Past and present Below Deck crew members reunited to celebrate the series' 100th episode on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen on January 6 (clip above). And boyare we glad they did, because there was a lot to discuss from the show's seven seasons.

However, we were most excited to get all the major life updates on the crew members we haven't seen on-screen in a while, including what's going on with each of them in the romance department since, you know, that's always a major part of Below Deck.

Well, Connie Arias certainly had some news to share. The Season 3 deckhand revealed that she had gotten engaged following her time on the show. The big moment seems to have actually occurred around May 21, 2017, according to a post on Instagram from that date in which Connie wrote, "I said yes."

Connie, who now has a boat management company in Melbourne, Florida, opened up more about her engagement during an interview with The Daily Dish backstage at Below Deck's 100th episode celebration. "I am engaged to a lovely guy. We live together in Melbourne, and he's got a great family business, and I have my own business, which gives us a lot of freedom to be able to do things," Connie shared. "But he's probably out with Ellis, Amy [Johnson]'s boyfriend at the moment, probably drinking beers and having fun. See, I'm happy. I found a really great guy."

Connie and her fianc, Scott, are still figuring out the details for their big day. "I don't have any set plans. I'm not very traditional. I'm not into the white dress and the dance and the music and the cha-cha and all the other sh-- that they do at a wedding," she said. "I'm sorry if anybody in here's done it; it's just not for me. It's not my thing."

However, she has one idea abouthow she'd like to say "I do." "I was like, I should have Captain Lee [Rosbach] marry us. How fun would that be?And, I mean, he's a captain, he can do it," Connie said. "He's been so good to me. He called me on my birthday the other day, not texted me, not Facebook, he called me: 'How's it goin', kiddo?' I'm like, 'You're so Captain Lee.' He's just been so close and such a good guy. That would probably be a fun thing for me to do."

This wouldn't be unprecedented. Captain Lee previously married two charter guests back in Season 1 of Below Deck. So officiating the wedding of an actual Below Deck crew member would just be that much more epic.

Relive the Below Deck nuptials, below.

Show Highlight

Making the Impossible Possible

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A Below Deck Alum Is Engaged and Wants Captain Lee Rosbach to Officiate the Wedding - Bravo

Below Deck charter guest Justine Vastano shared that the reason the crew didnt receive a better tip was because chef Kevin Dobson served diner food during the charter.

Vastano and Dobson clashed during the charter when she tried to give him advice on the food. Vastano is a private chef in Charleson, South Carolina. But, after seeing that Dobson was missing the mark, she visited him in the kitchen to suggest he go higher end with his dishes. After she left, Dobson seemed furious and brushed off any suggestions or advice she offered.

However, when the guests later noticed that Dobson was delivering the type of fare they anticipated, Vastano returned to the kitchen to offer praise and apologize. But he was still angry. He avoided making any eye contact with her and told stew Courtney Skippon to leave the garnish off Vastanos dish.

Despite food snafus and one guest riding the couch for a few nights, the Charleston crew still left a healthy tip of $17,700 ($1,600 per crew member). But Vastano says the tip could have been better but Dobson blew it. So yeah great professionalism, Vastano said in her Instagram story. I thought when I was entering the kitchen that I was going to be speaking to a professional. Not some high school girl.

Everybody on the boat was calling his food cracker ball soup not matzo ball soup, she continues. Because it tasted like saltines thrown into soup. Worst pizza theyd ever tasted. Didnt know why we were eating diner food on this luxury vacation that we all paid the same amount for and we were all expecting a similar experience for.

But uh yeah good job Kevin, she says giving the camera a thumbs up. On taking thousands off of everybodys tip because we really wanted to leave more. But we couldnt. Because of you.

Dobson referred to Vastano as an Instagram chef and rolled his eyes about her qualifications. When she saw him call her an Instagram chef she said, Lets go. One, I dont take pictures of all of my food because Im busy working and serving my food at the correct temperature.

Two, I said to Kevins face that my job is nowhere near as demanding as his. Im a private chef, I didnt choose to work on a charter where I have to please people 24/7. Three, I went to the French Culinary Institute.

