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For Pat Riley, it was Showtime again on Sunday in Los Angeles. This time his own showtime, with his statue unveiled in front of the Lakers’ Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles.

On an afternoon of celebrity that included actor Michael Douglas and singer Michael McDonald among those in attendance, Riley not only had those who were part of his Lakers’ 1980s championship coaching tenure in attendance, but also several from his Heat era, including Heat championship guard Dwyane Wade and Heat owner Micky Arison.

Riley intertwined several elements of his Hall of Fame coaching career into his speech, at one point thanking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, but then also referencing how the lessons learned from his coaching tenure helped in guiding others, including Wade.

“To Dwyane Wade, not of the Lakers, but I put the DNA of the Lakers in him,” Riley said in his comments. “You know, it just sort of comes with the program. And he came in as a rookie. He was raw. He was great. He was gifted. He was talented. He was cocky. He was true of himself. And I never saw a young man work harder than Dwyane Wade to become one of the greatest players ever.”

Riley also spoke of how the trappings of that coaching start near Hollywood impacted who he has become and what he has become decades later.

“We’ve been fast friends for a long time,” he said of Douglas. “When he did invite me and (wife) Chris to come to Monaco and then also to Nice when he was shooting that movie, he had a rap party up in Venice and Kathleen Turner happened to be the actress in that movie. And he was playing along with Danny DeVito in that movie. And so during the rap party, I went over and I sat down in front of Danny DeVito and Mike, just to chat and have some fun.”

And of McDonald, Riley said, “I regularly go back and I can recall each championship in the one moment, the one play, the one shot, the one anything. I just remember that. And usually when I listen to the music, you know, of that time, Michael McDonald is here today. He married Chris and I again. He renewed our vows in Hawaii.”

Congrats, Pat!!!

The Lake Worth Beach Street Painting Festival returned for its 32nd year, transforming the asphalt of Lake and Lucerne Avenues into a massive outdoor gallery. The 2026 event featured more than 800 artists, including a record 55 featured professionals from across the country alongside hundreds of local students and organizations. This photo gallery captures the intricate chalk masterpieces and the crowds that gathered in downtown Lake Worth Beach for the final day of the two-day celebration of art and music.

As the Miami Dolphins’ new regime of general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and coach Jeff Hafley will be building their roster through the draft, that process comes to the forefront in the next week.

The team takes to Indianapolis for the NFL scouting combine, Sullivan and Hafley’s opportunity to evaluate draft prospects through drills, testing and interviews in one centralized location.

All the while, some solid answers on how this duo will operate in its first offseason leading Miami may come to light.

Both Sullivan and Hafley are scheduled to field questions in the news conference setting for the first time since they were introduced as the Dolphins’ new power tandem Jan. 22.

What resolution will they find with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and his behemoth of a contract?

Do they see players like running back De’Von Achane, center Aaron Brewer and linebacker Jordyn Brooks as foundational building blocks worthy of contract extensions?

After wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and offensive guard James Daniels were already released and Bradley Chubb has been informed he’ll be released, are other veterans either on the trade block or bound to be cut?

What are the qualities they look for in members of their first draft class, who will be instrumental in establishing a new culture?

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Sullivan steered clear of answering specifically on roster matters, such as the Tagovailoa question, during his introduction last month.

The widespread belief is the Dolphins will seek a trade partner for Tagovailoa, likely taking on a large chunk of the $54 million he is guaranteed in 2026. Cutting the former franchise quarterback under former GM Chris Grier and ex-coach Mike McDaniel would cost Miami a record-breaking $99.2 million dead cap hit, which can be spread over two seasons if he’s designated a post-June 1 release.

After the week at the combine, there’s another week on the NFL calendar before free agency begins March 9 at 12 p.m., ahead of the official start of the new league year March 11 at 4 p.m.

With the Dolphins a team in need of a quarterback, the duo of Sullivan and Hafley also has previous ties to the biggest free agent at the position, Malik Willis of the Green Bay Packers. Will Sullivan tip his hand on a potential plan of pursuit for Willis, Jordan Love’s backup for the Packers who is expected to carry an expensive price tag for a team looking for its next starter?

They are not expected to be aggressive for high-priced veteran free agents while building through the draft in the early years of their tenure together.

