Travis “Leo” Leonard recently spent 30 hours tattooing an elaborate Japanese-inspired artwork on a customer at No Joke Tattoo Studios in White Bear Lake.

The large tattoo, done mostly in black, fills most of his customer’s back. It features two skulls, a spiked mace and the Japanese characters for “balance” written in red.

Travis Leonard shows a cellphone photo of a tattoo he is working on. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

Leonard, 28, said the process took almost two days. “We took one four-hour nap, and that was it,” he said. “It was impressive for me, but, honestly, it was more impressive for him because that’s very painful. It’s spine, ribs, lower back. He’s a skinny guy, too. I couldn’t sit for a 30-hour back piece, that’s for sure. This guy is tough.”

Leonard became a licensed tattoo artist while serving time at the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Stillwater in Bayport. He and fellow inmate Corey Schuck, 41, were part of a Minnesota Department of Corrections tattoo pilot program designed to reduce the spread of bloodborne diseases and to provide inmates with work experience.

Both men are now out of prison and working at No Joke Tattoo Studios.

“It shows change is possible for guys like us,” said Schuck, who got out two months ago. “Us getting into art is changing our whole world, our whole life. We can do what we love to do.”

Talents honed in prison

Corey Schuck, an artist at No Joke Tattoo Studios in White Bear Lake, talks about the opportunity he’s been given from owner Chris Calvillo on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

Each of the men has his own station, and their artwork hangs on the walls of the shop.

Schuck’s station includes drawings he’s made of a lion, a bald eagle, a loon, a cheetah, the Grim Reaper and a Shrek-like character, which he calls “Schruck.” Like Schuck, it’s missing a front tooth.

“I’m really comfortable here,” Schuck said. “I’m all set. I’ve got a lot of supplies, good lighting. It’s a really great space.”

Leonard’s station, just across the room, is filled with his artwork, a talent he discovered and honed while at Stillwater.

“I was writing letters to my wife and daughter, and I started drawing in them and writing poems,” Leonard said. “I just started really enjoying drawing. It’s cool to create something out of nothing, especially in an environment where your creativity is kind of constrained — or at least your body is constrained. I kept drawing every single day, and I kept seeing progress, and then I started getting really addicted to that progress.”

Leonard, released in June, heard about the job at No Joke from Schuck, he said.

“It’s nice being able to work with my brother again because we worked well together in the program,” he said. “It kind of just feels like home, working with him again. ”

First graduates of program

Tattoo instructor Justin Jimenez, center, gives guidance to inmates Corey Schuck, left, and Travis Leonard during a class in the Stillwater prison tattoo shop on May 7, 2024. Schuck and Leonard earned their tattoo licenses in prison, were released and now work at a studio in White Bear Lake. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

Leonard and Schuck were among the first four tattoo artists in the state to receive a license while incarcerated. The men were picked to participate in the program based on their artistic talent and temperament.

Two other inmates, who remain incarcerated, also have received their licenses, said Shannon Loehrke, the DOC’s director of communications.

Because Leonard and Schuck have both been released, applications are being accepted for new apprentices, she said.

DOC officials worked for about two years to get the program, which launched in 2024, up and running. It was one of the first prison tattoo programs in the country.

More than 300 inmates have been tattooed at the prison’s tattoo shop, which is located in a back room in the prison’s laundry area. Each tattoo session costs $25 and inmates must pay for their own tattoos — and have a record of good behavior for six months prior.

The program was developed to reduce health risks associated with unregulated tattooing, particularly the transmission of hepatitis C, which has long been an issue in prisons, said DOC Commissioner Paul Schnell, who noted that the Stillwater prison has reported a significant decline in infections since the program started.

In 2024, there were 138 cases of hepatitis C treated at the prison. There have been just 66 cases reported so far this year.

“Knowing that we had a long and historic problem with unregulated tattooing and unhealthy and unsafe tattooing, this just made a ton of sense to try to reduce those numbers,” he said. “Hepatitis is a real issue that we have, and the state has an obligation to treat it, and for people who have it in prison, it’s very costly. When you piece all this together, it makes good business sense.”

