HANIF ABDURRAQIB: University of Minnesota Walter Nathan Library Initiatives series presents MacArthur “genius” fellow and winner of the National Book Critics Award for his essay collection “There’s Always This Year: On Baseball and Ascension.” 7 p.m. Monday, Coffman Union Theater, 300 Washington Ave. S.E., Mpls. Free with registration. Go to z.umn.edu/Hanif25.

NICOLE BAART: Presents “Where He Left Me” in conversation with William Kent Krueger. 7 p.m. Thursday, Magers & Quinn, 3038 Hennepin Ave. S., Mpls.

(HarperCollins Publishers)

BARNETT/HARRIS: Mac Barnett and Shawn Harris, authors of “The First Cat in Space and the Baby Pirate’s Revenge,” present an immersive theatrical spectacular with live music, dramatic performance and adventure to celebrate the fourth book in the bestselling First Cat in Space graphic novel series, presented by Red Balloon Bookshop. 6 p.m. Tuesday, St. Catherine University, 2004 Randolph Ave., St. Paul. Ticket event. Go to redballoonbookshop.com.

DALGLISH/KOEFOD: Minnesota authors read from their latest books. Cass Dalglish’s is “Ring of Lions” and Susan Koefod’s is “Albert Park: A Memory in Lies.” Emcee is Gary Lindberg, editor, author and founder of Calumet Editions. 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Inkwell Booksellers, 428 E. Hennepin Ave., Mpls.

DOG MAN: Release party for “Dog Man: Big Jim Believes!,” 14th book in Dav Pilkey’s Dog Man series of graphic novels. 1 p.m. Saturday, Red Balloon Bookshop, 891 Grand Ave., St. Paul.

PEG GUILFOYLE: Reads from “An Eye for Joy: Noticing the Good World Everywhere.” 11 a.m. Saturday, Storyline Books, Union Depot, 214 E. Fourth St., St. Paul.

TRUNG LE NGUYEN: Introduces “Angelica & the Bear Prince,” about a high schooler’s magical trip from burnout to a surprising romance. 6 p.m. Monday, Next Chapter Booksellers, 38 S. Snelling Ave., St. Paul.

LINDSAY STUART HILL: Staff member at Next Chapter Booksellers launches her poetry collection “World of Dew,” with Michael Prior. 6 p.m. Tuesday, Next Chapter Booksellers, 38 S. Snelling Ave., St. Paul.

MONETTE MAGRATH: One-woman show based on the writings of Zelda Fitzgerald, wife of F. Scott Fitzgerald, presented by Friends of the St. Paul Public Library. 7 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. Saturday and Nov. 16, Landmark Center, 75 W. Fifth St., St. Paul. $35-$45. Reservations at thefriends.org.

Related Articles

Salman Rushdie’s new book is his first fiction since a brutal attack. He tells us why

In ‘Queen Esther,’ John Irving travels back to ‘The Cider House Rules’

Bruce Lee biographer Jeff Chang is fighting a ban on one of his own books

Readers and writers: Prose, poetry, murder, memoir, history

Literary pick: Twin Cities Book Festival comes to Union Depot

Today is Sunday, Nov. 9, the 313th day of 2025. There are 52 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Nov. 9, 1938, Nazis looted and burned synagogues as well as thousands of Jewish-owned stores and houses in Germany and Austria in a pogrom or deliberate persecution that became known as “Kristallnacht.”

Also on this date:

In 1906, Theodore Roosevelt made the first trip abroad of any sitting U.S. president in order to observe construction of the Panama Canal.

Related Articles

Today in History: November 8, Florida election recount begins

SNAP food aid gets to people in some states while others remain in limbo amid court battles

OpenAI faces 7 lawsuits claiming ChatGPT drove people to suicide, delusions

A study questions melatonin use and heart health but don’t lose sleep over it

Investigators look into ‘repeating bell’ heard during takeoff of UPS cargo plane that crashed

In 1935, United Mine Workers President John L. Lewis and other labor leaders formed the Committee for Industrial Organization.

In 1965, the great Northeast blackout began with a series of power failures lasting up to 13 1/2 hours, leaving 30 million people in seven states and part of Canada without electricity.

In 1976, the U.N. General Assembly approved resolutions condemning apartheid in South Africa, including one characterizing the white-ruled government as “illegitimate.”

In 1989, communist East Germany threw open its borders, allowing citizens to travel freely to the West for the first time in decades — a landmark event often referred to as the fall of the Berlin Wall.

In 2007, President Gen. Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan placed opposition leader Benazir Bhutto under house arrest for a day and rounded up thousands of her supporters to block a mass rally against his emergency rule. Bhutto would be assassinated weeks later on Dec. 27 in a shooting and bombing attack that killed at least 20 people.

In 2011, after 46 seasons as Penn State’s head football coach and a record 409 victories, Joe Paterno was fired along with the university president, Graham Spanier, over their handling of child sex abuse allegations against former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky.

In 2023, surgeons at Langone Health in New York announced that they performed the world’s first transplant of an entire human eye in May of that year, operating on a man whose face was badly damaged in an accident with high-voltage power lines.

Today’s Birthdays:

Film director Bille August is 77.
Actor-bodybuilder Lou Ferrigno is 74.
Gospel singer Donnie McClurkin is 66.
TV writer-director-producer Ryan Murphy is 60.
Rapper Scarface (Geto Boys) is 55.
Blues singer Susan Tedeschi (teh-DEHS’-kee) is 55.
Golfer David Duval is 54.
Actor Eric Dane is 53.
Singer-TV personality Nick Lachey is 52.
Actor-TV personality Vanessa Lachey is 45.
Country singer Chris Lane is 41.