She adds, Four. What separates a cook from a chef is their demeanor, their sanitation, and their overall professionalism. I went into the kitchen to say Hey listen, sorry if I made you uncomfortable last night. You did a great job last night and I knew you could step it up. And he chose to not look me in the eye, say F**k her and tell Courtney not to garnish my food as everybody else got garnished. Vastano also shared the clip of Dobson learning she was a private chef during the preference sheet meeting. Shes a private chef, he asks in the episode looking annoyed. Well, whatever. Vastano added that Dobson had it out for her even before the charter began.

Originally posted here:
'Below Deck': This Charter Guest Says Chef Kevin Cost the Crew 'Thousands of Dollars' in Tip Money - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

The Below Deck 100th episode celebration on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen was fun and cheerful and exciting for the majority of the hour-long episode. Everybody from Seasons 1-6 looked great and happy and kept things positive in their memories of the show and current life updates. In fact, the only time things got a little rocky was when, well, Rocky showed up.

Season 3s polarizing third stew Rocky Dakota looked great and seemed nice and refreshed after her flight in from Hawaii where shes currently a yoga teacher. She even offered her former chief stew a fist bump at one point! But after Kate Chastain dropped one minor comment (really, a fact), Rockys face and energy changed and she demanded answers.

When Andy asked if Rocky has a favorite and least favorite moment from her season of the show, Kate offered, Jumping off the boat was iconic. Youre a legend. And while the two infamously did not get along so great on the show, this seemed like a nice bridge, a hopeful sign for the future.

But Kate continued, Youre not the best yachtie but you are so entertaining and so talented. I could never dive like you, I could never swim like you, youre so talented. Now, to anyone unfamiliar with this particular season of the show, this seems like a lovely compliment and it is. But to those that watched, well, we know Rocky and we know better.

And so instead of taking the compliment and letting the first part of the statement (again, a fact) go, Rocky suddenly got serious and replied, And how come you say Im not the best yachtie? Well Rocky, perhaps its because Kate lived through it, tried her best to work with you, and then watched it all over again on TV as a double confirmation that you werent so great at the job. Maybe thats why?

But instead, Kate answered, Because you jumped off the boat in your underwear. Do you like it? Are you still doing it? You could be, I dont know. At the time you didnt seem to love it, she said of Rockys relationship with yachting.

But as Rocky explained, Well I went to culinary school and I thought I was gonna be the sous chef, and then I was the third-ranking stew, the lowest ranking cleaning lady. I never cleaned a yacht in my life.

I just think youre really talented, Kate repeated, doing her best to put a civil end to a nonsense discussion.

You just said I was really talented but then you just said that I was not a good yachtie, Rocky continued, because of course she did.

At this point, Captain Lee leaned over to Andy and said, Its like deja vu all over again.

This really took a turn I did not expect, Kate stated.

Well when you say something negative then I just want to know where its coming from, Rocky pushed.

From when you jumped off the boat in your underwear, Kate replied calmly, letting her unimpressed facial expressions reveal how she truly felt.

Well, my underwears bigger than my bikini! And I thought I was gonna quit, was Rockys response to it all.

Ever the professional in the situation, Kate gave her a Thats a very valid point, and Andy moved the conversation along. Now Kate can now go back to the regularly scheduled programming of defending herself against the misogynistic d-bags on the current season of the Bravo series.

Below Deck airs Monday at 9pm ET/PT on Bravo.

Where to stream Below Deck

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Of Course Rocky Had to Make The 'Below Deck' Reunion Awkward AF - Decider

While students returned home for the holidays, many varsity teams continued their competitions and training over the winter break. Varsity swimmers and divers traveled to San Diego for their annual training trip, and varsity wrestlers competed in two meets. Varsity mens basketball competed in three decisive games with impressive displays from new and old players alike.

Basketball

Varsity mens basketball started their winter training with a victory against Caltech on December 17. This game saw five Maroons scoring double-digit points, with an exceptional display of talent from first-year Bryce Hopkins. Following this game, the Maroons lost to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in a tight game. While the final score (6766) saw the Maroons defeated, their energy and zeal for competition created a dynamic game. Fourth-year Cole Schmitz dominated in the game as the top scorer with 25 points. With a final backdoor reverse layup, the Stags secured victory, leaving the Maroons with a one-point defeat.