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The initiative also provides participants with marketable job skills that can be used to help inmates find lawful employment upon their release, he said.

“Just look at the popularity of tattoos today,” said Schnell, who said he is considering getting his first tattoo — on the bottom of his right forearm — at the prison shop. “One of the things that struck me when I came in early on (at the DOC) was the incredible and immense artistic talent of many of the people who are in prison. This helps these folks succeed when they get back out into the community, and I have no doubt that based on the talent of these folks, that they’re going to do well when they go out and work in these shops.”

In order to become licensed tattoo artists, Leonard and Schuck had to work with a mentor who’s been licensed for at least two years and to complete 200 hours of actual procedure time.

Once the 200 hours were completed, the men received their licensure through the Minnesota Department of Health. They can now work anywhere within the state of Minnesota.

‘Benefits everybody’

Plans call for the program to remain at Stillwater until the prison closes in 2029. Eventually, it will move to another facility, Schnell said, and the program may be expanded to other prisons as well.

Chris Calvillo, owner of No Joke Tattoo Studios in White Bear Lake, talks about his mission on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. Calvillo takes pride in mentoring tattoo artists and providing them a safe and supporting place to grow. Several artists working for him are former inmates. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

No Joke owner Chris Calvillo, who served time at Stillwater in the early 2000s, said he was thrilled to learn the DOC had launched an in-prison tattoo shop and apprenticeship program there.

“The first time I read about it, I didn’t believe it,” Calvillo said. “I was like, ‘This should have happened a long time ago.’ I wish it was in place when I was going through the DOC. It benefits everybody on every level.”

“It gives (inmates) something to work hard for and to stay out of trouble for — both in prison and when they get out of prison,” he said. “Tattooing really helped keep me on the right path. The guys are thanking me every day for doing this, and I’m like, ‘You know, it works both ways.’ I really, really love being a part of this.”

Six of the nine artists who work at the shop are former inmates, he said.

“We are in the process of everybody changing their life due to art,” he said.

Calvillo opened the shop six years ago, “starting it from zero,” he said. “It’s been my passion ever since I was in prison. I just kept striving for it.”

‘Been there’

From left: Artist Corey Schuck, owner and artist Chris Calvillo, artists Travis “Leo” Leonard, Bryan Penrose and Justin Lonnquist pose for a photo at No Joke Tattoo Studios in White Bear Lake. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

His first hire, Bryan Penrose, also served time at Stillwater. “I met him and I loved his story on what he was doing because it reflected on my own,” Calvillo said. “He’s a single father, and he wanted to change, and this was the way to do it. I gave him a chance here, and he’s excelled. He’s got his own space here. It just shows how much the guy wants it.”

Penrose, the father of a 4-year-old son, drives each day from Lakeville to White Bear Lake via Belle Plaine, where his son’s child care provider lives. “Unfortunately, we lost his mother to a fentanyl overdose almost three years ago, so it’s just been me and him chucking away,” he said.

Penrose said he plans to continue working at No Joke even after he and his son move to Cokato. “That’s how much I love this place,” he said. “It means that much to me. It’s a good environment. Supportive. It’s like we all have a similar past, and we’re all going the same direction. We all feed off each other and build each other up.”

Back when Justin Lonnquist, 33, was serving time at Stillwater, he and other inmates used guitar string, Green Magic hair grease, a Norelco shaver motor and a Bic pen to tattoo one another, he said.

“We would take the soot and make ink out of it,” he said. “Back then, we all tattooed in the cells, and you’d get in trouble for that stuff, but that was the start of the journey.”

Lonnquist, who got out on Nov. 11, 2011, said he wishes the program had been in existence when he was in prison.

