud 6-55) and 161-4 (Green 43*; Mahmud 2-33)

Bangladesh 426: (Tanzid 101, Shanto 84, Miraz 65; Hazlewood 6-89)

Australia trail by 67 runs with 6 wickets remaining

Scorecard

Spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz took the crucial wicket of Steve Smith as Bangladesh moved closer to a historic first Test victory in Australia on day three in Darwin.

Smith, so often Australia’s talisman, chipped a leading edge straight back to the off-spinner to depart for 44 and leave his side 122-4 in their second innings.

Australia safely batted out the rest of the session but they face a tough task to save the match after closing on 161-4, still 67 runs behind Bangladesh’s first innings total.

Their hopes of saving the first Test rest in the hands of Cameron Green, who remained unbeaten on 43 and Alex Carey, on 19.

Earlier Bangladesh added 75 to their overnight score of 351-6, with Miraz scoring 65 and Josh Hazlewood claiming 6-89 to claim his 300th Test wicket.

Miraz guided the tail superbly for his 65 from 154 balls as the Bangladesh lower order frustrated Australia’s tiring bowling attack.

“The way we showed character and played the last two, three days I think is outstanding. So, really happy to see them play like this,” Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto said.

After being dismissed for 426 shortly after lunch, Bangladesh seamer Hasan Mahmud stunned the hosts when he claimed both openers cheaply.

The 26-year-old, who took a career-best 6-55 in the first innings, bowled Jake Weatherald for 0 and Travis Head for 17 as both players chopped on to their stumps.

Marnus Labuschagne and Smith steadied the ship, before the former was bowled by Taijul Islam for 31.

Smith batted sensibly for his 44 off 88 balls but his wicket left Bangladesh confident of victory as they roared in triumph on the Marrara Oval pitch.

All-rounder Green’s place in the side had been questioned prior to the series, but he defended well alongside wicketkeeper Carey as the pair reached the end of the day to give the hosts a slither of hope going into day four.

Australia have never lost a home Test to Bangladesh, only losing once to the Tigers in six previous Tests – at Mirpur in 2017.

This is the first match in a two-Test series.

FORGET queuing for a selfie at some overhyped beauty spot.

Two-thirds of us (66 per cent) now reckon chasing viral destinations means missing out on the good stuff.

According to research by cottages.com, more than half (51 per cent) would rather sniff out a hidden gem than tick off a famous hotspot, with the over-55s leading the charge on 69 per cent.

So what does the nation actually want from a break?

A muddy footpath, a big view and a pint waiting at the end of it? Nearly two-thirds of us (61 per cent) say no UK getaway feels complete without visiting a cosy pub.

We know what we want when we get there, too.

SHE’S ELECTRIC

These are the BEST staycation destinations in the UK for EV car drivers

ABBEY DAYS

Treat yourself to staycation at Abbey Hotel with golf, hotel and dining for £135

Traditional pub grub is top of the wish list (67 per cent), ahead of snug interiors (60 per cent) and a beer garden with an incredible view (60 per cent).

Broadcaster Clare Balding has teamed up with cottages.com and walking charity The Ramblers to launch the Pub Walk Collection, which pairs hand-picked routes with nearby cottages and cracking local pubs.

Clare said: “A proper pub walk is a much-loved British tradition.

“For me, the perfect route is four to six miles with dramatic scenery, ending at a great local pub. Some of the most memorable parts of a break can come from taking a different turn, chatting to locals and discovering places that aren’t on every itinerary.”

Jacob Lewis lists ten destinations that require your walking boots and are worth working up an appetite – and thirst – for.

WALK: Start at Conwy Station (LL32 8LD) for a 6.1-mile loop through the lower Conwy Valley, with the castle and river laid out below you.

Three hours, two short sharp climbs, and views worth every step.

PUB: The Albion is built into Conwy’s medieval walls and is arguably one of the finest 1920s pubs left in Britain.

Its Art Nouveau interior alone is worth the walk.

STAY: Ty Llewelyn is a two-bed cottage inside those same town walls, metres from the start of the walk and a few steps from the castle.

Wood-burner on, boots off. Sleeps four. See booking.com.

WALK: From Keswick’s Moot Hall (CA12 5JR), good paths climb steadily above Walla Crag for spectacular views over Derwentwater before looping home.

PUB: The Pocket is a buzzy independent cafe-bar on Lake Road, beloved of hikers straight off the fells.

Offers homemade sourdough pizzas and local craft beer.

STAY: Bonnie Cottage sits near the heart of Ambleside, sleeping four, with a courtyard garden and a woodburner for the evening.

For details see sykescottages.co.uk.

WALK: The 3.7-mile Boscastle Discovery route starts at the harbour (PL35 0HD) and packs a lot in: dramatic sea cliffs, farmland, quiet lanes to Minster Church, then the gorgeous Valency Valley home.

PUB: The Napoleon Inn sits at the top of the old fishing village, a 16th-century charmer with low beams, stone fireplaces and a tiered beer garden with sneaky sea glimpses.

STAY: Greenacres is a proper family blowout, sleeping 15 across six bedrooms with a hot tub and views over the valleys to the sea.

See hoseasons.co.uk.

PEAK DISTRICT

WALK: From Bamford Station (S33 0BN), follow an old railway line to the mighty Ladybower Dam, then climb through woodland to craggy Bamford Edge.

This walk’s around six miles long and has Dark Peak views that show off.

PUB: The Anglers Rest is community-owned, hiker-friendly and right in the Hope Valley.

It serves hearty home-cooked plates and Derbyshire craft ales.

STAY: Fern Cottage has beamed rooms and valley views stretching to Bamford Edge. Sleeps six, and dogs stay free.

For further details see cottages.com.

WALK: Start in Settle’s Market Place (BD24 9EJ) for a short, punchy climb to the trig point. Brief, sharp, and the views are spectacular for the effort.

PUB: The Talbot Arms is family-run with the biggest beer garden in town.

Local real ale and comforting food are welcome after a day on the limestone fells.

STAY: Broughton Sanctuary’s Micklethorn is a grand ten-sleeper near Skipton where you are free to roam 3,000 acres of parkland.

Visit broughtonsanctuary.co.uk.

SOUTH WALES

WALK: From Limeslade Bay (SA3 4JW), enjoy an easy 4.8-miler along the Gower Coast Path to Langland Bay, then back through Mumbles past Oystermouth Castle and the Victorian pier.