However, the Maroons rang in the new year with a win against North Park University on January 4. Winning with a 20-point margin, the Maroons dominated throughout the game. Third-years Dominic Laravie and Brennan McDaniel came away as the Maroons top scorers with 17 and 16 points respectively.

The mens basketball team will continue its season with a game on Saturday, January 11, against Washington University in St. Louis.

Wrestling

Hosting the Chi-Town Invite, the varsity wrestling team performed successfully with multiple titles. The invite took place on December 29 at the Henry Crown Field House, with over 50 wrestlers competing. After a long day of competition, the Maroons came away with six weight class champions of the 10 weight classes. Maroon victors included fourth-year Steve Bonsall, third-year Will Britain, fourth-year Kyle Peisker, second-year Ben Sarasin, fourth-year Nick Carola, and first-year Cole Fibranz.

Following the Chi-Town Invite, the Maroons competed at the Division III National Challenge in Cleveland. The team came away with successful play against Alma College and Case Western Reserve University before finally losing to Millikin University.

The Maroons will be back on Wednesday, January 15, to compete against North Central at the Henry Crown Field House.

Swimming

The swimming and diving teams went on their annual training trip over winter break. This year, they were based in San Diego, spending a week undergoing intensive training. Fourth-year Audrey Mason explains, Training trip was definitely the toughest week of practice all year, but the whole team did a great job of pushing through and completing an excellent week of training before winter break. Im really excited to see how all of our hard work shows at our end-of-season meets next month.

Following winter break, all of the winter varsity teams are gearing up to start or continue their official seasons. Be sure to turn out at the Myers-McLoraine Pool or Henry Crown Field House to cheer the Maroons on!

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Maroons Deck the Halls Over Break - The Chicago Maroon

With their shots still enjoying the Christmas break, the Coastal Georgia women ramped up the defense Thursday to score a suffocating 75-50 win over Sun Conference rival St. Thomas at Howard Coffin Gym.

Coming off a 37 percent shooting night Monday in an exhibition against Division II Savannah State, Coastal Georgia (8-5, 4-2) struggled again from the field, especially in the first quarter where it was just 5-of-15 (33.3 percent).

The Mariners were still shooting under 40 percent against the Bobcats through three quarters, yet they led by 22 entering the fourth because of a grinding defensive performance.

Coastal Georgia head coach Roger Hodge credited the exhibition for allowing his team an opportunity to shake off the rust following a 30-day layoff between games.

I thought we were still rough a little bit offensively, and I think its a product of how long weve been off, Hodge said. Our defensive energy and intensity was just really good. It was by no means a perfect game, especially on the offensive end, I thought we turned it over a little too much, and defensively we put them on the line a little too much, but overall I was happy with the energy against a good basketball team.

St. Thomas (6-10, 3-3) shot just 26.2 percent from the field against Coastal, including a paltry 2-of-15 in the second quarter as its deficit grew.

The Mariners rode a 12-2 surge to their first lead and a five-point advantage with just over a minute to play in the first, before using another 12-2 run to take a stronghold on the contest with under two minutes remaining in the second quarter. Solrun Gisladottir drew a double team before wrapping a pass around it to Tanisha Clark for an easy layup on one possession and Quira Porter cashed in on a basket off an offensive rebound the next to push the lead to 13.

Throughout the game, Coastal went as its defense did. The Mariners forced 22 Bobcat turnovers, 10 of them coming in the third quarter, and it turned the, into 30 points.

Coastal Georgia also dominated St. Thomas on the glass, winning the rebound battle 41-29 while turning 14 offensive boards into 20 second-chance points.

The Bobcats attempted to run the Mariners off the 3-point line when possible, and the strategy resulted in a 2-of-11 shooting night from long distance Gisladottirs lone 3-pointer beating the buzzer to give her team a 55-33 lead at the end of the third quarter down from the 4.5 makes theyve averaged this season. Instead, Coastal did its work in the lane, finishing with 34 points in the paint.

They really did a good job of not leaving shooters, Hodge said. They were going to make us beat them on the drive and in the post, and I thought we did a good job of taking what they gave us.

