Aaron Rodgers joined “The Pat McAfee Show” on Thursday afternoon, live from his home in Malibu, Calif. It marked the first time the future Hall of Fame quarterback has spoken publicly this offseason with his future still very much up in the air.

The appearance from Rodgers spanned roughly 45 minutes and he covered a wide variety of topics, including a meeting with the New York Jets that went quickly went sideways, a conversation with the New York Giants that went well, and a visit with the Pittsburgh Steelers that he tried to keep under wraps as best he could.

There wasn’t much mention of the Vikings aside from the fact that Rodgers confirmed he had some discussions with Kevin O’Connell.

“We’ve got a great friendship,” said Rodgers, who has known O’Connell for nearly 20 years, dating back to when they used to work out together in San Diego. “We’ve talked outside of this offseason. We keep in touch. We’ve got good communication.”

The discussions with Rodgers were already confirmed by O’Connell this month at NFL owners meetings before he quickly shifted the focus to J.J. McCarthy and his future with the Vikings.

“We were able to have some conversations on the hunt to always improve our football team,” O’Connell said at the time. “You’re constantly acknowledging and evaluating all of the opportunities that may be out there.”

There were some other interesting nuggets that Rodgers shed light on. He denied a recent report that suggested he pitched the Vikings on the idea of being a willing mentor for McCarthy if he signed. He also pushed back on a notion that he is waiting to see if the Vikings change their mind down the road.

“No,” Rodgers said. “That’s not accurate.”

In fact, Rodgers made clear that the only reason he hasn’t made a decision about his future is because some people in his inner circle are dealing with some issues, and that is where he’s been focusing most of his attention.

“I’m not holding anybody hostage, and I really want to emphasize that,” Rodgers said. “I’m just going through a lot in my personal life that has to take precedence at this point.”

Interestingly, asked by McAfee if potentially hanging up the cleats for good was on the table, Rodgers replied, “I’m open to anything and attached to nothing. So, yeah, retirement still could be a possibility for me.”

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By Maria Salette Ontiveros, The Dallas Morning News

If you have travel plans that involve flying, make sure your ID is the real deal. After years of delay, the Real ID Act will be enforced.

Starting May 7, only state-issued driver’s licenses and state-issued ID cards that comply with the REAL ID requirements will be accepted at TSA checkpoints and for official federal government purposes. Here is everything you need to know about the requirements.

What is a REAL ID?

Congress passed the REAL ID Act in 2005 in response to the terrorist attacks on 9/11, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

The act establishes minimum security standards for driver’s license and state ID distribution and production. It prohibits federal agencies from accepting licenses and identification cards from states that do not meet those requirements.

The new identification incorporates fraud prevention technology to ensure people are who they claim to be.

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The new ID requirements were initially slated to be implemented in 2008. The date was repeatedly pushed back because of the logistics of hundreds of millions of people flying every year, as well as the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Transportation Security Administration.

What happens when the REAL ID Act enforcement starts?

Federal Agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security and TSA may only accept cards that comply with the new enforcement of the REAL ID Act, including TSA at airport security checkpoints.

What happens if I decide NOT to obtain a REAL ID?

Those without the upgraded ID can still use their old ID cards as long as they are not expired. But access to federal facilities might be denied, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Domestic airline passengers must bring a secondary form of identification, such as a passport, to pass through airport security checkpoints.

International travelers will still need a valid passport, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

©2025 The Dallas Morning News. Visit dallasnews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By JESSICA DAMIANO

Asparagus isn’t the most common vegetable among home gardeners, and that’s likely because growing it is an exercise in patience. But three years of patience is a small price to pay for up to 20 years of relatively effortless tender green shoots.

If you’ve never seen an asparagus plant, you might be taken aback by its otherworldly appearance. Instead of the expected leaves and stems typical of most other plants, bare asparagus spears simply poke up out of the ground like sticks.

If you’d like to grow them in your garden, there are a few things to know.

