Nearly 20 years after his death, photographer, filmmaker, author and activist Gordon Parks continues to inspire others and now legislative funding will help make plans to honor him a reality.

With his “American Gothic” looking over his shoulder, photographer Gordon Parks gestures while speaking at the Corcoran Gallery in Washington Tuesday Sept. 9, 1997 during the opening of an exhibit of his works. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Rep. Samakab Hussein, DFL-St. Paul, and Sen. Foung Hawj, DFL-St. Paul, on Sunday will announce legislative appropriations to commemorate Parks who began his photography career in St. Paul. Funds are allocated through the legacy finance bill authored by Husssein and Hawj and approved by Gov. Tim Walz in May.

“We’re really excited that the state of Minnesota is honoring and finally saying that the legacy of Gordon Parks is so important to the state,” said Parks’ grandniece Robin Hickman-Winfield. “Honoring and celebrating his life and legacy is important to the state of Minnesota.”

Hickman-Winfield said it’s been a long journey to getting the resources for a memorial for her uncle.

While plans for the memorial are still in development, Hickman-Winfield, Landmark Center Executive Director Amy Mino and others have discussed possibly having a statue of Parks in the Landmark Plaza.

They have wanted the memorial to be surrounded by “the footsteps of Uncle Gordon,” Hickman-Winfield said. That includes sites such as The St. Paul Hotel where he worked as a waiter and the Frank Murphy women’s clothing store in The Lowry Building that hired a young Parks to take some of the photos that helped start his career.

Parks would return to St. Paul in the 1990s to perform with a symphony orchestra at Landmark Center.

“So, his stomping ground where he worked, where he walked, surrounded Landmark Plaza. So for him to stand there, to take his rightful place (in) downtown St. Paul … .that’s why we selected that place,” Hickman-Winfield said.

Hickman-Winfield, Mino, Kevin Lindsey, chief executive officer of the Minnesota Humanities Center, Parks Legacy Initiative Partnership members and other community members and legislative leaders will attend Sunday’s announcement, which will take place on the birthday of Parks, who was born in 1912.

Hussein serves as the co-vice chair of the House Legacy Finance Committee and Hawj is the chair of the Senate Environment, Climate and Legacy Committee and one of the authors of the appropriations bill.

Hussein said the project will uplift a cultural voice.

“This is a part of the art and cultural funding,” Hussein said. “And we are proud that we are putting his statue and his legacy in downtown St. Paul so kids and families and people from Minnesota can leave with his life’s legacy and what he has done.”

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Parks got his start with photography taking pictures at Frank Murphy’s clothing store. He would go on to shoot fashion for Vogue, capture scenes of poverty for Life and images of segregation for the Farm Security Administration. He also was a composer and the first Black director at a major Hollywood studio.

To view Gordon Park’s photography and learn more about his career go to gordonparksfoundation.org.

By SARAH RAZA

A fleet of planes that UPS grounded after a deadly crash isn’t expected to be back in service during the peak holiday season due to inspections and possible repairs, the company said Wednesday in an internal memo.

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The airline expects it will be several months before its McDonnell Douglas MD-11 fleet returns to service as it works to meet Federal Aviation Administration guidelines, said the memo from UPS Airlines president Bill Moore to employees. The process was originally estimated to take weeks but is now expected to take several months.

A fiery MD-11 plane crash on Nov. 4 in Louisville, Kentucky, killed 14 people and injured at least 23 when the left engine detached during takeoff. Cargo carriers grounded their McDonnell Douglas MD-11 fleets shortly after, ahead of a directive from the FAA.

“Regarding the MD-11 fleet, Boeing’s ongoing evaluation shows that inspections and potential repairs will be more extensive than initially expected,” Moore wrote in the memo.

A UPS spokesperson said in a statement that the company will rely on contingency plans to deliver for customers throughout the peak season, and it “will take the time needed to ensure that every aircraft is safe.”

The 109 remaining MD-11 airliners, averaging more than 30 years old, are exclusively used to haul cargo for package delivery companies. MD-11s make up about 9% of the UPS airline fleet and 4% of the FedEx fleet.

Boeing, which took over as the manufacturer of MD-11s since merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997, said in a statement that it is “working diligently to provide instructions and technical support to operators” so that they can meet the FAA’s requirements.

The FAA said Boeing will develop the procedures for inspections and any corrective actions, pending approval from the FAA.

By Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times

LOS ANGELES — Car thieves are using tablets and antennas to steal keyless or “push to start” vehicles, police warn, but there are steps owners can take to protect their vehicles.

Recently, a group of masked individuals forcibly gained access into two vehicles sitting in the driveways of two separate Anaheim Hills homes and drove off with them, according to the Anaheim Police Department.

In both of the thefts the alleged thieves used electronic tools to target and steal higher-end cars, said Mark Sutter, spokesperson for the Anaheim Police Department.

Sutter said the department is seeing a trend in these types of thefts that target newer vehicles like a Dodge Challenger or Ford F-150 Raptor — vehicles that have a supercharge feature, a function that forces more air into the engine, which generates more power.

