Thursday, March 23, 2023

Thursday, March 23, 2023

Gundy recaps OSU’s offseason full of transfers and coaching change

he last stepped behind a microphone.

Ben Hutchens Staff Reporter

Three months ago, Mike Gundy sat in the Arizona Diamondbacks clubhouse after OSU’s 24-17 loss in Guaranteed Rate Bowl and erupted.

A question about potentially making staff changes upset Gundy, OSU’s football coach. Tuesday, Gundy showed up to OSU’s first spring practice with his usual happy, back-slapping attitude. That’s impressive, because change, what Gundy avoided talking about in Arizona, was the one constant in the three months since

Replacing star players who entered the transfer portal and a defensive coordinator have kept the Cowboy staff busy this offseason.

Twenty Cowboys entered the transfer portal in the aftermath of OSU’s mediocre 2022 season. Quarterback Spencer Sanders, receivers John Paul Richardson and Stephon Johnson Jr. headlined the offensive departures. Defensive end Trace Ford, linebacker Mason Cobb and cornerback Jabbar Muhammad were the biggest defensive losses.

Gundy said his reaction to some of the portal entries wasn’t too different from the reaction everybody else had.

See Recap on page 2

OSU’s season ends after missed late-game opportunities

Going into Tuesday night, he shot a team-high 85.9% from the charity stripe.

overtime to North Texas in the NIT Quarterfinals.

Gen Z job market turnover expected to exceed 2022 levels

Dee DePass Star Tribune

If you think the Great Resignation is over, think again.

The latest snapshot of the job market by recruiting giant Robert Half shows that more Generation Z workers are likely to change jobs in 2023 than last year.

About 60% of 18- to 25-year-olds said they would likely to change jobs in early 2023, up from 53% last year. More than 50% of employees with two to four years at a company and working parents also said they were looking.

The trend worries hiring managers and is leading companies to bolster retention efforts in a stubbornly tight job market.

As the U.S. economy emerged from pandemic disruption in 2021, nearly 50 million people quit their jobs, a record. Even more workers — 50.5 million, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — resigned last year.

The youngest workers came out of the pandemic wanting bigger paychecks — and then “an extremely flexible work schedule.”

there are clear preferences for younger people to work in as agile and flexible a work situation as they can find,” Carlson said. “That is clear as a bell.”

It also should not be a surprise, said Lola Brown, 22, a student and employee at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota — and soon to be a job hunter. This spring, she plans to quit her job, move to Washington, D.C., and hopefully find work as a policy analyst.

If the pandemic taught Gen Z-ers anything, “it’s that everything can change on a dime,” she said. They have “to be nimble and to pivot.”

The pandemic also changed how young employees view employers, she and other young workers said.

“There’s a new recognition of what is fair and expected, whether that be how much I am in the office or how much sick time (I get). It is not the same as pre-pandemic,” Brown said.

Paul Olson, 23, craved that flexibility.

He had a good job with a medical equipment distributor. But one day as he waiting to talk to a Mayo Clinic physician about surgery tools, he was watching construction workers.

Ashton Slaughter Staff Reporter

is

With 20 seconds left in regulation, OSU had its top choice at the line, in an even 55-55 contest.

Asberry missed both. The score remained tied at the end of regulation, and the Cowboys ended up losing 65-59 in

“We have him (Asberry) shoot technical free throws,” coach Mike Boynton said. “There’s a reason you want a guy like that at the line cause you feel confident he’s gonna make them.”

Asberry’s free throws didn’t decide the Cowboys fate, though.

At halftime, it seemed unlikely that the Cowboy faithful would have ended up sticking around for the full game.

The Cowboys scored 17 points in the first half, their lowest scoring output in a half this season.

See Missed on page 4

Work-life balance was most important for 45% of Gen Z and 40% of millennials, said Jennifer Carlson, vice president and region director of Robert Half for the Twin Cities.

In contrast, only 30% of surveyed baby boomers insisted on flexible schedules during their job hunt.

“We do know

Olson had always wanted to work with his hands, and that day sent him soul-searching.