For starters, in horticultural zones 3-8, asparagus isn’t one of those vegetables you need to plant every year, so plant it where it can thrive long-term. That means selecting a sunny spot with well-draining, fertile soil. To achieve that fertility, incorporate a generous helping of compost or well-rotted manure into the soil before planting.

Although it’s possible to grow asparagus from seeds, I recommend planting year-old crowns, which are dormant roots, instead. You’ll find them at garden centers and in catalogs. Planting crowns provides a head start by reducing the time to your first harvest by a year.

Plant crowns into weed-free, prepared beds in early spring, digging trenches 12-18 inches wide, 6-12 inches deep and 3 feet apart (if planting more than one row). Plant crowns 12-18 inches apart, spreading the roots over the bottom of the trench, then cover lightly with 2-3 inches of soil, and water well.

As shoots grow, add more soil gradually until the crowns are fully buried and the trench is filled in. Then apply mulch.

This April 7, 2008, image provided by Forestry Images shows asparagus spears growing in Ohio. (Ohio State Weed Lab/The Ohio State University/Forestry Images via AP)

Water plants deeply during dry spells but avoid overwatering.

Allow plants to grow undisturbed for two full years, then begin harvesting in spring of their third year, when stalks are 6 to 10 inches tall and about as thick as a pencil.

Use a sharp knife to cut each stalk slightly below the soil line, but take care not to damage emerging stalks. You can continue to harvest for roughly six weeks, depending on your climate. In my suburban New York garden, I can harvest asparagus until the beginning of July.

It’s important not to harvest after the six-week period that begins when the first stalks are mature. The remaining stalks should be left in place to store energy for the following year’s harvest.

At the end of the season, fernlike fronds will follow the spears. Leave them in place until they’ve turned brown, then remove them at ground level.

A note about companions: Onion and garlic will stunt asparagus, so avoid planting them nearby.

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.

For more AP gardening stories, go to https://apnews.com/hub/gardening.

A longstanding dispute between the University of St. Thomas and residents opposed to the university’s continued use of its Goodrich Avenue loading drive has been settled largely in the university’s favor.

The St. Paul City Council voted 5-1 Wednesday to support the university’s appeal of a Dec. 13 Planning Commission decision, which found that the university was in violation of a 2004 conditional use permit that requires the loading drive to be removed if the adjoining Binz Refectory is remodeled.

The university made $1.3 million in improvements to the building’s basement and ground level in 2022 and 2023, but kept the driveway in place, triggering opposition from Summit Avenue homeowners.

University officials have said the loading drive offers an important path into the south campus for emergency vehicles, but residents tired of seeing the headlights of delivery trucks in their front windows said it has become a drop-off location for university suppliers. They worry that traffic and drop-offs will increase as game-day visitors use the drive to access the future Lee and Penny Anderson Arena, a Division 1 basketball and hockey arena under construction nearby.

Interim Ward 4 Council Member Matt Privratsky made the motion on Wednesday to grant the university’s appeal of the December Planning Commission decision, with a handful of conditions.

Among the conditions, the loading drive may only be used for material deliveries to, and pick-ups from, the Binz Refectory building and the Brady Education Center, as well as by maintenance and emergency vehicles. The driveway may not be used for student, employee or visitor vehicle traffic, and it may not be connected to parking spaces accessed by those users, except during arena construction, for a period not to exceed two years.

Council President Rebecca Noecker cast the sole dissenting vote, noting the 2004 conditional use permit resulted from a legal settlement to a lawsuit involving the university’s planned campus expansion around Summit, Cleveland, Grand and Cretin avenues.

“I did not find any errors in the Planning Commission’s discussion of this item, which was quite lengthy,” Noecker told the council. “It seemed that the only question was why that condition was put in place in the first place, and therefore whether it was still necessary. Given that we don’t have insight into that question, because much of this discussion happened as part of a settlement conference, and we don’t have the record, we should uphold the condition in its plainest form.”

The 5-1 vote was in favor of the university’s appeal, with Council Vice President HwaJeong Kim absent.