PUB: The Vic is an independent boozer in the heart of Mumbles with real ales, craft beers and live acoustic sessions.

Proper free-house spirit.

STAY: Bungalow Highfields is a roomy base sleeping six, with sea views, an enclosed garden and salty air from the doorstep. See cottages.com.

WALK: A gentle 5.1 miles from Corbridge village car park (NE45 5AX) through the Tyne valley, with lovely views and a wander round the town to finish.

PUB: The Pele is a micro bar inside a 14th-century, Grade I-listed, fortified tower in Corbridge.

It only serves bar snacks, but a beer by the medieval-style fireplace in this three-storey tower is certainly hard to beat.

STAY: The Studio at Westfield is a Scandi-style bolthole for two near Bellingham, on the edge of Northumberland National Park.

For details, see cottages.com.

WALK: A 7.3-mile circuit from Mill Wynd, Kelso (TD5 7HP), taking in the ruined abbey and the countryside along the River Teviot.

Three easy hours in a corner of the country most visitors skip.

PUB: The Cobbles is a 19th-century coaching inn just off the town square, now a multi-award-winning gastropub.

Outstanding local beef and game, with craft beer to match.

STAY: Liddel Holiday Properties offers a cosy four-sleeper near Kielder with rolling countryside all around and the river close by. See cottages.com.

WALK: One for the keen hiker.

This 10.6-mile route climbs out of Pitlochry (PH16 5BL) towards Ben Vrackie, crosses to Killiecrankie and returns along the River Garry.

Six hours, and worth every one.

PUB: The Auld Smiddy Inn fills a former blacksmith’s forge and does modern Scottish cooking properly, with venison, Highland seafood and regional ales by the fire.

STAY: Heathergems Apartment is bang in the middle of Pitlochry, metres from the walk start and steps from Blair Athol Distillery.

Sleeps four. See cottages.com.

WALK: A pleasant country amble from Aldborough (NR11 7NW) taking in three churches and a whopping village common.

Big skies, gentle going.

PUB: Cricketers on The Green looks out over the pitch where summer cricket is played.

Its AA-rosette kitchen turns out monthly-changing dishes built on the freshest Norfolk ingredients.

STAY: Dibley Cottage is a beautifully done Victorian bolthole for four near North Walsham, in a pocket of North Norfolk most visitors drive straight past.

For details see cottages.com.

Aug. 14 (UPI) — The U.S. Army on Friday identified the two soldiers killed when an Apache attack helicopter from Fort Hood crashed in Texas.

The pilots were Chief Warrant Officer 2 Deontre T. Huey and Warrant Officer Seth L. Olmstead, military officials said in a statement.

They died on Wednesday near Salado when the helicopter, an AH-64E Apache, “experienced a mishap” during a maintenance test flight.

“Our hearts and deepest condolences are with the families of the soldiers we lost Wednesday,” said Lt. Gen. Kevin D. Admiral, III Armored Corps and Fort Hood commanding general, in a statement.

“The Army is a family, and a tragedy like this is felt throughout our formations and our community,” Admiral added.

Huey and Olmstead were assigned to Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division.

Huey, 34 of Killeen, Texas, enlisted in the Army in February 2014 as a motor transport operator. He had been assigned to the unit since February 2022.

Olmstead, 25 of Belton, Texas, joined the Army in January 2024 as a warrant officer candidate. He had been assigned to the unit since October 2025.

The crash of the helicopter sparked a large wildfire in the area, forcing some local residents to evacuate.

Officials said the fire covered some 155 acres.

On Thursday, a safety investigation team from the U.S. Army Combat Readiness Center in Fort Rucker, Alabama, arrived to lead the investigation into the incidents.

Seven-time Grand Slam winner Venus Williams defeated 6-2, 6-2 by Emiliana Arango in the first round of Cincinnati Open.

Venus Williams’s losing streak in singles play has reached 13 matches.

The seven-time major champion was defeated 6-2, 6-2 by Emiliana Arango late on Friday in the first round of the Cincinnati Open.

The 46-year-old Williams received a wild-card entry to the WTA 1000 event. She has not won a singles match since July 2025.

Arango, a 25-year-old qualifier from Colombia ranked 95th, needed 1 hour, 5 minutes to defeat Williams on the grandstand court at Lindner Tennis Center.

Williams had her serve broken in the first game of the match and faced an uphill battle the rest of the way. Arango was 4 of 5 on converting break points and won 71 percent of her first-serve points.

Williams was unable to convert on her lone break opportunity and was only 41 percent on first-serve points.

“That kind of eased my nerves a little bit of having maybe a little bit of breathing room. And then I think I just did a good job of staying on it, trying to make her play as much as possible,” Arango said about getting ahead early.

Arango will face No 7 seed and defending Cincinnati champion Iga Swiatek in the second round.

Williams’s last singles victory came last year in Washington, when she defeated Peyton Stearns.

“I think that at all times I was really controlling the point, but unfortunately didn’t finish it the way I wanted to,” said Williams, who is making her 11th appearance in the tournament. “The encouraging part is that I’m controlling the shots, but I have to just get a little more consistent on that last part.”

Williams will remain in Cincinnati to play doubles with her sister, Serena, after they received a wild-card entry. They last played doubles together at the 2022 US Open.

The Williams sisters were slated to play doubles at Wimbledon before an injury to Serena. They will play Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns in the first round.

The doubles portion of the tournament starts on Sunday.

“I’m excited and hope that we can both go into it fresh, on our toes and ready. I’ll be preparing for that,” Venus Williams said.

Venus is also slated to play mixed doubles at the US Open later this month with Alexander Bublik.

Christy Knowings, an actor best known for the Nickelodeon sketch comedy series “All That,” has died. She was 46.

According to her father, Charles Dunn, Knowings died Tuesday in Long Beach after she suffered a severe asthma attack on Aug. 7 and went into cardiac arrest. The actor had been on life support for several days.

Knowings joined Nickelodeon’s sketch show for kids and teens, “All That,” in 1997 when she was a teenager trying to break into the business. She impressed casting directors with a repertoire of characters and accents she’d been perfecting since she was 4 years old.

“I filmed a bunch of different characters, and then a week after that, producers and writers from ‘All That’ flew out from Hollywood to come see me in New York, and that’s all she wrote,” Knowings said during a 2019 interview. “Five minutes later, I was asked if I wanted to move to California.”