Schuck had the “opportunity to do it the right way and learn from a real professional,” he said. “He came out and was able to get into a shop like this where we get to help each other and learn from each other. It took me years and years and years to get to a good shop with the skills that I have now, whereas he was able to utilize his time, do it the right way and get out with a skill and then not have to go through all of the re-entry problems that I went through. I had to learn the hard way, and I had a bunch of bad habits.”

Recidivism rates will fall as a result of the program, and “that’s good for the community,” Lonnquist said. “Guys will get to rebuild their life in a positive manner. Everybody wins. You get these guys that get out, and they get to have a purpose in life now.”

Calvillo provides art supplies and easels for Lonnquist and the other tattoo artists to continue to hone their art skills. In their free time, they work on portraits of people who have died by suicide to give to grieving families, he said.

Calvillo credits local artist Michael Bellotti, who also served time in prison, for inspiring him. Bellotti uses his artwork to honor people who have died of cancer, he said.

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“Michael has set the path for me,” Calvillo said. “I just mimicked what he was doing, and it just worked out. It got me this far.”

Schuck said he hopes to help other inmates in the future — just as he’s been helped.

“I’m very grateful for everything and everyone around me,” he said. “We understand each other’s struggles and the things we’ve been through. A lot of it was self-inflicted. Live and learn, you know? But we’re helping each other grow, and maybe one day I can help (someone) learn from my mistakes, and he can teach the next man and pass it on.”

Calvillo shakes his head with wonder as he listens to Schuck talk about his plan for paying it forward.

“These guys that are here, coming out, we’re all here for each other, and it works so well,” he said. “People say, ‘You’re blessed. You’re blessed.’ I just want to help, you know, because I’ve been there.”

You’ve got a great chance to see the planet George this week in our skies, as it has a very close celestial hug with the best open star cluster in the heavens, the Pleiades star cluster, otherwise known as the “Seven Little Sisters.” In Greek mythology, the seven little sisters are the daughters of Atlas, the banished king of the gods who was pushed out by Zeus and his gang. Not only was Atlas banished he was given a never-ending task of holding up the world. I’m sure you’ve seen paintings of poor Atlas. The new gods had mercy on his daughters and transformed them into the bright star cluster that resembles a tiny Little Dipper.

(Mike Lynch)

The Pleiades jump out at you after evening twilight in the very low east-northeast sky. You can’t miss it. Most people can see six to seven stars with the naked eye but many more with even a small telescope or binoculars. It’s a young group of stars that were all born together out of a giant cloud of hydrogen gas about 100 million years ago. The young stars shine out at you from over 400 light-years away.

If you own a small telescope, direct it at the Pleiades and then slowly pan it to the lower right of the cluster about three and a half to four degrees. That’s roughly the width of three of your fingers held together at arm’s length. Look for a fuzzy bluish-green star. It certainly won’t be very bright but it’ll be the next brightest star to the lower right of the Pleiades. That’s the planet George, 1.7 billion miles from Earth… and that’s the closest George has been in about a year.

Before you think I’ve totally lost my celestial marbles, I have to tell you that planet George was the original name given to the planet we now know as Uranus, the seventh planet out from the sun. Uranus was discovered by the famous German-born British astronomer William Herschel on March 13, 1781. Previous to his discovery, Saturn was considered the most distant planet in our solar system. Herschel was a brilliant mathematician and composer, as well as a brilliant astronomer who constructed over 400 telescopes, including a huge 40-ft. telescope, the biggest one in the world at the time. He was also a very loyal subject of British King George III, so he named his new planet George in the king’s honor. Not only was he fond of  King George, but the monarch provided funding for all of his astronomical adventures. The name George for Herschel’s new planet didn’t fly for too long in the rest of the astronomical world , and eventually, the name of the planet was changed to Uranus, after the Greek god who was the grandfather of Zeus, king of the gods. By the way, the proper pronunciation of Uranus is YOUR-uh-nus, not your-RAIN-nus. When it’s mispronounced, it always gets giggles from at least some school kids.