Sullivan and Hafley inherit rising second-year quarterback Quinn Ewers, who started the final three games of the 2025 season after Tagovailoa was benched. Miami’s new GM may share an opinion on him this week, as it’s known one thing he does want at the quarterback position is competition for the job. It helps Ewers that Hafley, who has a defensive coaching background, wants to keep the same offensive system that was in place under McDaniel and not only retained Bobby Slowik from the previous coaching staff but promoted him to offensive coordinator.

When it comes to the coming late April draft and scouting prospects this week at Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium and Indiana Convention Center, a Miami team in the midst of a roster overhaul practically has needs at all positions.

As Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson, widely viewed as the draft’s second-best quarterback behind Miami product and Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, will throw at the combine, the Dolphins will likely do their due diligence in scouting him.

That doesn’t mean they need to or should be married to the idea of drafting a quarterback in the first round. They could go the route of building a roster so, when the long-term solution behind center presents itself, the team is ready to facilitate the game for the player. And maybe competition for Ewers comes in finding another passer in the mid-to-late rounds, or a bridge veteran.

The Dolphins will need to bring in young talent at other premium positions like cornerback, edge rusher and wide receiver. What type of players Hafley and new defensive coordinator Sean Duggan want on the edge is to be determined. They used many four-man defensive fronts in Green Bay, so they may need an infusion of 4-3 defensive ends and outside linebackers instead of players that fit the 3-4 formation.

The trenches on both sides of the ball will surely be important to new management. The previous regime had invested its first two picks of the past two drafts to either offensive lineman (second-round tackle Patrick Paul in 2024 and second-round guard Jonah Savaiinaea in 2025) or the defensive front (first-round picks for defensive tackle Kenneth Grant and outside linebacker Chop Robinson in 2025 and 2024, respectively). Sullivan will likely look for more to supplement them and two other defensive tackles the Dolphins had as rookies last season — Jordan Phillips and Zeek Biggers.

Tight ends, safeties and possibly running backs, if Sullivan and Hafley don’t wish to spend to keep Achane around as he goes into the final year of his rookie contract, are also in play.

This new Dolphins front office, coaching staff, and scouting department will have no shortage of prospects to evaluate over the coming week at the combine.

BRADENTON — Just as Florida’s theme parks make fictional stories come to life, the Florida Man Games create competitions based on the stranger-than-fiction headlines generated by wild and whacky shenanigans in the Sunshine State.

For year three, the event moved from St. Augustine to the Freedom Factory, a Bradenton-area racetrack owned by YouTube content creator and stock-car racer Cleetus McFarland. The contest included fan-favorites like the evading police obstacle course and hurricane supplies grocery aisle brawl, as well as new games involving cattle prods, bullwhips and fake deer urine.

Twelve teams from across the state, including ones from Orlando and Lake County, faced off on Saturday under the sweltering Florida sun.

“It is definitely the redneck Olympics,” said Annie Polen, who has attended the event since the beginning to cheer on the Clearwater Red Eyed Gator Huggers. “As soon as the tickets were out, I bought them. I was so excited. This is my jam.”

Pete Melfi, the event’s founder, dreamt up the games in 2023 and has seen the competition take on a life of its own. He said around 5,000 people attended his year’s event.

“This venue holds a lot more people. Our attendance is up since last year and it’s been up every year,” he said. “It’s pretty incredible, the growth of this thing. I am beyond happy and excited that Freedom Factory has fully embraced it.”

Florida Man Games founder Pete Melfi and social media star Josh Wicks Robinson offer commentary during the Florida Man Games at the Freedom Factory in Bradenton on Feb. 21, 2026. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)

A full day of competition started in earnest with the “naked rampage.” Clothed competitors with pool noodles between their legs attempted to knock over as many plastic flamingos as possible. Next, the “bullwhips and bad decisions” event had pairs of competitors in the octagon attempting to unholster beer cans from their opponent’s belt with a whip.

Team Hanky Spanky, the St. Augustine-based reigning champions from the 2024 and 2025 events, placed highly in the first two events, making the team hopeful of a hat trick at this year’s event.

“There’s different stuff this year, but we adapt,” said team member Larry Donnelly. “We’re hoping for another win.”

Larry Donnelly of team Hanky Spanky holds his previous champion belt during the Florida Man Games at the Freedom Factory in Bradenton on Feb. 21, 2026. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)

Spectators watching from around the racetrack were clad in beer costumes, drinking helmets with straws, Burger King hats, pit viper-style sunglasses with plenty of American and Florida-centric attire.

Under the high noon sun, two representatives from each team faced off in the “deer dong beer bong” event. In this new offering, one teammate put water balloons filled with yellow liquid into a beer bong funnel at the top of a decoy deer’s head, sending the fluids down below where another teammate was waiting with a cup in their mouth to catch the liquid.