On “All That,” Knowings joined an all-star cast that included Kenan Thompson, Amanda Bynes, Kel Mitchell, Nick Cannon and Gabriel Iglesias, to name a few. She stayed with the sketch show for three seasons, departing in 2000.

Following “All That,” she appeared on “Sesame Street” across three episodes in twin-themed sketches.

“Sesame Street” posted a tribute for the actor on social media, writing, “Sesame Workshop mourns the loss of Christy Knowings, who appeared on Sesame Street alongside her brother, cast member Chris Knowings. Our deepest condolences go out to Chris and his family.”

Christy Lorraine Knowings was born Feb. 25, 1980, in the Bronx. She attended Manhattan’s Professional Performing Arts School and started honing her skills as a character actor from an early age.

“I did impersonations, but my thing was really creating new characters, and the characters would stem from different dialects,” she told the Pop Culture With Pat podcast.

“I was pretty good … Even if I had a small role playing a judge at a science fair, I would still try and make that character stand out by using a different accent or doing something a little dangerous. Didn’t always work! But most of the time it did.”

In 2019, ahead of the 25th anniversary of “All That,” Knowings spoke with Bustle about the way the show was ahead of its time. The Native American Afro-Latina actor said the cultural nuances brought by the diverse cast were celebrated.

“People tell me, especially Black ‘90s kids who were watching for my seasons, they’re like, ‘We really paid attention to you because you were the only Black girl!’ I was there to represent them in a way and I didn’t even realize it at the time because social media was not a thing,” she said.

“‘All That’ showcased the unity that we all wanted, needed and still need in a very humorous way. We brought each other together in a very lighthearted way. With Amanda and I doing ‘Whateverrr!’ you didn’t see a Black girl and a white girl, you just saw these two insane girls who loved the same guys. We both loved Leonardo DiCaprio and we both loved Kobe Bryant! I think we pushed a lot of boundaries.”

Knowings’ “All That” castmates posted tributes to her on social media.

Thompson, now a “Saturday Night Live” star, wrote alongside a photo of Knowings, “Man this one hit hard!!! Rest well Christy!!! Never could have imagined this day!! Sending so much love to her family!! She was a real one and one of the funniest people out here!!! Gonna miss you buddy!!!”

Alisa Reyes wrote that Christy was “not only an immensely talented actress, singer, and artist, but she was also a star seed, a light worker, and a true uplifter of humanity … Her frequency and vibration are now soaring into the ethers, and I can already feel her magic sprinkling upon us like stardust.”

Lisa Foiles posted a tribute on Facebook, writing, “It doesn’t feel fair when we lose one of our own. Christy was mesmerizing to me on ‘All That.’ I studied her facial expressions, her commitment to a bit, her talent for comedy way beyond her years. I dreamed of being in her shoes — and even when I joined the show, I knew they were impossibly big shoes to fill. She was a comedic icon to me, and when I finally got to meet her, her kindness matched her talent. Take some time to let her make you laugh today. RIP Christy Knowings.”

Knowings is survived by her father, twin brother, mother Rénee Knowings Dunn and siblings Charles Dunn Jr., Ashley Dunn Ledger, Yavonka Vega, Tamea Dunn and Lee Elder.

Health officials in California are defending the traditional childhood vaccination schedule against efforts by the Trump administration to weaken it.

The longstanding childhood vaccine schedule is safe, California’s top health official said, and continues to be recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics — the nation’s leading group for pediatricians — as well as the other states in the West Coast Health Alliance: Hawaii, Oregon and Washington.

“They’re safe. They’re important for kids to be thriving and healthy in schools,” Dr. Erica Pan, director of the California Department of Public Health and the state public health officer, said of vaccines. And she credited California’s robust vaccine requirements as a condition of enrollment for schoolchildren as a reason why the state so far has kept a lid on the huge outbreaks of measles seen in other parts of the nation.

Her full-throated defense comes after President Trump issued an executive order Monday recommending that the singular measles, mumps and rubella, or MMR, vaccine should be separated into three and that all childhood immunizations should be given at separate visits “to the maximum extent feasible.”

“We want it in three separate vaccinations, given at separate times,” he said during the signing ceremony. “Together, there could be a possibility they’re quite lethal. And separately it looks like they are not at all lethal, but just very effective.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics blasted the order as “unscientific and dangerous,” and criticized comments made by administration officials suggesting a link between autism and vaccines — a claim that has been discredited by many studies.

“Dozens of studies involving millions of people show there is no link between vaccines and autism, and yet federal leaders continue to promote this outdated, disproven idea to scare families,” said the academy’s president, Dr. Andrew Racine.

The Infectious Diseases Society of America has been equally unequivocal.

“The MMR vaccine does not cause autism,” the group says on an online fact page, adding that the measles vaccine prevents thousands of deaths a year worldwide.

Pan said Trump’s executive order does not change vaccine requirements for schoolchildren in California. And insurance companies continue to cover vaccinations for schoolchildren.

When Trump was asked whether there was any evidence for his claims regarding the MMR vaccine, he answered: “No. What I’ve heard is that there are some people that say it is that way, and I say, ‘Well, let’s say there’s a 5% chance of it. Let’s split it up.’ ”

There is no evidence to back up those assertions, medical organizations and mainstream experts say. The first version of the combination MMR shot was approved in 1971, and versions of it have been given to hundreds of millions of children safely over several generations, with more than 90% of children receiving the shot nationally, experts say.

Combining protection against the three diseases has been considered a miracle of modern medicine. Before the vaccine era, hundreds of children a year in the U.S. were either killed by measles or suffered swelling of the brain as a result of the disease. Tens of thousands were also hospitalized each year.

Mumps can cause deafness and inflame the brain, pancreas, testicles, ovaries and breast tissue. And rubella risks causing severe birth defects in pregnant women.

“There is no data supporting doing this in separate shots,” Pan said. “And, in fact, it will take more visits and more pokes in the arm, literally, for children to do this.”

With vaccination rates declining in many parts of the country, measles has resurged in the U.S. in the past two years, resulting in the first child deaths from the disease in 22 years, as well as hundreds of pediatric hospitalizations.

So far this year, there have been 2,566 cases of measles nationwide, which is already more than the 2,289 reported in all of 2025, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The most recent case count is also higher than any calendar year since 1991 — the final year of the nation’s last measles epidemic.

Beyond scheduling difficulties for parents, clinics and doctors’ offices, no company even makes separate immunizations for measles, mumps and rubella, Pan said. “There’s no scientific basis for it. There’s no current availability to do that.”