There were times where I thought it was a little bit choppy because of that, because we were a little unsure and unconfident in doing that part of the game, but at the same time, we got to the line, did a pretty good job at that and a decent job hitting them.

Kaliyah Little was instrumental in the Mariners ability to take advantage of the Bobcats defensive strategy, consistently beating her defender off the dribble, and scoring in the lane and at the free throw line.

The true freshman from Warner Robins eclipsed her previous career high of 12 points with 23 on 9-of-11 shooting from the field and 5-of-6 from the free throw line.

Shes so fast, Hodge said. If youre not going to help off shooters, shes difficult to defend, especially on a night like tonight where shes really shooting it well. She was huge. Im very excited about how she played.

The win lifts Coastal Georgia into a tie with Johnson & Wales for third place in The Sun Conference while St. Thomas sixth straight loss drops it into a tie for fifth with Florida Memorial.

Coastal will host Florida Memorial for a game at 2 p.m. Saturday.

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ALL HANDS ON DECK: Coastal Georgia women smother St. Thomas - Brunswick News

Show Highlight

After Show: Kate Chastains Three Favorite Stews

When Captain Lee Rosbach isn't leading the Below Deck crew to another successful charter season, he's usually tweeting about the show, as well as its Mediterranean counterpart. One might think that the Below Deck boss just wouldn't be able to help himself from being a bit of a backseat driver while watching how Captain Sandy Yawn handles her crew on Below Deck Mediterranean.

However, there's a very good reason why Captain Lee approaches watching Below Deck Med from a very different angle. "I am not the devil's advocate at that point. I have complete empathy for what she's going through because I know what she's going through," Captain Lee explained during Below Deck's 100th episode celebration on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen on January 6 (clip above). "And some of the situations that Captain Sandy gets put in, I see where they're just totally unfair and totally just biased."

Captain Lee went on to acknowledge that Captain Sandy has had to face a whole different set of challenges during her career in yachting. "Because she's had to endure a lot of things because she's a female captain in a male-dominated industry," he explained. "And so, it's like, I don't know what she's gone through, but I try to put myself in that situation."

Captain Sandy similarly had a lot of empathy for Captain Lee following Ashton Pienaar's overboard accident in Season 6 of Below Deck. "My reaction was I knew exactly how Captain Lee felt. He probably wanted to drop to his knees, just the thought of killing someone. It wasn't his fault," Captain Sandy shared on WWHL in June 2019. "I think training, training, training, and when you have a new crew that you don't really get to train, it makes it harder. Our jobs are very difficult."

As you can see, there's no rivalry here. "We're great," Captain Lee said on WWHL of his relationship with Captain Sandy. "We just have a great time together."

Captain Lee dished more on his journey toBelow DeckonWWHL, which you can check out, below.

Show Highlight

Captain Lee Says He was Unprepared for Below Deck

Photo: Getty Images

The Daily Dish is your source for all things Bravo, from behind-the-scenes scoop to breaking news, exclusive interviews, photos, original videos, and, oh, so much more. Subscribe to The Daily Dish podcast, join our Facebook group, and follow us on Instagramfor the latest news hot off the presses. Sign up to become a Bravo Insider and be the first to get exclusive extras.

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This Is Exactly What Captain Lee Thinks When He Watches Captain Sandy on Below Deck Med - Bravo

Sherry Robinson, All She Wrote Published 12:10 p.m. MT Jan. 13, 2020

Lawmakers and the governor want to give teachers another raise.

The Legislative Finance Committee has proposed a 3% pay raise for teachers and school personnel and more for bilingual and special education teachers. The governor proposed 4% increases for teachers.

Recently, House Speaker Brian Egolf, D-Santa Fe, called for a whopping 10% hike.

Last year, teachers and school administrators got 6% pay raises. That brought the three tiers to $40,000, $50,000, and $60,000 for fiscal 2020. The House Education Committee wanted $46,000, $56,000, and $66,000 but compromised in hopes of raising salaries this year.

Reformers say too much money went toward teacher salaries and not enough into programs that meet demands of the Yazzie-Martinez education lawsuit for more attention to at-risk students.

Still, one of the stumbling blocks in improving those programs is attracting qualified teachers, especially faced with high teacher vacancies around the state.