He is now a carpenter apprentice with Hopkins-based Braxton Hancock & Sons, building trusses, walls and stairwells for apartment buildings in the Twin Cities.

See Gen Z on page 6

Caleb Asberry

the go-to guy from the free throw line for a reason.

Mia Ledbetter

OSU fell to UNT 65-59 in overtime after Caleb Asberry missed two potential game-winning free throws late in regulation.

Jaiden Daughty

The last time Mike Gundy, OSU football coach, addressed the media was after OSU’s 24-17 loss to Wisconsin in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl.

Recap...

Continued from page 1

“Well, I was just as surprised on some guys as other people,” Gundy said. Standing with his helmet at his feet and gold locks flowing from his head, senior tight end Braden Cassity thought back to watching some of his friends enter the transfer portal.

“It hurt,” Cassity said. “You know, going on year six definitely built good relationships with a lot of those guys. But that’s just how it is. It’s been that way in high school and now it’s here in college. It is what it is, it sucks. But I think we’re all excited to move forward.”

OSU brought in 15 transfers to balance out losses. The Cowboys pulled from Michigan State, Iowa, and Tulsa. They also found players from Utah Tech and George Fox University. Did the acquisitions balance out the losses? It won’t truly be known until the spring practices in the Sherman E. Smith Training center are traded for games across the street in Boone Pickens Stadium, but Gundy answered the question.

“I mean, I’m going to say yes,” Gundy said. “We lost a lot of maturity with Spencer (Sanders). (Alan) Bowman is mature, but he hadn’t had a lot of reps in two years. So, I’ve looked at that.”

So many new faces give spring practice a unique feel, even for Gundy who is entering his nineteenth as head coach.

“Much different this year in the fact that I think it’s 28 new players that we have on our roster for the spring, which is considerably different,” Gundy said. “Most years in the past, you’re looking at three or four new players and so finding our way through, getting everyone together rep wise and trying to get schemes built in all three phases to benefit us for the summer, where guys can practice together on their own.”

Offseason change didn’t end with the players. In January, defensive coordinator Derek Mason announced he was going on ‘sabbatical.’ Gundy searched every corner of the coaching world, even interviewing two high school coaches to fill the position.

Gundy settled on 37-year-old Bryan Nardo, from Gannon University, a Division II school in Pennsylvania. The interview lasted six hours, about

three-times longer than normal, Gundy said. “Afterwards I thought, ‘He’s the guy,” Gundy said. “The best guy. Doesn’t make a difference where he came from.’”

So what does an offseason full of change mean now that pads are popping and whistles are shrilling? Even Mike Gundy isn’t sure.

“There’s more parity now than ever,” Mike Gundy said. “There’s 28 new guys here. There’ll be 37 when we start in August. I threw out the number 18, I don’t know, maybe 20, 20 new guys could be playing. Not at once. So how do you know how good you’re going to be? You really don’t.”

Jaiden Daughty

Twenty OSU players from last season’s team entered the transfer portal. Coach Mike Gundy said all the turnover makes this spring camp “considerably different.”

Gundy details how and why OSU hired Bryan Nardo as defensive coordinator

He either paid everybody off or whatever, but nobody could say anything bad about the guy. As a person and a football coach.”

Sam Hutchens Staff Reporter

OSU football coach Mike Gundy didn’t care Bryan Nardo coached in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.

Heck, Gundy was willing to hire from a lower level than that if the candidate satisfied a demanding wish list for defensive coordinator.

“I started watching video all across the country for what I thought we needed,” Gundy said. “There’s only this many of them that actually understand that system. I went and interviewed all of them. You can count them on one hand. I looked everywhere.

“I looked in high school.”

After an interview that unexpectedly stretched six hours, when they typically take two, Gundy was sold.

“Afterwards I thought, ‘He’s the guy. The best guy. Doesn’t make a difference where he came from,’” Gundy said.

Nardo, the Cowboys’ new defensive coordinator, is coaching in his most highprofile role yet. He was the defensive coordinator at Emporia State for eight seasons before yearlong coaching stints at Youngstown State and, most recently, Gannon University.