Trump’s executive order further recommends that children should get vaccinated against 11 diseases, a reduction from the 18 currently recommended by the CDC. The order also suggested that his administration would challenge certain states’ laws that require vaccination as a condition of entry into schools.

California in 2015 enacted a law that strengthened vaccine requirements for schoolchildren. The law ended the ability of parents to cite personal beliefs in seeking to exempt their children from certain vaccinations.

Children can still be exempted and attend school in California if they have a medical reason. And California law does allow parents to skip immunizations for children who are enrolled in independent study programs and do not receive classroom-based instruction.

California’s law was passed following a large measles outbreak centered at Disneyland that resulted in 131 cases in California alone, and spread to six other states, as well as Canada and Mexico. At least 12 of those infected in California were infants too young to be vaccinated.

After the law passed, California saw its measles vaccination rates improve. In 2013, the vaccination rate among California kindergartners hit a low of 92.3%, below the 95% threshold doctors say is needed to keep a lid on outbreaks. Since the law took effect, that rate has ranged between 95.1% and 97.3%.

The most recent figure was 96.1% for the 2024-25 school year.

States that have suffered large measles outbreaks have poorer vaccination rates. South Carolina, for instance, has been home to an outbreak linked to about 1,000 cases — considered one of the largest in the U.S. in more than 30 years. That state’s most recent kindergarten measles vaccination rate was 91.2%, well below the optimal 95% threshold.

There are five immunizations required as a condition of entry into kindergarten in California: polio; DTaP, which protects against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis; hepatitis B; MMR; and varicella, or chickenpox.

California’s most severe measles epidemic in recent memory occurred between 1988 and 1990 — an era before health officials recommended children receive a second dose of the measles vaccine. That epidemic led to 75 deaths in California and more than 3,000 hospital admissions. A major problem officials identified at that time was that poor parents could not afford vaccinations for their children. One of the nation’s largest outbreaks in 1989 involved mostly preschool-aged children in Los Angeles.

There was also a national measles epidemic between 1989 and 1991, which, according to a study published by the CDC, led to 166 suspected measles deaths and more than 11,000 hospitalizations.

Recommendations to give children a second dose of the vaccine, and the introduction of the federal Vaccines for Children program in the 1990s to help parents pay for immunizations, were credited with driving measles circulation down to historic lows.

Doctors say that it has been striking to see the U.S. go from a place where ongoing domestic measles transmission was effectively eliminated in 2000 to being on the precipice of the disease regaining a foothold.

“We’re seeing in this country cases, hospitalizations and deaths higher than we’ve seen in over 30 years,” Pan said. “We did such a great job — we eliminated measles by the year 2000, and now we’re going backward.”

Ferran Torres, who scored the winning goal for Spain at the World Cup, has joined European champions Paris St-Germain from Barcelona.

The 26-year-old has signed a deal with the French champions until 2031 for a reported fee of about 50m euros (£42.7m).

He scored the extra-time winner against Argentina to help Spain claim their second men’s World Cup last month, while his stock had already risen considerably after a strong season with Barcelona.

The forward scored 21 goals in 49 appearances in all competitions, providing three assists, and helped Barcelona win the La Liga title.

PSG, managed by former Barcelona coach and player Luis Enrique, have won the Champions League in the past two seasons.

Torres is the second high-profile forward PSG have signed this summer after the arrival of Maghnes Akliouche from Monaco.

PSG added to their silverware collection on Wednesday by beating Aston Villa 2-1 to win the Uefa Super Cup.

Torres has been at Barcelona since 2022 having previously spent two years at Manchester City.

He has scored 25 goals in 65 appearances for Spain and made his debut for the national team under Enrique.

PSG could lose Bradley Barcola this summer, with the forward wanted by Liverpool.

Growing up in a hiking family with a history along the Appalachian Trail, I became obsessed this summer with 91-year-old Dale “Greybeard” Sanders’ attempt to recapture his record as the oldest person to complete the more than 2,190-mile trek across 14 states. Known as “thru-hikers,” these backpackers walk the entire trail within a 12-month period. Each week, I’d search online for videos showing Greybeard’s journey, a pep in his step or the grueling grind across the miles. The current recordholder, M.J. “Nimblewill Nomad” Eberhart, who knew my parents, achieved this feat at age 83 in 2021, taking the honor from Greybeard, who set a record at age 82 in 2017. I wasn’t surprised to learn the two men were close friends; they even look alike, with their long white beards and sparkling eyes.

But Monday morning this week, with only 142 miles remaining, Greybeard announced he was heading home for rest in Tennessee. He’d spent a night in a Maine hospital due to complications from a fall and then learned his mother-in-law had died. “When it rains unfortunate incidents, it seems to come in buckets,” he wrote in a Facebook post.

These age-defying records and pivots felt personal.

It wasn’t accidental how the Appalachian Trail became my family’s backbone.

When I was about 7, my parents brought my younger siblings and me to Springer Mountain in Georgia, our daypacks filled with cans of Vienna sausages, boxes of raisins, a change of clothes and a sleeping bag.

“If you continue on this trail, you can walk all the way to Maine!” my dad said, pointing northward.

The path felt like a magical forested portal far from coastal Alabama where we lived. As a child, I couldn’t imagine how hiking would shape my parents as they got older: their physical fitness, spiritual connection to nature and access to community — all assets in aging well, according to extensive research. But more importantly, the outdoors would help them, and ultimately me, learn to adapt to change. That’s a survival skill for us all.

With the trail name “Fairhope,” my brother Laurence became the first in our family to complete the Appalachian Trail in 1992, followed by my parents, known as “Annie and the Salesman,” in 1994. Then my sister married a thru-hiker from north Florida.

“Hiking is a walking meditation, a way to carry everything we need,” my mom told me. “We may not leave you much money, but our legacy will be lives of adventure.”

Pursuing a trifecta of long-distance hikes after the Appalachian Trail, my parents completed the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada and nearly half of the Continental Divide Trail when I had my own health crisis. An amniocentesis revealed a serious genetic defect in the chromosomes of the child I was carrying — years before the current extreme restrictions on abortion care. When my parents happened to call from a payphone near the trail, I shared my heartbreaking decision to end the pregnancy.

“We’ll find a way there,” my mom said.

I don’t remember much discussion about abortion when I was younger, and I believe the community of young hikers over many years helped shape my parents’ evolving mindsets on many issues (as well as my mom’s newfound comfort cussing with her Southern drawl).