It’s unclear if the Anaheim Hills car thefts are connected and while the department is still investigating the incidents, no arrests have been made for either case.

Sutter broke down how both thefts occurred and how you can protect your vehicle.

Tablet reprograms car computer theft

Through home surveillance footage reviewed by the police department, Sutter said the burglars broke the back window of a white truck and jumped into the car through the window.

The masked individuals then hooked up a tablet to the car’s computer system to hack into the car.

“They reprogram it, hit the start button and drove away,” Sutter said.

How do protect your vehicle from being reprogrammed

Some traditional methods to protecting your vehicle — like parking it in a garage — are still reliable, Sutter said.

Another approach is putting a lock steering club on the steering wheel of the vehicle.

“Those can be defeated but that can take a lot of time,” Sutter said.”It’s not foolproof but at least it’s a strong deterrent.”

Accessing key fob signal theft

In the Anaheim Hills incidents, one of the vehicles was stolen by thieves accessing the key fob signal through an antenna.

Many newer vehicles have a remote keyless entry system where a key fob emits a signal that unlocks the car door and in some cases starts the car when it’s within a certain distance of the driver’s side.

The downside of this feature, Sutter said, is a signal is constantly being emitted from the key fob, similar to a debit card.

To exploit that signal, thieves will get close to the house with an antennae in hopes of capturing and amplifying it so they can unlock the vehicle.

This theft method can take less than 60 seconds to execute and is only effective when the car’s key fob is in close proximity to the car, according to the American Automobile Association.

How to protect your key fob signal

It’s not uncommon for vehicle owners to leave their key fobs near front or back doors, on hooks or in bowls where they can grab them on their way out and leave them when they return home. But these locations also make it easy for thieves to approach and use an antennae to capture the signal from outside the door. Experts suggest keeping key fobs near the center of the home so the signal is harder to pick up.

You can also weaken the signal by purchasing a signal blocking bag or box to leave the key fob in. The bag or box is made out of conductive metal mesh that blocks the electromagnetic signals that emit from the key fob, according to AAA.

If you want to stop the key fob signal altogether, you can turn off the feature, Sutter said. Check your vehicle’s manual and follow the instructions to turn off the “remote keyless feature.”

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

A Black Friday airfare dogfight appears to have broken out between rival discount carriers Spirit and Frontier airlines, as both announced Friday they are briefly selling one-way tickets for $30 or less under for cold weather travel.

Spirit and Frontier, a multi-time Spirit acquisition suitor, also said members of their loyalty programs can get lower prices than the ones advertised for non-members.

The offers are a continued test of the airlines’ low-price business models which are designed to attract leisure travelers.

Here are details of the deals:

Spirit

Dania Beach, Florida-based Spirit calls its program “Black & Yellow Friday,” after the black lettering and yellow paint jobs on its jetliners. The deals, the carrier said, are designed to give travelers savings during the holiday season and into March.

From the airline, here are Spirit’s sales terms:

One-way flights start as low as $25 for members of Sprit’s Saver$ Club program, and $30 for non-members.

“All fares must be booked on spirit.com between 12:01 a.m. Eastern time on Nov. 28, 2025, and 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on Dec.1, 2025 [this coming Monday], for travel on the dates as specified by individual market and by market direction on nonstop flights only. Seven-day advanced purchases are required. Fares valid for travel from Dec. 6, 2025, through March 4, 2026 (No Friday through Sunday travel). Blackout Dates: Dec. 20, 2025, through Jan. 5, 2026. Fares may be combined with other valid and applicable Spirit Airlines fares on other dates of travel. Lower fares generally available at the airport and all fares are subject to availability. Not all markets are operated on a daily basis during the travel period, or necessarily for the entire travel period.”

Spirit, which continues to operate under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, now serves more than 80 U.S. and international destinations after reducing its fleet and workforce and revamping its route network.

Frontier Airlines planes are shown parked at gates at Denver International Airport. The carrier says it is offering 2 million seats at discount prices during a Black Friday sale. (Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images)

Frontier

The Denver-based airline said in a statement that 2 million seats are now in play for discounts starting at $24 “for a limited time.”

From the airline, here are Frontier’s sales terms:

”Tickets must be purchased by 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on Nov. 30, 2025. Sale fares are valid for nonstop travel on select days of the week; through Feb. 28, 2026. The following blackout travel dates apply: Dec. 18-31, 2025; Jan. 1-5 and 16-19, 2026; Feb. 13-16, 2026. Seven-day advance purchase is required. Not all markets are available for all dates of travel. Round trip purchase is not required.”

“With 2 million seats on sale for travel through the end of February, and with 50% off new memberships to Discount Den, now is the perfect time to plan your winter getaway and enjoy an affordable escape to destinations throughout the U.S., Caribbean and Latin America,” said Bobby Schroeter, Frontier’s chief commercial officer, in the company’s statement issued Friday.

In another feature of its sales blitz, Frontier is seeking to attract new members to its Discount Den with fares as low as $19.

“… new members to Discount Den who sign up by Nov. 30 will not only unlock this deal and an entire year of savings, but will also enjoy 50% off the standard cost to join [normally $99],” the airline said.