In the wake of weekend backlash over suggesting that protesters in Minnesota are being paid, KFAN sports radio host and play-by-play voice of the Vikings Paul Allen did not appear on his scheduled show Monday.

Before guest host Paul Charchian began the nine-to-noon slot on KFXN-FM 100.3, the station played a pre-recorded statement from Allen, who said he was “taking a few days off.”

“Good morning,” the message began. “I made a comment on air Friday about protesters and the weather that was insensitive and poorly timed, and I’m sorry. It was a misguided attempt at humor, and while it was never made with any political intent or political affront, I absolutely and whole-heartedly want to apologize to those who genuinely hurt or offended by it.

A message to KFAN program director Chad Abbott was not immediately returned.

Before thousands marched in downtown Minneapolis in frigid temperatures on Friday, Allen — speaking with former Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway and radio producer Eric Nordquist — said, “In conditions like this, do paid protesters get hazard pay? Those are the things that I’ve been thinking about this morning.”

After Greenway declined to engage, Allen continued.

“Everyone’s catching strays this week,” he said, citing NFL quarterback social media criticism of Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield and former NFL QB Charlie Batch. “They’re just all over. Protesters caught one this morning.”

The Vikings declined to comment on Sunday, and show producer Eric Nordquist didn’t return a message.

Protests have been a daily occurrence in Minnesota since federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrived en masse in mid-December in a campaign the Department of Homeland Security is calling “Operation Metro Surge.”

On Friday, hundreds of Minnesota businesses closed their doors and a crowd estimated to be around 15,000 marched from Commons Park at the edge of downtown Minneapolis to Target Center, where it held a rally to demand ICE leave Minnesota.

In his statement, Allen said, “Nine-to-noon doesn’t formulate political opinions. We don’t bash or praise political discussions, or even focus on political issues. Our time slot has always been a sports-centered space built to entertain, a place where we chat about sports, offer an escape from the heavy stuff and give listeners the distraction they need from everything else going on.

“I have stated many times before, we serve you, not the other way around. We’re very fortunate, and thank you for counting on us as long as you have. It means more than you’ll ever know. My best was lacking sorry, and for that, I am sorry. I’m taking a few days off. I wanted to express these thoughts, and my sincere apology, before I do.”

Allen later posted a Gospel verse on his x.com account.

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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — The U.S. team released its 232-athlete roster for the Milan Cortina Olympics on Monday and it includes Lindsey Vonn and bobsledders Kaillie Humphries and Elana Meyers Taylor, who are among the seven Americans making their fifth trip to the games.

Other five-timers are hockey player Hilary Knight, figure skater Evan Bates and snowboarders Faye Thelen and Nick Baumgartner.

Meyers Taylor leads a group of 33 returning medalists. She has won three silver medals and two bronze while Humphries has taken three gold. Mikaela Shiffrin and Chloe Kim have two golds each.

United States’ Mikaela Shiffrin celebrates on podium after winning an alpine ski, women’s World Cup slalom, in Spindleruv Mlyn, Czech Republic, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)

The team consists of 117 men and 115 women ranging in age from 15 (freeskier Abby Winterberger) to 54 (curler Rich Ruohonen).

The opening ceremony is set for Feb. 6 in Milan, with some competition beginning Feb. 4.

These will be the most spread-out Olympics in history, with Milan serving as a home base for hockey, figure skating and speedskating and Cortina and a handful of other mountain clusters hosting skiing, snowboarding, biathlon, sliding sports and the new Olympic sport of ski mountaineering.

By Gretchen McKay, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Grocery stores might try to convince you otherwise, but it’s pretty tough to get a decent tomato in Western Pennsylvania in January.

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The plump red fruit — preferably homegrown or sourced locally at your favorite farmers market — is at its juicy prime in late summer, forcing tomato lovers either to eat their fill before falls rolls around, and then pine for a “good tomato” all winter long, or roll up their sleeves to chop and freeze a few batches or turn a couple of pecks (or a bushel) into sauce.

But then there are husk tomatoes, or tomatillos. Because the small nightshade fruit is largely grown in its native sunny Mexico, they’re widely available year-round in most major grocery stores and Mexican markets.

Harvested when the fruits are still immature, tomatillos have a fresh tangy scent with hints of citrus (think limes or green tomatoes). They’re denser in minerals than red tomatoes and also a good source of fiber and vitamins A, C and K. A winter “super food,” tomatillos also are high in antioxidants, which help support your immune system and boost overall health.

Because they pair well with garlic, onions, cilantro and chiles, tomatillos are turned into green salsas, sauces or jams. The fruit also plays a starring role in the green version of one of Mexico’s most famous stews, pozole.

This one-pot version of the Mexican classic pulls together in about an hour. It’s made by simmering shredded chicken and canned hominy (dried corn kernels that have been treated with an alkali) in a flavorful broth of garlic, chilies and tomatillos.