Spectators clad in America and Florida-centric gear watch the festivities during the Florida Man Games at the Freedom Factory in Bradenton on Feb. 21, 2026. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)

The Orlando team, which brought an energetic showing to the “beer bong” event, was represented by a team of five anchored by professional wrestler Matt Riddle.

“It’s more energy than actual skill. I think when you bring the energy and the family, good things happen,” said team member Jordan Marshall.

Throughout the day, spectators enjoyed commentary by Florida-based social media star Josh Wicks Robinson (OmgItsWicks) and “Super Troopers” actors Steve Lemme and Kevin Heffernan.

Teams face off in a “taser tag” event with cattle prods during the Florida Man Games at the Freedom Factory in Bradenton on Feb. 21, 2026. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)

While blindfolded “taser tag” using cattle prods proved an interesting and shocking spectacle, the biggest events came toward the end of the day. Heading into the final two contests, the Freedom Factory’s own team led by two points with Hanky Spanky in second place.

The return of the grocery aisle brawl, which happened shortly after the mullet contest, brought out the most aggressive tendencies of each team with pairs of competitors filling their shopping carts and disrupting the other team.

Mullet contest competitors line up during the Florida Man Games at the Freedom Factory in Bradenton on Feb. 21, 2026. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)

A matchup between the Tampa Trash Pandas and Hanky Spanky turned into a scrappy and heated wrestling match that left Hanky Spanky’s Justin Carter fuming. Manatee County sheriff’s deputies lingered in case the post-game dispute got physical.

During another round, a third member of the Freedom Factory team entered the game area to tip the cart of the Lake County Zombies, prompting accusations of cheating from the crowd.

Teams brawl over hurricane supplies in one event of the Florida Man Games at the Freedom Factory in Bradenton on Feb. 21, 2026. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)

The final event of the day had the fastest member of each team attempting to navigate an obstacle course, then steal a catalytic converter from underneath a vehicle and outrun a member of the Manatee County Sheriff Office SWAT team. While some competitors got away, others were tackle to the ground or tagged out.

In the end, team Hanky Spanky ended up in second place while the Freedom Factory emerged victorious. While each team showed its brawn and determination, it was home turf advantage that helped grant the event’s hosts a decisive victory after a hard-fought day of Florida Man-inspired contests.

A competitor runs from a member of the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team during the Florida Man Games at the Freedom Factory in Bradenton on Feb. 21, 2026. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)

Find me @PConnPie on Instagram or send me an email: pconnolly@orlandosentinel.com. Stay up to date with our latest travel, arts and events coverage by subscribing to our newsletters at orlandosentinel.com/newsletters.

By FABIOLA SÁNCHEZ

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The Mexican army killed the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, “El Mencho,” on Sunday, decapitating what had become Mexico’s most powerful drug cartel and thrusting swaths of the nation into chaos.

The drug lord was the Mexican government’s biggest prize yet to show the Trump administration in its efforts to crack down on the cartels, and his death was met with a forceful reaction from the cartel, known by its Spanish initials CJNG.

Cars burned out by cartel members blocked roads at more than 250 points in 20 Mexican states, authorities said, and left smoke billowing into the air. Jalisco’s capital, Guadalajara, was turned into a ghost town Sunday night as civilians hunkered down. School was canceled Monday in several states. Authorities in Jalisco, Michoacan and Guanajuato reported at least 14 dead, including seven National Guard troops.

Oseguera Cervantes was wounded in an operation to capture him Sunday in Tapalpa, Jalisco, about a two-hour drive southwest of Guadalajara and he died while being flown to Mexico City, the Defense Department said in a statement. The state is the base of the cartel known for trafficking huge quantities of fentanyl and other drugs to the United States.

Cartel a major fentanyl trafficker

During the operation, troops came under fire and killed four people at the location. Three more people, including Oseguera Cervantes, were wounded and later died, the statement said. Two others were arrested and armored vehicles, rocket launchers and other arms were seized. Three members of the armed forces were wounded and receiving medical treatment.

A Jalisco state official who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly said a member of the National Guard died in Tapalpa during the operation, six other National Guard members died in Zapopan beside Guadalajara, a jail guard was killed at a lockup in Puerto Vallarta when prisoners rioted, and an agent from the Jalisco state prosecutor’s office was killed in Guadalajara. Details were not immediately available.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said via X that the U.S. government provided intelligence support for the operation. “‘El Mencho’ was a top target for the Mexican and United States government as one of the top traffickers of fentanyl into our homeland,” she wrote. She commended Mexico’s military for its work.

