It’s beginning to feel a lot like the days of the perfunctory take on holiday arts programming are behind us. Something in the air at Twin Cities performances this year suggests a renewed commitment among local artists to giving it all they’ve got. Perhaps the current troubled state of things and the attendant feelings of helplessness have theater artists and musicians recognizing their work to be all the more important, be it to offer solace or inspiration.

I submit as Exhibit A Penumbra Theatre’s production of “Black Nativity.” It’s the 33rd version of this show that’s been presented by the Twin Cities’ foremost purveyors of plays and musicals about the lives of African-American people, and I’ve caught several of them. But I don’t recall it ever being as electrifying as what I experienced at Thursday’s opening night.

In recent years, Penumbra has been making music more the focus of its “Black Nativity” productions, which combine Langston Hughes’ adaptation of the Christmas story with carols traditionally sung in African-American churches and modern dance centered on Jesus’ birth.

Albert “Coco” Conteh and MerSadies McCoy portray Joseph and Mary in the ballet sequences of Penumbra Theatre’s “Black Nativity,” which is being presented at the theater through Dec. 24. (Caroline Yang)

It’s always been a worthwhile holiday tradition, but this year’s production is suffused with so much energy, enthusiasm and masterful musicianship that the most docile visitors to Penumbra’s intimate theater in the Rondo neighborhood might find themselves bouncing in their seats.

The theatrical structure is very much that of a concert, with a chorus of six women and a five-piece band supporting the often breathtaking efforts of principal soloists Greta Oglesby and Dennis Spears. The singers’ résumés boast years of experience with such stars of spiritual-centered music as Sounds of Blackness and the Steeles.

But, as I let the waves of wonderful music flow over me, I found myself thinking about another Twin Cities group of similar vintage: Moore by Four. Back in the ‘80s and ‘90s, Sanford Moore led that vocal quartet through several successful years at local clubs, offering its own contemporary spin on jazz standards. Spears was a staple of that group, and it’s fascinating to find that music director Moore’s skills have transferred so successfully to the gospel realm.

There’s a lot of music in this “Black Nativity” that sounds like jazz, giving the sense that much of the good-natured one-upmanship between the singers could just as easily be used in wordless scatting and love ballads as singing the praises of Jesus.

Four vocal soloists — from left, Greta Oglesby, Deborah M. Finney, Angela Stewart and Dennis Spears — sing Christmas songs from the gospel tradition in Penumbra Theatre’s “Black Nativity,” which is being presented at the theater through Dec. 24. (Caroline Yang)

Yet make no mistake that these performances are clearly fired by religious fervor. Oglesby has been in these productions for years, but I’ve never heard her sing with such power and conviction as on opening night. Whether engaging Spears in an adrenaline-raising duet on “How Excellent is Your Name” or putting her own stamp on the most moving “O Come, All Ye Faithful” I’ve ever experienced, Oglesby seemed a performer who’s found another level in expressing herself onstage.

If she comes off as tapping into a fresh taste of liberation, so do dancers MerSadies McCoy and Albert “Coco” Conteh in their exhilarating execution of Marciano Silva dos Santos’ choreography. Add Jennifer Whitlock’s compelling straight-from-the-pulpit narration and Moore’s takes on the traditional that range from Louisiana swamp pop to slow-burning funk and you have a marvelous opportunity to experience some spiritual renewal, no matter your religious tradition.

‘Black Nativity’

When: Through Dec. 24

Where: Penumbra Theatre, 270 N. Kent St., St. Paul

Tickets: $45-$20, available at 651-224-3180 or penumbratheatre.org

Capsule: A particularly impassioned take on a holiday theatrical tradition.

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By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN

A federal law enforcement operation at an Arizona taco shop resulted in a fracas on Friday, with agents deploying pepper spray as a group of protesters tried to stop authorities.

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Two agents were injured, and U.S. Rep. Adelita Grijalva was in the vicinity as protesters were sprayed. The Democratic congresswoman from Arizona took to social media, claiming she was sprayed in the face and accused immigration enforcement officers of operating without transparency or accountability.

“While I am fine, if that is the way they treat me, how are they treating other community members who do not have the same privileges and protections that I do?” she said in a statement.

It was less than a month ago that Grijalva was sworn in as the newest member of Congress. She won special election in September to fill the House seat last held by her late father.

In a video posted to social media, Grijalva said she, two members of her staff and members of the media were harassed and sprayed by agents during a federal immigration raid that local residents had interrupted “because they were afraid that they were taking people without due process, without any kind of notice.”