Research shines a light on several aspects of teacher compensation. Rewards can pay dividends for schools and students, and the way it's done makes a difference. Here are findings of studies in the last 10 years:

Then there's the debate, here and in other states, over how to reward teachers. Districts usually base salaries on longevity and education level, but some argue that this lumps good teachers in with mediocre teachers. However, attempts here by the last administration to give bonuses to good teachers ran into flak from teachers who say it's easier to look good if you're in a middle-class or affluent school where the students have every advantage. The unions have backed teachers up.

In 2011 a landmark law in Wisconsin limited the influence of teacher unions and allowed districts to change their pay schedules. Where districts abandoned seniority pay schedules and raised pay for their most effective teachers through "flexible pay" schedules, teachers increased their classroom efforts and test scores improved. Effective teachers left schools with seniority pay schedules and migrated to schools with flexible pay. This is according to the National Bureau of Economic Research in 2019.

Another piece of this debate is the reward itself. A 2017 study at Vanderbilt University found that bonuses, gifts and salary increases were linked to modestly improved test scores, and group incentives were more effective than individual incentives.

A 2018 study showed that short-term bonuses and college loan forgiveness programs helped retain teachers in jobs that were difficult to fill, and direct payments to teachers were more cost effective than loan forgiveness.

The governor and lawmakers will have to sell teacher raises to constituents, and one study produced a mixed result.

Although most people sympathize with teachers, two polls last year found that Americans who thought teachers were poorly paid weren't always well informed about what teachers really make. When people had current salary information for local teachers, they were less likely to support higher salaries, according to a survey for Education Next magazine. Most Americans, the study said, believe teachers earn a lot less than they actually do.

Many New Mexicans would consider a salary of $40,000 to $60,000 pretty darn good. And yet we can't ignore the positive impact of raises on teacher recruiting and the mandate of the lawsuit. Legislators will have to find the balance.

Read or Share this story: https://www.currentargus.com/story/opinion/columnists/2020/01/13/research-sheds-light-impacts-perceptions-raising-teacher-pay/4456569002/

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Research sheds light on impacts, perceptions of raising teacher pay - Carlsbad Current Argus

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Youth soccer shed a total loss after fire in Albany - KPTV.com

A multidisciplinary Michigan Medicine team is shedding new light on the role of regulatory T cells in pancreatic cancer and, in mouse models, have uncovered a new potential target to improve immunotherapy approaches to the deadly disease.

Regulatory T cells are a subpopulation of immune cells that help keep the immune system from going overboard and running amok, but if the system is tamped down too much it can end up protecting cancer cells from the bodys own defenders.

Our study focused on the role of regulatory T cells during the onset and progression of pancreatic cancer, which is poorly understood, says study co-senior author Filip Bednar, M.D., Ph.D., an assistant professor of Surgery at Michigan Medicine and member of the U-M Rogel Cancer Center. Contrary to our expectations, we found that depleting the regulatory T cells actually made tumor cells more aggressive and sped up the cancers progression.

Thats because there appear to be several parallel immunosuppression mechanisms at work, and removing one of them via the removal of the regulatory T cells allows for others to take its place and help tumors grow, the team reported in Cancer Discovery.

The teams findings point toward a particular chemokine receptor that might be additionally targeted to help overcome immunosuppression when treating pancreatic cancer. New treatment approaches are desperately needed, Bednar notes. Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers, with a five-year survival rate around 9%.

Our work reveals complex cellular cross-talk between regulatory T cells and fibroblast cells within the pancreatic cancer microenvironment, says study lead author Yaqing Zhang, M.D., Ph.D., a member of the lab of senior author Marina Pasca Di Magliano, Ph.D. It also provides evidence that different fibroblast cells have different, even opposing functions, in the development of pancreatic cancer.

More online: Check out a tweetorial on the paper published by the Bednar lab.