Uranus is one of the large gaseous giant planets, mainly made up of hydrogen and helium gas, but it also has water, ammonia, and methane, which give it a bluish appearance. It’s over 31,000 miles in diameter, about four times the diameter of Earth. It rotates on its axis much faster than the Earth, once every 17.5 hours, and what’s really weird is that the axis of rotation is tilted on its side. Uranus’s north and south poles are where the equators are on the other planets in our solar system, on the same plane as its orbital path around the sun. By the way, it takes Uranus 84 Earth years to make just one circuit around the sun.

If you’re planning to travel to George anytime soon in a spaceship that has a top speed of 2,000 mph, about the same speed as a fast bullet, it’ll take you just under 103 years to get there!

Mike Lynch is an amateur astronomer and retired broadcast meteorologist for WCCO Radio in Minneapolis/St. Paul. He is the author of “Stars: a Month by Month Tour of the Constellations,” published by Adventure Publications and available at bookstores and adventurepublications.net. Mike is available for private star parties. You can contact him at mikewlynch@comcast.net.

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As a traveler, I notice new things every time I return to a place.

So when members of the Pioneer Press travel club began advocating for us to return to Tuscany, the destination of our first trip to Europe in 2021, I was happy to oblige.

And I can unequivocally say that Tuscany is as beautiful as I remembered. The medieval walled cities, the wine, the food and the sunshine (oh, the bright, warming Tuscan sunshine!) brought back all the memories.

During those seven gorgeous days in October, I also learned a lot of new things about this region, all while hanging out with the best readers out there, all of whom I’m happy to call friends.

Here’s a rundown of what we did on the tour, which was conducted by Collette Travel.

Lucca

After a late-afternoon arrival and a fabulous welcome dinner at our historic hotel, Grand Hotel Francia and Quirinale in the famous spa town of Montecatini Terme, we all got a solid night of sleep before setting off for this medieval walled city.

Our local guide, a loud and proud Lucca resident, regaled us with the city’s history during a leisurely walk. Lucca began as an Etruscan settlement (nearly 200 years before Christ), was a Roman colony, an independent republic known for its silk trade (a few people on our tour bought beautiful, hand-woven scarves here) and eventually, part of Italy.

The city inside the walls is remarkably well-preserved, and the fully intact wall itself has been ingeniously turned into a 4.2-kilometer walking trail and park system. Doctors of Lucca residents charmingly prescribe wall walks for their patients who might need to lose weight or improve their cardiovascular health, so it’s full of residents and tourists of all ages.

We wandered through the Piazza dell’Anfiteatro, a public square shaped like an oval that was once a Roman amphitheater and marveled at the marble-clad church San Michele in Foro, which was commissioned in 1070. Inside, there are massive works of religious art and also the body of San Divino Armeno, one of Italy’s oldest mummified saints, displayed in a glass coffin on the altar.

After we broke with the group for some free time, my husband and I tackled about a third of the wall walk, then traversed back through the city and stopped at the sidewalk patio of Des Arts wine bar, where we ordered pasta and risotto, both studded with fresh porcini mushrooms, as it was the season for them.

On the way back, we stopped at Fattoria Carmignani, a woman-owned winery, where we took a peek at the vineyards and sampled some of their wines, paired with fun bites like crostini and pumpkin soup with spicy croutons.

Florence

The first time I visited this culturally rich city, it was just after Italy’s doors opened after the pandemic, and it was busy, but nothing too crazy.

Now, it seems, every baby boomer with means from all areas of the world has put Florence (Firenze in Italian) at the top of their to-do list. Locals are fed up, rightfully so, with the hordes of tourists, so much so that Collette no longer takes groups to see David, Michelangelo’s marble masterpiece, as sometimes people waiting in line get spit on or yelled at. I skipped it this time, too, even though some in our group made reservations to go in their free time. As marvelous as he is, if you’ve seen David once, well, you’ve seen him.