The video shows a man stepping in front of Grijalva, raising his arm and turning the congresswoman away as a federal agent sprays nearby protesters. Later in the video, as Grijalva continues walking in the street, a projectile is seen landing near her foot.

She said she did not know what substance she was sprayed with, but it was “still affecting” her with a cough.

Federal officials confirmed that Grijalva was not pepper sprayed and that agents with Homeland Security Investigations were targeting multiple Tucson restaurants as part of a years-long investigation into immigration and tax violations. Several search warrants were served across southern Arizona on Friday as part of the operation.

In a statement, Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin described the group gathered in Tucson as a mob. She said two agents were seriously injured during the clash and took issue with Grijalva’s account of what happened.

“If her claims were true, this would be a medical marvel. But they’re not true. She wasn’t pepper sprayed. She was in the vicinity of someone who (asterisk)was(asterisk) pepper sprayed as they were obstructing and assaulting law enforcement,” McLaughlin wrote. “Presenting one’s self as a ‘Member of Congress’ doesn’t give you the right to obstruct law enforcement.”

Authorities used yellow tape to cordon off the restaurant and its parking lot as agents removed boxes from the building early Friday. By mid-morning, protesters had gathered outside with signs and whistles. Some in the group were hit with pepper spray as they tried to keep federal vehicles from leaving the area.

Tucson police said federal tactical agents responded to extract investigative special agents from the area where the protesters were gathered. After deploying chemical munitions, police said federal agents then requested emergency support from local authorities to help with exiting the area.

Grijalva thanked officers from the Tucson Police Department for “making sure everyone is safe” and stressed that the local officers had not interrupted traffic or harassed local residents. They did not make any arrests. “They were not the aggressors here,” she said.

The Arizona Democrat’s experience is the latest incident this year of members of Congress being stonewalled by or put in physical altercations with federal law enforcement officers while attempting to conduct congressional oversight. The incidents have typically involved congressional Democrats appearing at federal immigration facilities or at immigration raids.

U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver, a New Jersey Democrat, is in an ongoing legal dispute with the Trump administration after a May altercation at a Newark immigration facility in her district. And Sen. Alex Padilla, a California Democrat, was thrown to the ground and detained by federal agents in June after appearing at a press conference for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

Associated Press writer Matt Brown contributed to this report from Washington, D.C.

By RIO YAMAT

U.S. airlines were notified this week that an investigation is underway into whether they complied with an emergency order requiring flight cuts at 40 major airports during the record government shutdown, the Federal Aviation Administration said Friday.

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The FAA warned in letters sent Monday that the airlines could face fines of up to $75,000 for each flight over the mandated reductions, which fluctuated between 3%, 4%, and 6%. The airlines have 30 days to provide documentation showing they complied with the order, the agency said Friday in a statement.

The 43-day shutdown that began Oct. 1 led to long delays as unpaid air traffic controllers missed work, citing stress and the need to take on side jobs. The FAA said requiring all commercial airlines to cut domestic flights was unprecedented but necessary to ensure safe air travel until staffing at its control towers and facilities improved.

After the shutdown ended Nov. 12, airlines seemed to anticipate that the FAA would lift or relax the restrictions. With the order still in place on Nov. 14 requiring 6% cuts, just 2% of scheduled U.S. departures that day were canceled, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.

More than 10,000 flights were canceled between Nov. 7, when the order took effect, and Nov. 16, when the FAA announced it was lifting all flight restrictions. Delta Air Lines said Wednesday it lost $200 million, the first disclosure by a major airline regarding the shutdown’s financial impact.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy hasn’t shared the specific safety data that he and the head of the FAA said prompted the cuts, but Duffy cited reports during the shutdown of planes getting too close in the air, more runway incursions and pilot concerns about controllers’ responses.

Large hubs in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Atlanta were impacted by the cancellations. The FAA originally had a 10% reduction target.

By JOSH FUNK and RIO YAMAT

The government picked a company with little experience working with the Federal Aviation Administration called Peraton to oversee the roughly $31.5 billion overhaul of the outdated air traffic control system.

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Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Thursday evening that Peraton was chosen in the hope that its innovative approach will make it possible to complete the upgrades within the next three years before the end of President Donald Trump’s term in office ends. Peraton was chosen over Parsons Corp., which does have extensive experience with FAA contracts.

“Working together, we are going to build on the incredible progress we’ve already made and deliver a state-of-the-art air traffic control system that the American traveling public — and our hard-working air traffic controllers — deserve,” Duffy said in the announcement.