After interviewing Nardo, Gundy interviewed Nardo’s bosses.

“Then I did my research,” Gundy said. “Called all the people he worked for.

Gundy said the Cowboys’ defense plan to mix in more formations with three down defensive lineman in a multiple front with the typical four-down front OSU has shown in years under Jim Knowles and Derek Mason.

“(Nardo) brings a bit of a unique style,” Gundy said. “He can play three-down, he can play four-down. We’ll take what his system is. He’s been involved in multiple systems over his career. We’ll morph it into our defense here at Oklahoma State along with what him and the defensive staff and what I think is best.

In an interview with OSU Max, Nardo said he knows there are things about coaching in the Big 12 that he has yet to learn.

“I know I don’t know everything,” Nardo said. “But I didn’t know everything when I was getting hired at Emporia State. I didn’t know anything when I got to Gannon. I always had to adjust. And what’s going to get me through that is I will never get outworked and I’ll try to find a way to hold that mentality.”

Nardo started coaching in 2004 as a student assistant at Ohio. He stayed on staff after graduating in 2008.

Gundy said Nardo could soon shed his status as an under-the-radar coach.

“Bryan comes in as a young guy that people are looking at,” Gundy said. “I feel like we’ll do really well on defense in a few years. If that happens, we’ll have a hard time keeping him.”

sports.ed@ocolly.com

Jaiden Daughty

Bryan Nardo looks to bring a defensive change to the OSU football team.

Missed...

Continued from page 1

UNT “always says” that the tougher team wins, and the Mean Green were undoubtedly the more physical team in the first 20 minutes of basketball.

Mike Boynton took notice of this too.

“They (UNT) were really, really physical,” said Boynton on what give the Cowboys trouble in the first half. “We failed to play through that physicality.”

Down 27-17, the Cowboys came out ready to make a run.

Tylor Perry, Mean Green guard

and 2023 Conference USA Player of the Year, expected Boynton’s team to come out swinging.

“We knew OSU was gonna make a run there,” Perry said. “They’re a Big 12 team, they’re good.”

In just over five minutes of second half play, the Cowboys scored 18 points, more than the entirety of the first half.

The Cowboys started playing at their desired place, unlike the first half. The imposing, physical Mean Green defense started taking jabs from the OSU offense.

Moussa Cisse and Tyreek Smith posed trouble for the Mean Green on the glass, as they were without Abou Ousmane, their star forward that at 6’10” is the tallest listed player on their roster.

Perry said that it didn’t just take a couple of players to stop them from dominating the rebounding department, but the whole roster.

“Shoutout to Moussa (Cisse) and Tyreek (Smith),” Perry said. “Two very good bigs in this league and they’re a handful. It took a team to stop them.”

After outscoring the Mean Green 38-31, the Cowboys had Asberry at the free throw line with 20 seconds remaining in regulation. Following his two misses, five more minutes of basketball was next.

In overtime, Perry scored five of the Mean Green’s 10 points, which included a deep three-pointer and two game-sealing free throws.

That’s what a player of his caliber

does. “Tonight, he (Perry) carried his team like the MVP of the conference should,” Boynton said. “My hats off to him.”

Although the Cowboys failed to make the Big Dance, they were looking toward the NIT Semifinals and Championship in Las Vegas as a successful way to put a bow on the season.

Instead, they came up short, finishing the season with a 20-16 record. “We got the game going in our pace, we just were never able to sustain it,” Boynton said.

Andy Crown

Caleb Asberry drives through the lane and lifts off for a layup against North Texas.

Defense not enough for OSU to continue NIT run

Boynton said conversations will begin soon.

Braden Bush Assistant Sports Editor

March is over for the Cowboys.

The Cowboys lost in overtime to North Texas, 65-59, in the NIT Quarterfinals in Gallagher-Iba Arena on Tuesday night, ending OSU’s season.

Here are some notes from the Cowboys’ loss.

Sometimes defense doesn’t win championships

OSU set the pace on the first possession.

North Texas won the tip, and the Cowboys did what they do best. Defense.