Our local guide instead focused on the Duomo, or the Cathedral of Florence, and its massive, ornate green- and pink-marble facade and dome. We craned our necks to see all the marble statues, columns, inlays and mosaics, and wondered at the massive dome. Completed in 1436, it’s still the largest masonry dome in the world.

Funnily enough, our tour did not go inside the cathedral, which is reportedly sparse compared with the outside, which was made as ostentatious as possible to impress foreign investors, most of whom had no interest in actually entering the structure.

Florence is famous for its leather, and four years ago, I bought a purse that I had been using ever since. I treated myself to a new one, knowing it will last me at least another four years, and probably more. Gold is also a huge deal in this city, and a few travelers purchased some quality pieces.

Ed Fleming receives the wine he purchased through a wine window in Florence, Italy. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)

During our free time, my husband and I wandered across the Ponte Vecchio, a stone bridge lined with jewelry stores. As fun as it was to window shop, the walk was worth it if only for the view from the middle, with the reflections of buildings lining the Arno River creating a painting-like photograph and an epic selfie.

The other side of the river from the cathedral and the Uffizi Gallery (the massive art museum in downtown Florence) proved to be much quieter. I wished we had more time to explore, but we did have enough time hit one of the wine windows in the city — tiny portals into a restaurant that are just big enough for, well, a glass of wine. The windows were used during the plague for medieval contactless transactions, which felt a little too close to home just a few years after the COVID pandemic. Still, sipping a crisp white on a quiet street of Florence felt cosmopolitan and cool.

We tried to stop at All’Antico Vinaio for its social-media-famous mortadella sandwich, but the line was way down the block, and we had to meet our group soon. So we wandered a block down and found a slip of a deli that served one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever eaten: mortadella, burrata cheese and a pistachio pesto on spongy focaccia. I have fewer than zero regrets.

As busy as Florence was, this second exploration leads me to believe that I could return on my own and find the quieter parts of the city just as charming as the ones that attract the big crowds.

Montecatini Terme/Montecatini Alto

On my previous visit to Tuscany, we stayed in Montecatini, but I opted to go to Siena instead of taking a tour of this city. This time around, it was on the official agenda rather than an option, and I’m so glad!

Montecatini Terme is a spa town, but not in the way Americans think of a spa — for centuries, people seeking a cure for various ailments have drunk the saline, mineral-rich water, which comes out of the Earth at around 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

The first written record of the spa dates to 1201, but the city wasn’t really established until the end of the 18th century.

In the city’s heyday, celebrities as well as regular people from all over the world came to relax and rejuvenate. There’s even a red brick sidewalk that winds through the city and is inlaid with bronze medallions honoring famous people who have visited. The sidewalk leads to the biggest remaining spa, Terme Tettuccio, so it is an easy way to find your way there.

After a spa treatment, a walk is recommended, so the city is built around a sprawling park with walking trails and benches offering plenty of space for reflection and relaxation.

After the state stopped sponsoring spa treatments — yes, you could even get your hotel stay covered — Montecatini Terme lost some of its luster. Its gorgeous town hall, built in 1914, has a leaky roof that the city can’t pay to fix. There are plenty of empty storefronts and structures, including one of the former spas and its most historic hotel.

But there’s still plenty to love about the city of about 20,000 people. There are excellent restaurants, plenty of shopping and a beautiful town square. These days, tour groups are the lifeblood of the city, many of whom choose Montecatini for its abundance of hotel space and central location within Tuscany.

That night, we took the funicular up to Montacatini Alto, the medieval hilltop city above Montecatini Terme. The view from the top is incredible and worth the nominal fee to get up there. There’s a little square with a handful of shops and restaurants, and if you climb a little further, you can see part of the ancient fortress. We ate at Ristorante La Torre, where my husband and I shared a Bistecca alla Fiorentina, or Florentine steak. It’s a bone-in loin steak from a young heifer, and its beefy flavor is unmatched. Because it’s a very lean cut, it needs to be served fairly rare, so those who don’t like red-inside steak should steer clear.