Here’s what to know about the modernization project and the company hired to oversee it:

A $12.5 billion down payment on the project

Earlier this year, Congress approved $12.5 billion as a down payment on the project after technical problems twice knocked out the radar for air traffic controllers managing planes around Newark Liberty International Airport. This year began with the worst American aviation disaster in years when an airliner collided with an Army helicopter over Washington D.C., killing 67 people.

Duffy has said he’ll need roughly $20 billion more to complete the upgrade.

This effort to upgrade the technology controllers use is on a much more aggressive timeline than the previous NextGen effort that began shortly after the turn of the century and failed to deliver all the benefits it promised even after an investment of $36 billion. The Biden administration had estimated that upgrading the system might take more than a decade.

The FAA hasn’t yet released the details of how much Peraton will be paid for this contract, but the agency said it includes incentives to reward good performance and penalties for shortcomings.

Upgrades needed to avoid delays and prepare for drones and flying taxis

The technical problems that disrupted flights at the Newark airport in the spring demonstrated just how fragile the nation’s aging air traffic control system is. And Duffy has said those kind of technical failures in a system that too often still relies on copper wires and floppy discs could happen anywhere unless the system is upgraded.

Hundreds of flights were canceled or delayed in Newark. After the radar outages, the facility in Philadelphia that controls the flights in and out of Newark had a half dozen controllers go on leave, which forced the reductions in flights.

The number of flights across the country each day that the FAA has to safely manage is expected to continue growing in the years ahead. And drones will continue to proliferate across the country as flying taxis start to take to the air.

Everyone agrees that the air traffic control system must be modernized to be able to handle those future demands.

United Airlines aircraft move from the gate at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Ambitious timeline for the upgrades

John Rose, chief risk adviser for global travel management company ALTOUR, said the three-year timeline is “extremely aggressive” but partially realistic. He said it’s plausible for the FAA to build the foundation for a modern air traffic control network in its tight timeline, with more advanced capabilities layered on later.

“You need to build the base before you can have all the bells and whistles,” he said. “If the project gets to the core structure in three years, I think we’ve accomplished the mission.”

He likened it to an iPhone where once you have a robust base system you can upgrade the software like when the phone gets an iOS update. “If they build the infrastructure, then as things change from a technology capability, it’s almost like a plug and play,” he said.

Air Traffic Control Association President and CEO Stephen Creamer represents the companies that make the gear that Peraton and the FAA will use to complete the upgrades. He said it helps that the new system won’t have to be built from scratch.

“The technology that’s needed in the system is not cutting edge technology. It’s been tested and trialed all over the world in various places. We know what the capabilities of it are. We know what the risks of those installations are in a way that we wouldn’t know if we were trying to do it and be the first one out of the gate,” Creamer said.

Why is this contract needed?

Duffy said that putting a private company in charge should help this project get done more quickly, and Peraton’s expertise with complex technical systems and artificial intelligence will help.

Peraton has said the fact that it doesn’t have a history of work at the FAA might actually help because it won’t be biased to working with the same companies that have failed in the past.

And after all the cuts to the federal workforce Trump made this year and the early retirements. Creamer said that FAA needs the help to complete this project because it no longer has the staff to do it.

The expectation is that Peraton will be able to award contracts to other companies more quickly than FAA would be able to because it won’t be limited by the same process. That does introduce the possibility that mistakes could be made, but Creamer said “I think there’s plenty of checks and balances in the administrative system to ensure that there’s not gonna be substantial waste or fraud or abuse.”

Peraton has worked on other government tech upgrades

Peraton has worked on multibillion-dollar technology contracts for the Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Special Operations Command and the National Park Service along with the military and other agencies.

The company is owned by Veritas Capital private equity firm, so it doesn’t have shareholders. Its board of advisers is full of an assortment of former military and intelligence officials. A Peraton spokesman said the company was too busy getting started on the contract to do any interviews Friday, but its CEO Steve Schorer promised in a statement that his team is committed to completing this project.

“Our highly-skilled, dedicated, and talented team of engineers, technologists, and mission experts stands ready to hit the ground running to deliver a system Americans can count on — one that is more secure, more reliable, and a model for the world to follow,” Schorer said.

The company’s political action committee donated a quarter-million dollars to politicians last year with a little over half of that going to Republicans, according to www.opensecrets.org.

Improvements already underway

Duffy said that the FAA has already been working on making improvements and more than one-third of the old copper wires that air traffic controllers were relying on have been replaced with fiber optic lines or other modern connections.

But some of the advancements like installing new systems to help controllers keep track of planes on the ground at 44 airports began during the last administration.

And significant work remains ahead to install more than 27,600 new radios and 612 new radar systems. The old connections still need to upgraded at thousands of additional facilities, and six new air traffic control centers are scheduled to be built.