Pioneer Press staffers who cover the Vikings take a stab at predicting Sunday’s outcome against the Chargers in L.A.:

DANE MIZUTANI

Chargers 27, Vikings 17: Sometimes analysis doesn’t have to be overly complex. Justin Herbert plays quarterback for the Chargers. Carson Wentz plays quarterback for the Vikings. That will be the difference in a short week.

JACE FREDERICK

Chargers 23, Vikings 20: The Chargers are banged up on the offensive line and reeling. Still, it’s difficult to pick Carson Wentz over Justin Herbert on a short-week game played two time zones away.

JOHN SHIPLEY

Chargers 29, Vikings 20: The running game is a mess, Carson Wentz is often running for his life, and the defense proved distressingly vulnerable to big plays in last weekend’s 28-22 loss to Philadelphia. This team needs another bye, not a short turnaround to Southern California.

CHARLEY WALTERS

Chargers 21, Vikings 17: Too much mediocrity. Sorry to say, Vikings rooters, but this loss, and the remaining schedule, make the playoffs highly unlikely.

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The “Soarin’ Around the World” attractions at the Disneyland and Disney World resorts will trade scenes of the Great Wall of China, Egyptian pyramids and Eiffel Tower for a flight from sea to shining sea when the new “Soarin’ Across America” film opens during the 250th anniversary of the United States.

The new “Soarin’ Across America” attractions will debut in summer 2026 at Disney California Adventure and Epcot in celebration of the nation’s semi-quincentennial.

The Soarin’ hang-gliding flight simulator attractions combine mechanical lift systems with three rows of seats and aerial footage projected onto an 80-foot-tall concave domed movie screen to create a visual tour tied to a specific theme. Past tours have taken riders across California and around the world.

Walt Disney Imagineering will use advanced cameras and lenses mounted on helicopters and drones to capture the aerial footage for the updated attraction.

“Soarin’ Across America” will be filmed at 33 locations across the United States with the new scenes capturing a bird’s-eye view of the “scenic wonders, amazing cities and the beauty of the coasts” in a celebration of America’s diversity and grandeur.

ALSO SEE: Disneyland puts all 4 Magic Key passes on sale again

Imagineering hopes to paint an emotional portrait of the nation with scenes filmed at natural landmarks, national monuments and large cities.

“As always with Soarin’ films, the biggest challenge is choosing where to go and what locations would work best in this unique film format,” Imagineering Chief Storytelling Executive Tom Fitzgerald said in a statement. “Now with the 250th celebration, we’ll immerse our guests in a celebratory flight that spans from sea to shining sea.”

A teaser video featuring Soarin’ Chief Flight Attendant Patrick Warburton promises a limited-time itinerary of amber waves of grain and purple mountain majesties.

“America’s packed a lot into her 250 years,” Warburton said in the pre-flight video. “So you’ll want to pack a lot of party favors.”

Permitted carry-on items include Betsy Ross flags, hot dogs, apple pies, bald eagles, bunting, pocket constitutions, powdered wigs and red, white and blue Minnie Mouse ears, according to Warburton.

The new “Soarin’ Across America” film will be reminiscent of the “America the Beautiful” film that played in the Circle-Vision 360 attraction in Disneyland’s Tomorrowland.

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By JESSICA DAMIANO, Associated Press

It’s the end of the gardening season, and those of us who’ve endured a less-than-perfect layout may be itching to move shrubs around. But proper timing is imperative.

I inadvertently planted a Clethra bush too close to a peach tree, and their intertwining branches have been taunting me all summer. But because the Clethra is a late-season bloomer, I’ll have to wait a bit longer before I can safely move it.

As a general rule, shrubs (and perennials) that bloom in late summer and fall should be transplanted in spring, just after they emerge from dormancy. This timing provides ample time for roots to establish before the plant’s energy is redirected toward blooming.

Spring and early summer bloomers should be relocated in the fall, when their blossoms and, sometimes, foliage, are long gone.

This April 18, 2025, image provided by Jessica Damiano shows a rhododendron in bloom on Long Island, N.Y. Gardeners can transplant spring- and early summer-blooming plants like rhododendrons in fall but should wait until spring to relocate late-summer and fall bloomers. (Jessica Damiano via AP)

Start with roots

Before attempting to dig up shrubs, research how deep and wide their roots typically grow. Shallow-rooted shrubs, like rhododendron, for instance, are easier to dig up than, say, manzanita, which have very deep root systems. Take the plant’s age into account, too, as mature shrubs will have larger roots than younger ones.

Your findings will guide your digging: New holes should be as close to twice the width of roots as possible — and exactly as deep.

Always dig a hole for the plant’s new home before removing it from the ground to minimize root exposure.

When possible, gently tie the plant’s branches together to get a better view of the area you’re digging. This step also helps prevent eye injuries from errant stems.

Take care to dig up as much of the roots as possible, plunging a sharp-edged shovel into the soil at what you estimate to be the roots’ farthest point and working your way around the perimeter of the plant. Then, retrace your steps, this time with more force to insert the tool deeply enough to lift roots out of the ground from underneath.

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Tips on planting

To avoid losing soil and damaging roots — as well as your back — place the entire shrub onto a tarp and drag the tarp to the new hole you’ve prepared.