Pisa

The view from the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Tuscany. (Courtesy of Ed Fleming)

Lots of Tuscan residents like to hate on Pisa and its leaning tower, mostly because of the massive amounts of tourists who come for that one picture. You know the one, where they pretend to be pushing the tower into an upright position?

But I do think the heavy marble tower, which was already leaning when it was completed in the 14th century, is striking enough that it’s worth a bucket-list visit. The entire square in which the tower is located is beautiful, too. If you have time, swing into the adjacent cemetery, called Camposanto Monumentale. The sprawling Gothic structure contains medieval frescoes, some of which have been partially washed away by flooding, and others of which have been restored to their original splendor.

Bodies of important townspeople and religious figures are buried below your feet, entombed in the marble that’s so abundant in the area. Roman sarcophagi, which have been emptied of bodies, line the sides of the cemetery, too.

On this trip, my husband and I decided to climb the tower, which is a vertigo-inducing endeavor. The stairways are narrow, and foot traffic flows both ways. The number of tourists going up and down is capped to ensure stability, although modern fortifications should preserve the tower (and its lean) for centuries to come.

For lunch, we followed our tour manager Kim Bizzarri into town to find cecina, a chickpea pancake of sorts, stuffed into a slice of focaccia. It’s hard to believe that the simple, tasty sandwich is actually vegan! And cheap — house-made bread stuffed with fresh, wood-fired cecina at Pizzeria Il Montino was about $3.

Afterward, we headed to a local agritourismo farm for a cooking class. Agritourismo is a program in which people rent out rooms in their farm estates to people looking for a relaxing, pastoral vacation. There were several guests at the farm, lounging in the common areas while we chopped, kneaded and whipped our meal into shape. Many travelers made homemade pasta for the first time! I am an old pro, but was definitely missing my trusty KitchenAid, which makes rolling the dense dough a breeze.

The sunset from an agritourismo in Tuscany, Italy. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)

Nevertheless, we enjoyed an excellent meal with a fiery Tuscan sunset over picturesque vineyards as our backdrop.

Siena

This charming, medieval hilltop city is my favorite of those I’ve visited in Tuscany.

Siena is known for its annual Palio horse race, which has been taking place in the (not as big as you might think) Piazza del Campo town square since the 1600s.

Different contradas, or neighborhoods, sponsor each horse in the race. And each neighborhood is represented by a different animal. Statues, door knockers, baptismal fountains and flags around each contrada let you know where you are.

Each neighborhood also has a museum dedicated to its participation in the race. We toured the museum for the Selva (forest) neighborhood, which is represented by the rhinoceros. (The museums are private, and tours are available by appointment only.)

Race winners get a silk banner, bragging rights, and not much else, but the ornate banners are displayed in the museums, as are the medieval costumes still worn by neighborhood representatives in the ceremonies and parades that happen before the race.

After our tour, we ate at a restaurant on the square, where we watched residents and tourists soak up the sunshine and shared small portions of pici (thick spaghetti) two ways — in a simple garlic-tomato sauce (all’Aglione) that the city is known for and cacio e pepe (cheese and pepper sauce). They were both utterly delicious.

And since we still had a little time, we paid a few Euro to tour the inside of the breathtakingly ornate Siena Cathedral. Its black-and-white striped columns, plaster busts of popes from the 15th and 16th century, mosaic-tiled flooring and intricate marble pulpit are worth every penny. I didn’t get to see the interior last time I visited, and I highly recommend doing so if you have the opportunity.

San Gimignano

Our last day in Tuscany came way too fast.

Luckily, we got to visit a lovely cheese cooperative, where workers and happy cows and other animals live in harmony, and the cheese they make is a fantastic product of both species’ labor.

Our group in San Gimignano, Italy. (Courtesy of Kim Bizzarri)

After our tour, we were treated to a cheese board containing many of the products produced at the farm, from honey to jelly to popped farro and yogurt.