Thirty-two seconds into the game, OSU guard Bryce Thompson blocked Moulaye Sissoko’s layup attempt with a second left on the shot clock, sending it out of bounds as the buzzer sounded. OSU forced two more shot clock violations before halftime.

“I thought our defense was excellent,” OSU coach Mike Boynton said. “Pretty decent.”

But that wasn’t enough. Not when the Cowboys scored 17 first-half points – the lowest total in a half since they scored 14 in the second half against West Virginia on Feb. 18, 2020.

OSU’s offense improved in the second half, besting its first-half total with 18 points in the second half’s first five minutes. But the Cowboys couldn’t shake the offensive problems for long, and the defense couldn’t save them.

Once in overtime, OSU scored just four points – all free throws – and went 0 for 7 from the field and 0 for 5 from behind the arc. Meanwhile, with the game tied at 58 in OT, Mean Green guard Tylor Perry made a contested 3 from the NIT logo as the shot clock expired.

“A lot of times they just made a tougher shot,” Thompson said. “It wasn’t necessarily bad defense, but a lot of times we were there and sometimes it just goes in. That’s where you’ve just got to give credit to them.”

Decisions to make

With the season over, the future of Cowboy players is here. There are no more games to look ahead to, and decisions will be made. Boynton said after some time off, conversations with players will start quickly.

“Each person’s conversation is a little bit different because their options are a little more different,” Boynton said.

John-Michael Wright, a guard with a year of eligibility remaining, is one of those players. After just one season in Stillwater, Wright has the option to return or transfer again.

“I’ve enjoyed (my time here),” Wright said. “Sad that it’s come to an end so quickly, but I made a lot of good friends in my teammates, met a lot of good people at this university, had a lot of fun while we was doing it.”

Wright said he hasn’t made a decision yet, but he has personal goals. After all, in four years of college ball, he has yet to play in the NCAA Tournament.

“I wanted to go to March Madness,” Wright said. “That’s something that I want to be able to say I experienced in my college career. So, I’m thankful that I still have an opportunity to do that. We still have a lot of guys who could come back. So, we’ll just have to see what happens.”

Tylor Perry’s homecoming

When Perry’s overtime 3 splashed in, part of Oklahoma cheered.

Perry is a junior from Fort Coffee, a small town in eastern Oklahoma, and he attended Spiro High School. As an Oklahoma native, this game felt bigger to him.

“I never thought four years ago I would be in this position, playing in front of these fans in this gym,” Perry said. “This is for those kids (back home).

“Got a little home cooking. Glad to be back. Had my family down, and I really didn’t want to lose in front of them.”

Perry, the Conference USA Player of the Year, scored a game-high 23 points.

“Tonight, he carried his team like the MVP of a conference should, and my hat’s off to him,” Boynton said.

Mia Ledbetter

OSU coach Mike Boynton said the defense was excellent on Tuesday, but the Cowboy offense couldn’t make enough shots to keep up.

Gen Z...

Continued from page 1

His job as a salesman paid well, but it required him to “just work, work, work, even on Sundays. It was not worth it,” Olson said. “I was so excited to be out of that job.”

With his construction job, he said, he can spend time with his wife.

Sara Beth Ryther, 32, who joined Trader Joe’s Minneapolis store 19 month ago, sees co-workers and acquaintances who work for other retailers leave all the time.

“People are job hopping because of one or two benefits they see at another retailer,” Brown said. “I see people get sick of the low pay or how they were treated and look at another retailer and think the grass is greener.”

The 350,000-member Society

for Human Resource Management (SHRM) found other triggers can make young workers leave.

Nearly 70% of those who work remotely said in a SHRM survey they would look for another job before returning to the office full time.

“If you are young, that number jumps to 79%,” said SHRM Chief Human Resource Officer Jim Link. “Is that not incredible?”

Younger workers, he said, aren’t fazed by big tech company layoffs or rumors about a recession.

“While the layoffs are grabbing headlines in the market place and prompting worry, it’s not what is happening in greater America,” he said.

In Minnesota, for example, unemployment is just 2.9%, and companies are scrambling to fill open positions.