Carefully slide the rootball into the hole and assess its depth. If necessary, remove the plant from the hole to add or remove soil as needed to ensure the point where its roots meet the trunk —the plant’s crown —sits at the same level it was previously.

Plant too deeply, and the crown and trunk will eventually rot; too shallow, and the roots will dry out, suffer sun and cold damage, and struggle to spread horizontally.

When you’re satisfied the shrub is sitting straight and at the correct depth, begin backfilling the hole with soil, stopping periodically to firmly tamp it down to eliminate air pockets. Water the soil halfway through, then resume backfilling and tamping. Water the soil again, then apply mulch over the entire root zone to retain soil moisture, regulate soil temperature and repel weeds.

Water the plant regularly through frost during the entire first year in its new home, but don’t fertilize yet.

Apply a slow-release, low-nitrogen fertilizer in mid-to-late spring. Doing so earlier would force the plant to allocate its limited energy to growth rather than recovery and root development.

Allowing transplants time to settle in can mean the difference between a struggling shrub and one that thrives for years to come.

Jessica Damiano writes weekly gardening columns for the AP and publishes the award-winning Weekly Dirt Newsletter. You can sign up here for weekly gardening tips and advice.

By Betty Hallock, Los Angeles Times

LOS ANGELES — Ari Kolender knows oysters. His two seafood restaurants — Found Oyster in East Hollywood and Queen’s Raw Bar & Grill in Eagle Rock — serve tens of thousands of oysters a week. Between them they’ve sold well over a million oysters, splayed in platters over ice, tucked into towers of seafood, served raw, grilled or fried (even occasionally buffalo-fried).

So if you want to learn how to shuck oysters properly, who better to ask than Kolender?

Yes, “the process is intimidating,” says Kolender. “You have a sharp knife. You have something fighting against you. Do I use a glove? Do I use a towel? All this stuff. How do I get this hinge to open?

“It’s not easy, but if you know what you’re looking for, it can be.”

“Everyone thinks they should dig in with as much force as possible,” says Ari Kolender, of opening oysters. (Stephanie Breijo/The Los Angeles Times/TNS)

The quality of the shuck is important, Kolender says. He’s standing in the L.A. Times’ test kitchen, equipped with an oyster knife and thick kitchen towel, about to open a couple of dozen Hayes (West Coast) and Norumbega (East Coast) oysters.

“Everyone thinks they should dig in with as much force as possible,” he says. “It’s not about pressure, it’s about leverage. You’re trying to separate these two shells that open naturally.”

Here are Kolender’s tips for perfectly shucking oysters:

Firstly, look for fresh and clean oysters. Always ask when they were harvested. “They can live a really long time, but they start to lose their infrastructure,” or their liquid, after a week.

You want closed oysters. If an oyster is open and stays open, it’s dead and should be discarded. If its liquor has spilled onto other oysters, just rinse them off.

More oyster-opening tips: Use a kitchen towel. Don’ t think of the oyster knife as a chef’ s knife. Pebble ice is the best ice for serving oysters. (Stephanie Breijo/The Los Angeles Times/TNS)

OK, let’s shuck.

Consider the anatomy of the oyster.

An oyster usually has a cupped side and a flat side. The cup of the oyster should be facing down.

The hinged side of the oyster comes to a point in a “V.” The purpose here is to pry open the hinge, then free the oyster meat from the top and bottom shell, which is connected by its adductor muscle.

Use a kitchen towel to hold your oyster. “It’s the safest way to be,” Kolender says.

Put the kitchen towel flat on a surface. Though Kolender prefers to hold the towel in his hand, he says placing it on the counter — with the oyster resting on it — is the best way for beginners to get into the physics of shucking.

Make sure the oyster’s hinge is facing you. “Your knife is designed to fit into a hinge very well,” he says. The hinge might not be in the exact same place every time. Run your knife along the “V”-shaped end of the oyster, and “it will tell you where it needs to be. Determine how it feels comfortable.”

Open the hinge. Press down on the oyster to keep it still, with a tiny bit of pressure and then move the knife in a rocking “U” motion along the hinge. That creates friction and leverage between the top shell and bottom shell, which opens it up.

Release the adductor muscle that attaches the meat to the shell. It goes straight through the top and bottom of the oyster. Your job is to release the oyster from the top and bottom shell and leave it there for serving.

So you’re going to run the tip of the knife down the side of the shell so that you can open it slightly — enough that you can see the oyster and identify its adductor muscle. “This is not your chef knife. You’re not slicing the meat off of the shell. You’re actually pushing the meat off of the shell.” So keep the knife against the top of the shell and push to scrape the meat off. It’s surgery; it’s just the tip of the knife you need. The top of the shell should come away.

The same process applies to removing the adductor muscle away from the bottom shell. “I like to use my thumb as a backboard to hold the oyster in place.” Use the tip of your knife to follow the shape of the cupped part of the oyster, holding the knife against the shell to free the meat.

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Extra tips: Remember to clean your knife as you go. And wipe any debris away from the shell that holds the oyster.

Serve the oysters flat on ice. Kolender serves them on pebble ice, because “it’s nice and light” and you can really nuzzle your oysters into the ice so they stay flat, not tilted, so none of their liquid spills out. Some fast food restaurants such as Chick-Fil-A and Sonic will sell you pebble ice, he notes. You can use any kind of ice. “The best thing to do with oysters is keep them cold.”

©2025 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.