Afterward, we wandered through the quaint, walled fortress city of San Gimignano, which is known for its 14 remaining medieval towers, built in the 12th century by competing families to show off their wealth.

If you climb up to the top of the fortress ruins, you can capture many of the towers in a single photograph, but better yet, you can marvel in a 360-degree view of the stunning Tuscan countryside. After we did so, we descended to a little restaurant next to the town church where we indulged in a carafe of Vernaccia, a crisp white wine grown nearby, and some enchantingly floral saffron risotto topped with crispy, smoky speck ham, two ingredients that are produced nearby.

San Gimignano is known for its art community, and we bought a lovely painting of the city streets from an artist who had set up shop across the street from the restaurant.

Our farewell dinner was at Antica Osteria Toscana in Montecatini Terme, where we were delighted by the house red wine, ribollita (bread soup) and the most melt-in-your-mouth pork chop any of us had ever tasted.

My conclusion? I can’t wait to return to Tuscany for a third time, with or without readers. The food, the wine and the scenery are just that special. If you haven’t been, put it on your bucket list.

Most of our Pioneer Press group at an agritourismo where we took a cooking class. (Courtesy of Dave Olson)

Want to travel with Jess?

We have just a handful of spots left in our tour of Scotland, which runs May 10-19, 2027.

On this 10-day tour, our stops include Edinburgh, Inverness, the Isle of Skye, Glasgow and more. We’ll visit a family-run Highlands farm and check out the sheepdogs at work, marvel at Neolithic ruins on the Orkney Islands, tour a few castles, hear a bagpipe demonstration and, of course, taste that famous Scotch whisky at a local distillery.

For more information, or to book the tour, go to groups.gocollette.com/en-US/link/1371575.

If you have any questions, email me at eat@pioneerpress.com.

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Today is Sunday, Nov. 16, the 320th day of 2025. There are 45 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Nov. 16,1988, Benazir Bhutto was voted prime minister of Pakistan, the first woman elected to lead a Muslim-majority country.

Also on this date:

In 1907, Oklahoma became the 46th state of the union.

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In 1914, the newly created Federal Reserve Banks opened in 12 cities.

In 1973, President Richard Nixon signed the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Authorization Act into law, authorizing the construction of an 800-mile (1,290-kilometer) oil pipeline from the Alaska North Slope to the port city of Valdez.

In 1982, an agreement was announced in the 57th day of a strike by National Football League players.

In 1989, six Jesuit priests, a housekeeper and her daughter were killed by Salvadoran army troops at the University of Central America José Simeón Cañas in San Salvador, the capital.

In 2001, investigators found a letter addressed to Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont containing anthrax; it was the second letter bearing the deadly germ known to have been sent to Capitol Hill.

In 2001, the first film in the Harry Potter series, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” (U.S. title: “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”) debuted in theaters around the world.

In 2006, after midterm elections that saw Democrats take control of the U.S. House of Representatives, Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California was nominated by the Democratic caucus to become House speaker. (Pelosi would officially become speaker by House vote the following January, the first woman to serve in the role.)

In 2018, a U.S. official said intelligence officials had concluded that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the October killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.

In 2022, NASA resumes lunar exploration 50 years after the end of the fabled Apollo program, rocketing the uncrewed Orion space capsule aloft from the Kennedy Space Center on a 25-day mission to orbit the moon.

Today’s Birthdays:

Actor Miguel Sandoval is 74.
Video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto is 73.
NASCAR Hall of Famer Terry Labonte is 69.
Actor Marg Helgenberger is 67.
Former MLB All-Star pitcher Dwight Gooden is 61.
Jazz singer Diana Krall is 61.
Actor Lisa Bonet is 58.
Actor Martha Plimpton is 55.
Olympic figure skating gold medalist Oksana Baiul (ahk-SAH’-nah by-OOL’) is 48.
Actor Maggie Gyllenhaal (JIHL’-ehn-hahl) is 48.
Actor-comedian Pete Davidson is 32.