I used jalapeño and poblano chiles, but you could swap in serranos for extra heat. The stew also can be made with shredded pork, and some also like to throw in some toasted pumpkin seeds for extra thickness and a velvety texture.

Traditional toppings include sliced radish and/or avocado, shredded cabbage and a salty, crumbly cheese like cotija or queso fresco.

After peeling off the papery husk, you’ll want to give the tomatillos a good rinse under cool water to remove the sticky sap. For extra flavor, slice and roast the fruit in a 400-degree oven until soft and slightly charred (about 15 minutes) or broil for 10 minutes.

Serve the pozole with warm tortillas; for a heartier meal, add a scoop of white or Mexican rice.

Pozole verde, a traditional Mexican stew, is made with shredded chicken and hominy in a tangy broth made from tomatillos and green chiles. (Gretchen McKay/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/TNS)

Pozole Verde

PG tested

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large white onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, crushed
2 poblano chiles, diced
2 jalapeño peppers, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 bay leaves
Kosher salt, to taste
1/2 pound tomatillos, husked, rinsed and halved
1 tablespoon Mexican oregano
3/4 bunch fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
2 15-ounce cans hominy, rinsed and drained
32-ounce container chicken stock or broth
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 cups cooked and shredded chicken breast
Shredded cabbage, to serve
Queso fresco, to serve
Sliced radishes, to serve, optional
Diced avocado, to serve, optional
Lime wedges, to serve
Warm flour or corn tortillas, tortilla chips or tostadas, to serve

In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, heat the oil until shimmering.

Add the onion, garlic, poblano peppers, jalapeño peppers, cumin and bay leaves and sauté until the onions are tender, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt.

Transfer the aromatic mixture to a blender and add the tomatillos, oregano and cilantro. Purée the ingredients until smooth.

Transfer the mixture back into the pot over medium-low heat.

Add the hominy and broth or stock, stirring to combine. Generously season the broth with salt and a few grinds of black pepper.

Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce it to a simmer.

Simmer the soup, partially covered, for 40 minutes. Add the shredded chicken and continue to simmer until just warm, about 5 more minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

Ladle the pozole into bowls and serve topped with your preferred garnishes and warm tortillas.

Store leftover pozole in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Serves 8.

— Adapted from masterclass.com

©2026 PG Publishing Co. Visit at post-gazette.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN, Associated Press Business Writer

The U.S. is taking a minority stake in an Oklahoma rare earth miner, the latest government investment in the sector as it seeks to minimize its reliance on imports of a material used prevalently in smartphones, robotics, electric vehicles and many other high tech products.

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China processes more than 90% of the world’s critical minerals and has used its dominance in the market to gain leverage in the trade war with Washington.

USA Rare Earth said Monday that the U.S. Commerce Department is investing $1.6 billion in the company to advance work on a mine in Texas and to build a magnet manufacturing facility in Oklahoma.

Shares of USA Rare Earth jumped more than 13% before U.S. markets opened.

The agreement with the Commerce Department’s CHIPS program includes $277 million in proposed federal funding and a $1.3 billion senior secured loan. The Commerce Department will get 16.1 million shares of common stock in return, as well as rights to buy 17.6 million more.

“USA Rare Earth’s heavy critical minerals project is essential to restoring U.S. critical mineral independence,” Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick said in a statement. “This investment ensures our supply chains are resilient and no longer reliant on foreign nations.”

The Trump administration is intensifying efforts to build up the critical mineral industry in the United States to work to break the chokehold that China has on the global supply chain.

Industry insiders, analysts and lawmakers have warned for years that America’s dependence on China for critical minerals — a list of 50 minerals that includes 17 sought-after rare-earth elements — is a national security vulnerability.

Attempts by President Donald Trump to acquire Greenland is part of that push.

USA Rare Earth, based in Stillwater, Oklahoma, is the third U.S. operator in which the Trump administration has invested in recent months.

The Pentagon invested $400 million in rare-earth producer MP Materials. It gave the U.S. company a $150 million loan in August.

The Trump administration and private investors in November announced a partnership with rare earth startups Vulcan Elements and ReElement Technologies. The $1.4 billion deal is intended to scale up U.S. access to materials and technology that are crucial for producing an array of high-tech goods and military equipment.

The Trump administration’s tax and spending cut bill includes $2 billion for the Pentagon to boost the U.S. stockpile of critical minerals and $5 billion more through 2029 to invest in those supply chains.

Between 2020 and 2024, the Pentagon said it had awarded more than $439 million to establish supply chains for domestic rare earths.

Earlier this month a bipartisan group of lawmakers proposed creating a new agency with $2.5 billion to spur production of rare earths and the other critical minerals.