Somehow they hitchhiked to find a rental car and drove cross-country to Warren Wilson College in western North Carolina, where I still live and teach environmental education. This is a work college where all students hold jobs on campus like farmer, fiber artist and genetics lab tech. Like the trail, it’s a place with steep learning curves.

“Sometimes you have to change course,” my mom said, “when you sense the right path to take.” While she spoke, she held my 3-year-old, who would stay home with my dad while we drove more than five hours to a hospital in Virginia.

More than a month after returning to the Continental Divide Trail, my mom came down with a severe stomach virus, which my father caught a few days later. Much like Greybeard’s pivot, they decided to pause the hike. “The trail will still be here, but mom had a feeling it was time to go home,” my dad said.

Less than a year later in 2003, my mother, 58, was killed in a cycling accident, hit by a teen driver in Fairhope, our hometown. With time and a few trial runs, my dad returned to hike for a month on the Continental Divide Trail without her.

“I was never lonely, but I missed her every day,” he said.

In 2005, wearing a reflective vest and biking on the shoulder of the road, my dad, 64, was hit and killed by another teen driver. At their gravesites, we placed two metal sculptures, the “Final Blaze,” gifts from the Appalachian Trail community, many members of whom came to shovel earth upon the graves.

Since then, I’ve corresponded with Nimblewill Nomad, the record holder and caretaker of a hostel at Flagg Mountain, the start of the Pinhoti Trail in Alabama. There he has dreams to create a community where elders who are hikers can live together in the montane longleaf pine ecosystem.

“Your parents’ heart was years ago divinely placed in trust, in a chest — yours,” he wrote to me years after their deaths.

Now 60, I have outlived my mother, and I’m also surrounded by young people — my two daughters and my students — just as my parents were on their long-distance adventures. My undergrads are rightly fearful about the climate crisis but working in community to find their way. They’ve read the research documenting how the outdoors, including urban green spaces, improves cognition, social connection and physical strength, while decreasing depression and anxiety in all ages, but especially seniors. Nature helps humans adapt to change, and not everyone has proximity to it.

My students also know the Trump administration has cut funding for and even decreased the size of our public lands. They’ve met alums with careers in conservation whose federal jobs no longer exist. And we’re still recovering here from Hurricane Helene, a devastating climate disaster almost two years ago.

But what I know for sure, I tell them, is we must join with others to protect both people and places, even when we don’t know how this path will end. That’s my parents’ legacy to me.

While prepping for classes this week, I checked updates from Greybeard, who was home under the care of his physician for exhaustion after the rugged southern mountains in Maine — but he was cleared to hike again and intended to complete the trail. Regardless of the record-breaking deadline of Sept. 6, he’s adapting to a new “finish plan” and shared this truth for us all: “Together we will conquer this seemingly impossible task.”

Mallory McDuff is the author of several books, including “Our Last Best Act: Planning for the End of Our Lives to Protect the People and Places We Love.” She teaches environmental education at Warren Wilson College.

Sebastian Coe has a simple approach to avoiding political interference in global sport.

“The balance is keeping the politicians on the bus but not letting them anywhere near the steering wheel,” Coe said late Friday at the European championships.

The World Athletics president was responding to a question while speaking to journalists about avoiding political turmoil at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Other topics included track and field’s ban on Russian athletes, private equity in sports and FIFA’s credibility crisis following a controversial overturned red card at the World Cup.

FIFA was criticised after United States President Donald Trump made a phone call to FIFA President Gianni Infantino urging that US forward Folarin Balogun’s red-card suspension be overturned. World football’s governing body lifted the suspension. Trump will be nearing the end of his second term when the LA Games take place.

The 69-year-old Coe, a two-time Olympic gold medallist, led the 2012 London Olympics’ bidding and organising committees.

“I ran the London Games. I know it’s really important that you have really good working relationships with government, prime ministers,” said Coe, a former elected member of the British parliament.

“The delivery of the Games is in large part predicated on those relationships – with Treasury, Defence, Homeland Security, in our terms the Home Office.”

But with phone calls to influence a sporting matter, it’s “entirely down to the resilience of a sporting organisation to say, ‘I hear what you say, but thank you and goodnight,’” Coe said, noting the need to keep politicians out of the driver’s seat.

“I think I probably achieved that quite well in London. But not having those relationships is dangerous. Of course, there’s a balance.”

Could failed World Cup private equity look to track and field?

Infantino’s failed plan to sell World Cup profits to private equity investors has landed the FIFA president in a battle to retain his post.

Coe said the idea was “not as unfamiliar territory as people tend to think”.

“For the last decade, private equity or sovereign wealth funds have been investing in sports,” he said.

The ambitions of each member federation, he added, are tied to its ability to raise revenues.

“Private equity is a big play in many sports. There are individual athletics federations at this very moment I know are discussing partnerships with external sources of revenue including private equity,” Coe said. “That’s the way it should be, and that’s what I’ve encouraged our federations to look at.”

Infantino has acknowledged his FIFA proposal lacked transparency, but on Saturday received the backing of the executive director of the White House Task Force for the recently completed World Cup, Andrew Giuliani, who told critics of Infantino, ‘It’s just politics.’

“What you want to absolutely make sure,” Coe said of private investors, “is when that does take place that your sport has the kinds of governances and checks and balance and the type of consultation that allows people to understand the rationale, the ambition and what the execution looks like. That is critical.”

Coe noted that World Athletics has broadcast and sponsorship deals expiring in 2029, so seeking external sources of revenue is “an absolutely critical conversation to have. That debate has been taking place for two or three years, particularly at executive board level.”

Coe to defend World Athletics’ ban on Russian athletes

Coe plans to be on hand at the Court of Arbitration for Sport to defend World Athletics’ ban on Russian athletes.

In July, the International Olympic Committee lifted a suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee and advised Olympic sport bodies they no longer need to vet Russian athletes for permission to compete as neutrals.

But World Athletics said it will maintain the ban it imposed shortly after Russian forces invaded Ukraine more than four years ago.

Russian Athletics has asked Switzerland-based CAS to overturn the sanctions.

“I will be in the Court of Arbitration (for Sport) defending our position,” said Coe, who lost a bid last year to become IOC president.

“We will continue to do what we think is in the best interest of our sport,” he added. “The primacy of an international federation to determine what eligibility looks like in the sport is the base of the pyramid.

“When we have been to the court before on previous occasions, that concept has been upheld. This is not about politics or passports. This is about the integrity of competition. That is the position we will be defending.”