Johnny Tauer has led the St. Thomas men’s basketball team since 2011. Prior to that he served as an assistant coach for 11 years after playing for the Tommies in 1990s and has had more than his share of memorable experiences with the program.

Saturday night he joined a sold-out crowd of 5,325 in reveling in the team’s debut at the Lee and Penny Anderson Arena.

“What a magical night,” Tauer said. “It seems surreal in a way after all that has gone into it. I think this building is as beautiful as any in college basketball.

“There aren’t many things after 26 years in coaching that you haven’t seen. I flash back to being a 6-year-old kid with my dad, not going to the old gym, but the other old gym at O’Shaughnessy Hall.

“To look at where this university has come and where we’re headed is just so inspiring.”

The Tommies, who opened the season with a 84-58 loss at Saint Mary’s on Monday, enjoyed a 21-point lead over Army in the first half and responded to a couple of mini runs by the Black Knights in an 83-76 victory.

Nolan Minessale led the Tommies with 20 points. Nick Janowski had 16, Carter Bjerke 12 and Isaiah Johnson-Arigu 11.

The choice of the Black Knights as the Tommies’ first opponent in their new arena had special significance. Lee Anderson, a graduate of West Point, where he was a member of the basketball team, has long been a financial supporter of both institutions.

The Black Knights play in Christl Arena, named after Minneapolis native Edward Christl, who attended St. Thomas before entering the United States Military Academy in 1941. Christl was killed in action in 1945 and is buried at West Point Cemetery.

The Andersons were saluted in a pregame ceremony and took part in a ceremonial opening tip after being greeted by Tauer at center court.

The Tommies led 8-6 before going on a 24-5 run to take a 32-11 lead with eight minutes to play in the first half, leading Army coach Kevin Kuwait to take a timeout.

The Black Knights then went on a run of their own, cutting the Tommies’ lead to 34-20. The teams played even the remainder of the first half, with the Tommies taking a 44-29 lead into the locker room.

Army cut the Tommies’ lead to 53-46, as close as it had been since the game was eight minutes old. But a couple of driving baskets by Johnson-Arigu got the Tommies started on an 8-2 run that built their lead back up to 13.

A Minessale basket with just under three minutes to play that gave the Tommies a 73-59 lead all but sealed the victory.

The Tommies are back on the road Monday night when they play Washington State before returning to Anderson Arena on Thursday to play Green Bay.

Related Articles

St. Thomas men’s basketball falls at Saint Mary’s in season opener

Tommies rout Marist, keep Pioneer League title hopes alive

Finally back home, Isaiah Johnson-Arigu ready to lead St. Thomas ‘higher’

St. Thomas opens new on-campus arena for hockey and basketball

$1B Rosemount aerospace complex, University of St. Thomas semiconductor hub receive state funding

Lakeville South conquered Class 4A again.

The Cougars won their second consecutive state volleyball championship on Saturday night at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul with a sweep of third-seeded Prior Lake.

Crucial contributions from senior outside hitter Romi Chlebecek and junior setter Kaelyn Bjorklund lifted Lakeville South to the summit. Chlebecek paced the Cougars with 17 kills and Bjorklund quarterbacked the offense with a match-high 39 assists.

The Cougars climbed to the top of the mountain for the first time in program history last season with a five-set win over Champlin Park. A year later, Lakeville South returned to St. Paul with its sights set on a repeat state title — one that ended quicker this time with the Cougars winning 25-17,  25-15, 25-19.

It was longer journey to Grand Casino Arena for Prior Lake, which had not made the state tournament since 2017.

The first set lived up to the billing as the Cougars and Lakers traded leads. Lakeville South created separation midway through the set with a 15-12 advantage after Chlebecek blasted a ball through Prior Lake’s block.

Lakeville South’s 7-0 scoring run, after being knotted at 12, ballooned its lead, and the Cougars never looked back. It was a commanding Set 1 win, thanks to Chlebecek’s seven kills and the Lakers’ lackluster offense, hitting just .028.

It was more of the same in the second set as Cougars junior outside hitter Elleora Utecht’s third kill of the frame put Lakeville South up 8-3 and forced a Lakers timeout.

Bjorklund’s cross-court swing helped Lakeville South double up Prior Lake 18-9 further strengthening the Cougars’ grip on the state title match. The two-match advantage was the same they held a year ago against the Rebels.

Hints of a third-set letdown crept to the forefront as Prior Lake jumped out to an 8-2 lead out of the gates. Lakers senior libero Sidney Burley’s service ace gave Prior Lake its largest lead of the night at six points.

The Cougars came crawling back, tying the match at 13 before a service ace by freshman outside hitter Kate Utecht gave Lakeville South its first lead of the third set.

One glimpse of daylight in Set 3 was all it took for the Cougars to kick it into second gear. Lakeville South wrapped up its title on a 12-5 run.

Apple Valley beat Roseville in four sets in the third-place match. Ginny Gores had 17 kills for Apple Valley, while Sophia Cowan added 16.

Related Articles

Football: Mistakes doom Cretin-Derham Hall in state quarterfinal loss to Chanhassen

State volleyball roundup: Hawley, Mayer Lutheran repeat as champs

Football: St. Thomas Academy defense makes late stand to win Class 5A quarterfinal

State football: Dean runs for 6 TDs as Lakeville South dethrones Maple Grove

State volleyball: New Life Academy falls in Class 2A semifinals