Paper cited: Regulatory T cell depletion alters the tumor microenvironment and accelerates pancreatic carcinogenesis, Cancer Discovery. DOI: 10.1158/2159-8290.CD-19-0958

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UM Team Sheds New Light on the Role of Regulatory T Cells in Pancreatic Cancer - University of Michigan Health System News

At 12:50pm EST today a confidential source sent us the resignation letter from Giles Chater, the former head of UK Tough Mudder. One week ago, Giles sent the letter to Will Dean and several staff members listing his reasons for stepping down as Managing Director. The letter alleges Mr. Dean may be the reason the current Spartan acquisition is at an impasse, and paints Will Dean in a negative light.

Giles states in his letter Despite managements best efforts you have refused to pursue one of these paths in good faith and have actively blocked our attempts to act in what we believed to be the best interest of creditors, customers, employees and wider stakeholders He went on to say that Mr. Dean recently engaged in unacceptable behavior including harassment, threats, name-calling and vulgar language.

According to additional sources we have been working with in the US and UK Offices, Will Dean may be the sole reason Tough Mudder is currently not open for business. They allege Mr. Deans behavior has been selfish and erratic, including the recent firing of board member, Brad Dietz. Mr. Dietz was hired in March of 2019 as a turnaround specialist and from everything weve been hearing, had Tough Mudder trending in a healthy direction. Firing Mr. Dietz, and other recent alleged behavior caused the remaining board members to step down. This, in addition to several other factors, eventually led Kyle McLaughlin, American Tough Mudder CEO, to resign.

There is still unfinished business on many levels within this ordeal. There are three unpaid vendors who are attempting to put Tough Mudder into involuntary bankruptcy. Their goal was to have the Delaware Bankruptcy Court take the company out of Will Deans hands and put it into the hands of a Trustee who will take over the finances. The recent filing by the vendors and an additional filing by Spartan are requesting the courts have the Trustee put Joe in charge. Joe Desena told us his acquisition deal will Put Kyle McLaughlin and his team back to work as soon as possible on Tough Mudder events. Joe went on to tell us he hopes the court rule in his favor and said my deal gets everyone paid, and allows the company to move forward

Read the complete resignation letter below:

3rd January 2020

William Dean, Director, TM Ltd Guy Livingstone

Tough Mudder Management Team Tough Mudder London Office Matthew Martin, Pennington Manches Frank Young

Dear Mr Dean

It is with deep regret that I write to inform you that I have no choice but to resign from my position as Managing Director, Europe, effective 12pm GMT today. Please accept this as my formal letter of resignation. In light of my recent experiences with yourself, as Director of TM Ltd, and shareholder(s), I consider my position untenable and feel obligated to resign under the conditions.

You have clearly, and repeatedly, been presented with viable options for preserving Tough Mudder as a going concern. Despite managements best efforts you have refused to pursue one of these paths in good faith and have actively blocked our attempts to act in what we believed to be the best interest of creditors, customers, employees and wider stakeholders. Both by action and in writing you have refused to engage with multiple requests for governance and direction.

This refusal to engage with me, fulfil your duties as a Director and effectively provide governance to our organisation left me with no choice. Your callous contemptuous attitude towards our creditors, customers and employees is reprehensible. We have a clear duty to prioritise the interests of our creditors and in failing to do so you have placed me in a morally and professionally compromising position continued occupancy of which may expose me to personal liability Im unwilling to risk.

On numerous occasions I have witnessed, or been subject to, unacceptable behaviour including harassment, threats, name-calling and vulgar language. Requests to provide a safe working environment free from this behaviour were belittled or ignored.

Watching this business unnecessarily run into the ground has been excruciating. I have remained unwavering in my commitment to our creditors, customers and amazing team this year and resign as an absolute last resort.

I care deeply for this brand and the incredible community which has built up around it. I am truly heartbroken at the suffering this will cause for so many, not least our loyal talented employees and suppliers.

Please be advised I have set an external out-of-office directing people to you.

I reserve all rights and remedies available to me at any time under my employment agreement and applicable law in each case against and with respect to the Company and Director(s).

Giles Chater Managing Director Tough Mudder Ltd.

Read the most recent articles, and how we got to this point here.

is the host of the Obstacle Racing Media Podcast and the author of "Down and Dirty-The Essential Training Guide for Obstacle Races and Mud Runs". He is also the only (known) #wafflehouseelite obstacle racer.

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Leaked Tough Mudder Document Sheds Light On Tough Mudder Case - Obstacle Racing Media