“Ever since President (Claudia) Sheinbaum has been in power, the army has been way more confrontational, combative against criminal groups in Mexico,” said David Mora, analyst for International Crisis Group in Mexico. “This is signaling to the U.S. that if we keep cooperating, sharing intelligence, Mexico can do it, we don’t need U.S. troops on Mexican soil.”

Roadblocks and burning vehicles

The killing of the drug lord set off several hours of roadblocks with burning vehicles, tactics commonly used by the cartels to block military operations. Videos circulating on social media showed smoke billowing over the tourist city of Puerto Vallarta in Jalisco, and people sprinting through the airport of the state’s capital in panic.

Air Canada announced it was suspending flights to Puerto Vallarta “due to an ongoing security situation” and advised customers not to go to their airport. A number of Mexican and international airlines also canceled flights.

In Guadalajara, burning vehicles blocked roads and businesses shuttered just months before Mexico’s second-largest city is scheduled to host matches during this summer’s soccer World Cup.

The U.S. State Department warned U.S. citizens in Jalisco, Tamaulipas, Michoacan, Guerrero and Nuevo Leon states to remain in safe places due to the security operations. Canada’s embassy in Mexico warned its citizens in Puerto Vallarta to shelter in place and generally to keep a low profile in Jalisco.

Jalisco Gov. Pablo Lemus told residents to stay at home, suspended public transportation and said that the state was “living through critical hours.”

US had offered up to $15 million for his capture

The U.S. State Department had offered a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to the arrest of El Mencho. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel is one of the most powerful and fastest growing criminal organizations in Mexico and began operating around 2009.

In February 2025, the Trump administration designated the cartel as a foreign terrorist organization.

Sheinbaum has criticized the “kingpin” strategy of previous administrations that took out cartel leaders only to trigger explosions of violence as cartels fractured. While she has remained popular in Mexico, security is a persistent concern and since U.S. President Donald Trump took office a year ago, she has been under tremendous pressure to show results against drug trafficking.

On Sunday, Sheinbaum applauded Mexican security forces and called for calm in a post on X.

Known as an aggressive cartel

The Jalisco cartel has been one of the most aggressive cartels in its attacks on the military — including on helicopters — and is a pioneer in launching explosives from drones and installing mines. In 2020, it carried out a spectacular assassination attempt with grenades and high-powered rifles in the heart of Mexico City against the then head of the capital’s police force and now federal security secretary.

The DEA considers the cartel to be as powerful as the Sinaloa cartel, one of Mexico’s most infamous criminal groups, with a presence in all 50 U.S. states. It is one of the main suppliers of cocaine to the U.S. market and, like the Sinaloa cartel, earns billions from the production of fentanyl and methamphetamines. Sinaloa, however, has been weakened by infighting after the loss of its leaders Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, both in U.S. custody.

Oseguera Cervantes, 59, was originally from Aguililla in the neighboring state of Michoacan. He had been significantly involved in drug trafficking activities since the 1990s. When he was younger, he migrated to the U.S. where he was convicted of conspiracy to distribute heroin in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in 1994 and served nearly three years in prison.

Following his release from custody, Oseguera Cervantes returned to Mexico and reengaged in drug trafficking activity with drug lord Ignacio Coronel Villarreal, alias “Nacho Coronel.” After Villarreal’s death, Oseguera Cervantes and Erik Valencia Salazar, alias “El 85,” created the Jalisco New Generation Cartel around 2007.

Initially, they worked for the Sinaloa Cartel, but eventually split and for years the two cartels have battled for territory across Mexico.

Indicted several times in the United States

Since 2017, Oseguera Cervantes has been indicted several times in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.

The most recent superseding indictment, filed on April 5, 2022, charges Oseguera Cervantes with conspiracy and distribution of controlled substances (methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl) for the purpose of illegal importation into the United States and use of firearms during and in connection with drug trafficking offenses. Oseguera Cervantes is also charged under the Drug Kingpin Enforcement Act for directing a continuing criminal enterprise.

Last year, people searching for missing relatives founds piles of shoes and other clothing, as well as bone fragments at what authorities later said was a Jalisco cartel recruitment and training site.

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Associated Press writers María Verza and Megan Janetsky contributed to this report.