Australia close Day Three of the first Test against Bangladesh on 161-4, trailing the record-chasing tourists by 67.

Spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz took the key wicket of Steve Smith to reduce Australia to 161-4 after the third day of the first Test in Darwin and move Bangladesh closer to a historic win.

At the close on Saturday, Australia trailed the visitors by 67 runs in their second innings, with Cameron Green on 43 and Alex Carey on 19.

After being dismissed for 426 shortly after lunch, Bangladesh seamer Hasan Mahmud stunned Australia when he claimed both openers cheaply.

Hasan, who took a career-best 6-55 in the first innings, bowled Jake Weatherald (0) and Travis Head (17) in identical fashion, both chopping on to their stumps.

On a good batting strip, Marnus Labuschagne and Smith initially steadied the ship.

Labuschagne, who has been out of form and seen his place in the team increasingly come into question, eased to 31 before playing over the top of a straight ball from left-arm spinner Taijul Islam and being bowled.

Smith, so often Australia’s saviour, batted sensibly but with the score on 122 he got a leading edge to off-spinner Mehidy and chipped it straight back to the bowler.

“The way we showed character and the way we played for the last two or three days was outstanding,” visiting captain Najmul Hossain Shanto told Fox Sports.

“We are taking it session by session, focusing on the process and not the outcome.”

Earlier, Mehidy did the damage with the bat, scoring a valuable half-century in Bangladesh’s first innings.

After Bangladesh were well beaten by a Cricket Australia XI in their only warm-up match, including being bowled out for 54 in the second innings, many expected this Test to be an easy Australia victory.

But the unfancied visitors bowled the hosts out for 198 on the first day and then showed great dedication with the bat to keep the home side in the field for 138 overs.

Mehidy shielded the lower order brilliantly in the morning session to frustrate a tiring Australian attack.

When he was finally dismissed for 65 by Josh Hazlewood shortly after lunch, he had helped put his team into a strong position halfway through the match.

Bangladesh are attempting to win a Test in Australia for the first time, at the third attempt.

Mehidy shines for Bangladesh to frustrate Australia

After Bangladesh resumed the day on 351-6, fast bowler Hazlewood took two wickets in the first hour to give the hosts hope of wrapping up the tail relatively quickly.

But Mehidy’s outstanding batting allowed Bangladesh to defy the Australian bowlers on a typically hot and humid Darwin morning.

They were helped by some poor Australian catching, including an almost inexplicable miss by Smith, who got under a mistimed pull from Taskin Ahmed in the deep but dropped the simplest of chances.

Two balls later, Mehidy miscued a pull shot only for a diving Head to spill a more difficult chance.

After defying the Australians for more than an hour in the final session on Friday, Hasan lasted just four overs of the first session on Saturday before being trapped leg before by Hazlewood, adding one run to his overnight score of 13.

Taijul Islam made a breezy 17 before becoming Hazlewood’s 299th wicket in Tests when he guided a ball straight to Cameron Green at gully.

With Mehidy shielding Taskin, Bangladesh pushed the lead past 200 and kept the Australian bowlers toiling for another two hours.

Hazlewood, the pick of the attack with 6-89, reached 300 wickets in Tests when he had Mehidy caught behind by Alex Carey to leave Bangladesh 418-9.

He got his 301st when Number 11 Ebadot Hossain fell the same way for seven.

IT is the dancefloor hit that was the late Queen’s favourite song.

But we can reveal Abba’s Dancing Queen — released 50 years ago this week — almost had a completely different name and made the Swedish foursome cry the first time they heard the final edit.

In an exclusive interview to mark half a century of the song, which has been streamed more than two billion times and was voted the UK’s favourite dancefloor filler, ­historian Carl Magnus Palm explains that Abba still have unheard songs.

But friend of the band Carl fears the world will never hear them.

And he insists that members Agnetha Faltskog, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Frida Lyngstad have no interest in reforming.

Carl, who has known the band for 25 years, told The Sun: “Dancing Queen was one the songs that Abba are most proud of as its sound was so unique at the time they wrote it.

“But the lyrics didn’t come until a long time after the melody was formed.

“They told me that for weeks they sung nonsense words over the chorus.

The working title was ‘Boogaloo’ as they were the words they sung instead of Dancing Queen for a long time.

“I’m not sure it would’ve been the hit it is today if they had stuck with that. When they eventually found the lyrics and the song was finished, some of the band were reduced to tears, they found it so beautiful.”

On the prospect of them reforming and releasing of new songs, he added: “They seem very firm that they are going to enjoy their retirement and that they’ll be no more new music.

“However, I know there are a few songs which have never been heard. They were written for their last album and didn’t make the cut.

“They won’t even tell people the names of the tracks. I guess while they remain unreleased there is always a chance of new music. It’s not impossible but unlikely.”

Carl revealed that the famously private Swedish group remain close but rarely socialise together.

And he said they shed tears of joy when they saw their younger selves in hologram form at London’s Abba Voyage show.

Carl also said that songwriter Bjorn is working on a new musical with the help of AI and an unnamed “British female artist”.

Abba formed in 1972 and went on to become one of the world’s biggest acts, selling more than 50million records.

Dancing Queen alone — which was released in August 1976 — has sold more than 4million globally and has two billion downloads on Spotify.

The song was not only voted the UK’s favourite Abba hit of all time by Radio 2 listeners in 2024 but was voted the nation’s favourite dancefloor song ever.

But Carl, who got close to the band having been a historian and author on their music for 25 years, told how the song could have been so different to the track we all love.

He said: “Abba had a big hit with Waterloo in 1974 but the reality was everything after that for a while had been a flop in the UK and they put great store by what was a success in ­Britain.

“They wondered whether part of it was down to getting distracted in the songwriting process. So in the summer of 1975 they went to a tiny cabin in the Swedish archipelago island of Viggso near Stockholm.

“Bjorn and Agnetha, who were married at the time, had a property there and they had this small two-bedroom guest cabin with an indoor porch.

“I was lucky enough to be allowed to go there. They set up Benny’s piano and two chairs and started to write a melody.

“No one could reach them there, so they could focus. For the first time Bjorn brought an electric guitar and amp instead of his acoustic guitar because he told me he’d been listening to lots of American dance music like Stevie Wonder and George McCrae’s Rock Your Baby.

“They then came up with this melody. It was the beginning of Dancing Queen. For ages the lyrics were ­gibberish — English words with no meaning or cohesion. I heard them. The chorus was simply ‘Boogaloo’.

“In the next few weeks they went back to the mainland and laid it all down.

“Benny and their manager wrote the lyrics about this 17-year-old ­clubbing girl.

“They gave no suggestion it was based on Agnetha and Frida — just a fictitious young clubber. They told me that they got rid of some extra verses, which the fans never heard.

“I’m glad they did as originally the first two lines to the song were going to be ‘Baby, baby, you’re out of sight. Hey, you’re looking all right tonight’.

“They knew people would have hated that so they cut it out.

“It was a good job because I doubt it would’ve been the hit it is today with those as your opening lyrics.”

Carl also told about how the band became emotional when the song was finally cut.

He said: “Bjorn and Benny told me there were absolutely ecstatic. They finished it late at night and Bjorn was desperate to play it to someone. Agnetha was asleep at home so he went to his sister’s place instead, and they played this tape over and over again.

“Bjorn went home to Frida, who he was married to then, and played it.

“She told me she put the tape in the tape machine, pressed the play button, and she thought it was so beautiful that she started to cry.

“Agnetha has since told me she had chills and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up when she heard it.”

The video for the song was recorded in a “matter of hours” on a low budget.

When released, Dancing Queen spent six weeks at No1 in the UK and topped the charts in 15 different countries.

According to Carl, Abba loved the song so much they always tried to play it as their final tune of every encore at live shows.

It gained fans from all over the world, including the King and Queen of Sweden and the late Queen ­Elizabeth, who regularly said was her favourite song.

Virgin Radio DJ Chris Evans once recalled performing a DJ set at a ­private royal party.

When Dancing Queen was played, the Queen reportedly remarked to her guests: “I always try to dance when this song comes on because I am the Queen and I like to dance”.

Carl added that the band were moved by having the late Queen as a fan, saying: “They were all very touched.”

However, Bjorn told him that he was “puzzled” by the fact Dancing Queen is seen as a dancefloor song as “he still thinks it’s too slow to dance to”.

In 1979, Bjorn and Agnetha split and two years later Frida and Benny did the same. It saw the band go on an indefinite hiatus.

But in 2021, they returned with new material and album Voyage.

A year later, interactive experience Abba ­Voyage opened in London — showing the band as holograms from their pomp.

Carl added: “They loved Abba ­Voyage and they went to the opening. Bjorn told me it was like watching a band he used to know from decades ago.

“He said it was like an out-of-body experience.

“There were tears of happiness when they saw it, definitely.”

Carl, who first got to know the band when they worked with him to release his 2001 book Bright Lights Dark Shadows: The Definitive Bio- graphy Of Abba, said that the likelihood of there being any reunion is very slim.

Carl added: “They are winding down now.

“They like their privacy. They have grandchildren. They are in their 70s and 80s.

“The chance of a reunion is very slim I think. But it’s not impossible. There are still the songs that didn’t make it on Voyage, but they are showing no signs of wanting anyone to know what they are.

“They are still close but they don’t really socialise. They are all living very low-key lives.

“It is only Bjorn who is working. He is working on a musical — using the help of AI — with a British female singer, whose name they have not told me.

“One thing I know for sure is that when they recorded Dancing Queen on that tiny porch they would never have dreamed it would still be as relevant and popular today — 50 years on.”

• Bright Lights Dark Shadows: The ­Definitive Biography Of Abba by Carl ­Magnus Palm is available now.

Crystal Palace have signed Israel international Anan Khalaili on a deal which runs until 2031.

The Eagles have reportedly paid a £21m fee for the 21-year-old, who can play as a full-back or winger.

He arrives from Union Saint-Gilloise where, since joining in 2024, he helped the side win their first Belgian Pro League title in 90 years and a Belgian Cup.

Khalaili will add European experience to Palace’s Europa League campaign, having scored three of his six goals last season in the Champions League.

“I have followed the Premier League for a long time, it’s a new challenge for me,” Khalaili said.

“And Crystal Palace I like, because I have followed them for a long time. They have deserved to win three trophies and I want to do more.”

Khalaili becomes the fifth addition to Pierre Sage’s side.

Defenders Takehiro Tomiyasu and Oscar Mingueza each signed on a free, while Dwight McNeil arrived in exchange for Brennan Johnson and Evann Guessand returns on a season-long loan from Aston Villa.

For the tourist industry, 2026 has been a rocky year, with war, EU border delays, climate and economic woes gnawing away at holiday plans. But while much of Britain is feeling the loss of visitors from the Middle East and beyond, one part is thriving.

Scotland is reeling in ever more visitors, with strong annual growth and a 15% rise in flight bookings to Scottish airports in June and July, compared with a drop in bookings to London and the rest of England in recent months, according to VisitBritain figures.

With heatwaves gripping much of Europe, the hope of finding cooler climes farther north may have increased Scotland’s allure – although tourism chiefs say dashing Highland warriors and kilted football fans may have more to do with it.

Long-term plans to increase direct flights from North America have come to fruition in the last two years, bolstering the traditional US-led foreign tourist base.

A rise in visitors from continental Europe, possibly looking to escape the heat, has added to the mix. And more Britons have chosen to holiday at home rather than face the border confusion and delays under the EU’s entry-exit system.

In Edinburgh, where August has long been the busiest time of the year, Princes Street was this week particularly teeming with tourists, gathered around bagpipers and being targeted with leaflets by cheery fringe promoters.

Festival sales are up 30%, according to Marc Crothall, the chief executive of the Scottish Tourism Alliance. “Edinburgh is jumping, which is great. And that’s a massive draw for international visitors,” he said.

Not all were here for the world’s biggest arts festival: Zanet Garcia, from Mexico City and on her second day in the country, had no idea it was on. “I was really confused by it all. I had never heard of the fringe and I didn’t know what it was,” she said with a laugh. “But everyone has been so friendly.”

Garcia chose Scotland because of her interest in Scottish mythology, sparked by books and TV shows that were huge UK exports, such as Harry Potter and Outlander, and had visited locations connected with them. She was taking in traditional national attractions too, fresh from the Johnnie Walker Experience – “I don’t even drink whisky” – and with tickets to the military tattoo.

The majority of tourists are from the UK. But it is the big-spending foreigners who are more likely to stay longer, chalk up the visitor attractions and pack in the experiences. An average overseas visitor to Scotland spent just over £900 in a week in 2024, compared with just over £300 in three nights for a British holidaymaker.

According to data from the Moffat Centre for travel and tourism at Glasgow Caledonian University the biggest jump this year has been in visitors touring by campervan rather than staying in hotels.

Numbers are up but spending per head is down, Crothall said, describing the overall picture as “healthy but by no means booming”.

The holidaying Briton is more likely, he said, to be pursuing free visits to museums and walking in the countryside, with the cost of living still a big issue. “Instead of the three course meal, it’s the one. The 5% VAT and free travel helps, but it’s not magic,” Crothall said.

Although Scotland has suffered its own heatwaves, and devastating wildfires in the Cairngorms, it remains cooler than the southern UK. “We hope and suspect that we’ll see more European visitors given the climate conditions,” Crothall added.

Conclusive data linking the heat to changing tourism habits is not yet available, said Vicki Miller, the chief executive of VisitScotland. “But certainly we’ve seen this year strong demand from Europe including Spain and Italy, which is potentially the climate impact,” she added.

What the research does show, however, is just how many visits, such as Garcia’s, were inspired by the screen. Online searches spiked on the back of reality TV hit The Traitors, although Ardross Castle – the main location for the UK and US versions of the show – is not open to visit. Castles that have featured in Outlander – a long-running hit in the US and parts of Europe – have also become big draws.

“We know that 36%-37% of international visitors are inspired by film or TV,” said Miller. “And people’s memories are long: they remember Braveheart or Local Hero as well.”

Sport has also pulled in visitors, from this year’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow to big golf tournaments, along with the reflected glory from travelling Scottish football fans.

Interest from Germany increased after it hosted Euro 2024, when the Tartan Army were voted the best supporters at the football tournament: a mixture of “friendliness, banter, and donations to local charities – they capture hearts, they’ve been fantastic ambassadors”, Miller said.

At this year’s World Cup, when Scotland played in the US, VisitScotland “painted Boston tartan” to capitalise, she said, prompting local online searches for Scottish holidays to double.

While Scotland hopes to reap the fruits of a long-term strategic approach, including more direct flights – 100,000 more seats annually from the US alone – and promoting visits in all seasons, many are still feeling the pinch from reduced spending.

On the streets of the Scottish capital, Dexter, working at Edinburgh Bus Tours, was rueful. “I’ve been here seven years and the crowd is going down. Tips have gone, big time. I used to be able to go on vacation just on my tips, now that’s not the case,” said the tour guide, who is originally from Nevada, US.

He said the tourist tax – a 5% levy introduced in July on accommodation in Edinburgh – “has hurt”, on top of the cost of living: “People have got no money.”

Leon Thompson, the executive director of the trade body UKHospitality Scotland, concurred. “People are in their cost of living crisis and that is a challenge,” he said.

Thompson added that companies were feeling the impact of business rates, national insurance contributions and VAT, and were anxiously awaiting tourist levies to be introduced by other Scottish local authorities after Edinburgh.

“Scotland will always be a popular destination, but we can’t be complacent. We can’t allow ourselves to be priced out of what is the global visitor market,” he said.

PUERTO Rico is known for salsa, pina coladas and street parties.

But following Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny’s performance at the Super Bowl half-time show this year, interest in the Caribbean island — which is a US territory — has surged.

And on my first visit, it didn’t take me long to realise what all the fuss was about.

Landing in capital San Juan, I made a beeline for Bad Bunny’s favourite neighbourhood, Santurce, a hip and arty spot littered with bright and enormous murals — the biggest of which stretches ten storeys high.

In the day, the streets here are peaceful, with quiet cafes spilling on to the pavement and a well-known elderly man selling flowers to passers-by.

Don’t let that fool you, though.

HOLS IN FLAMES

Is YOUR France or Spain holiday affected by wildfires? Latest travel advice

SPAIN PAIN

Is it safe to travel to Spain amid wildfires? Everything to know about holidays

The scene completely changes come Friday and Saturday nights, when locals cram into the many bars and party on the streets to live music.

It’s a great spot for a boogie and for those who love to let their hair down.

But if, like me, you’re not much of a party animal, you might prefer the region of Ciales, around 40 miles to the west, which offers sweeping, unspoilt countryside.

Instead of late nights stomping until sunrise, this area is all about early mornings and waterfall hikes.

You’ll never struggle to find a decent coffee to fuel those dawn starts, either.

After all, Puerto Rico is famous for producing some of the best in the world.

You’ll be able to pick up a brew anywhere, with makeshift stalls perched on the side of the road and halfway up mountains.

I even found one suspended from a treehouse. Called FinCafe, it serves its brews with a twist.

How does a ginger and cinnamon flat white sound?

FinCafe also offers tours of its plantation across the road. Book with Sofrito Tours (sofritotourspr.com).

Heading even further west, out of the countryside and towards the coastline, I stumbled upon some of the most beautiful seaside spots, including Crash Boat Beach.

Once a military site (hence the name) this shore is now a gorgeous stretch of white sand bordering clear blue seas.

Be prepared to jump off the fishing pier if you visit. It’s a cherished tradition here.

If you are keen to have a go at surfing then make your way to Jobos Beach, a few miles along the coast from Crash Boat.

Those who are new to the sport can book a private or group lesson with local group MOKU (mokusurfshop.com).

The staff are incredibly patient.

They even pushed my board against the might of the ocean to try and help me catch a wave.

You’ll find that all the exertion will build up quite an appetite — and lunch at the surrounding coastal restaurants is the best way to refuel.

I became very partial to a Medalla Light beer or an Ocean Lab Mambo, which has a hint of passion fruit and is delightfully fresh after a day of swallowing salty seawater.

Beers can be paired with local snacks such as fried fish, crab fritters and plantain chips.

You can bet your bottom dollar that it will be some of the freshest grub you have tried, too.

Much of the food in Puerto Rico is sourced from the island.

Pa’l Monte, in the small town of Rincon, is the place to head for proper hearty meals.

Try traditional mofongo, which is fried and then mashed plantain, topped with prawns, meat or veggies.

If you are more of a cheese fan then Vaca Negra is where to head. You can even have a go at making your own cheese (see vacanegra.com).

After busy days of surfing, exploring and gobbling back delicious food, the comfy beds at El Oasis, a retreat in the hilltops of Aguada, offered great respite.

With nothing but the call of the coqui tree frogs to disturb the peace, this spot felt like living in pure paradise.

And I can’t help but feel a little jealous that Bad Bunny gets to call this home.