“Labor availability is still tight,” making labor shortages the second biggest concern for the 530 firms surveyed recently by the Minneapolis

Federal Reserve Bank, said the bank’s outreach director, Ron Wirtz.

Nationwide, 3.9 million Americans quit jobs in January, causing companies to boost wages, add retention bonuses and offer free training, remote work options and free food. “Employers start with increased wages and flexibility and then bring on a smorgasbord of other efforts,” Wirtz said.

With inflation, higher interest rates and soaring grocery prices, “we have economic headwinds in front of us, but the labor market is still very vigorous and very strong … and younger workers appear to be bound and determined to find as much agility as they can in their workplace,” Link said.

In looking for other jobs, young workers want psychological safety. “They want a purpose fit, fulfillment and the right culture,” one where they can speak their minds without fear of being fired or ostracized, said Jessica

Kriegel, chief scientist of workplace culture at the firm Culture Partners.

The persistence of that finding should be a wake-up call for employers already battling high turnover and labor shortages.

That juggling act helps retain some workers but strains others.

Human resource pros are burning out and joining Gen Z-ers in the hunt for other jobs, Robert Half’s Carlson said. For three years, HR workers have been “on the front lines” of labor shortages, and some have simply had enough.

With the pandemic “HR (departments) needed more help but were the last to get it because their companies focused instead on supply chain issues, not the communication and the heavy lifting needed to change the policies of going remote” while keeping and attracting talent,” Carlson said, adding that it’s the next trend to watch.

sports.ed@ocolly.com

Courtesy of Tribune News Service

Carpenter Paul Olson works to install exterior sheet rock on the Tyler Street Stacks apartment complex construction project Tuesday, March 14, 2023, in northeast Minneapolis. Olson, 23, is a new apprentice who joined Braxton Hancock after quitting a job as a surgical medical equipment distributor.

After DeSantis tussle, Disney World will host a major summit on gay rights

Michael Wilner and Mary Ellen Klas

The Walt Disney Company will host a major conference promoting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights in the workplace in Central Florida this September, gathering executives and professionals from the world’s largest companies in a defiant display of the limits of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ campaign against diversity training.

Disney’s decision to host the conference this fall comes amid a yearlong dispute between the company and the Republican governor, who signed a law that ended decades of autonomy at the Disney resort. It was seen as punishment over the company’s opposition to Florida’s Parental Rights in Education legislation, known widely as the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which prohibits any discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity in classrooms before fourth grade.

Disney has had a longstanding relationship with Out & Equal, the organization behind the event, and is listed on its website as one of its most generous sponsors.

The Florida resort has committed to hosting the conference this year and next, which will coincide with the presidential election campaign in 2024. DeSantis is widely expected to challenge former President Donald Trump for the Republican nomination.

Michael Chamberlain, chief marketing officer for Out & Equal, confirmed the conference would be held at The Walt Disney World Resort, Sept. 11-14. Last year’s summit was held in Las Vegas.

Dozens of iconic American companies — including Apple, McDonald’s, Uber, Walmart, Hilton, Amazon, Boeing, Cracker Barrel and John Deere — are sponsoring the Out & Equal Workplace summit, which over 5,000 people are expected to attend. Several agencies, including the State Department and the CIA, are listed as govern

ment partners and will have booths at the conference.

The conference comes after DeSantis declared victory over Disney in February when he signed a law that gave him the power to appoint a fivemember board overseeing government services at the Disney district near Orlando.

“Today, the corporate kingdom finally comes to an end,” DeSantis said when he signed the bill. “This is what accountability looks like.”

In his recently released book, DeSantis describes how, after “Disney declared war on Florida families” by opposing the Parental Rights in Education bill and “indulged in woke activism,’’ he asked the Legislature “to reevaluate — and even eliminate — Disney’s special deal.” DeSantis married his wife, Casey, at the Disney World resort in 2009.

Squaring off against Disney was “a political battle that would reverberate across the nation,’’ he wrote.

The subsequent legislation left most of Disney’s special powers in place despite the governor’s attempt to dissolve the district. The conservative members the governor appointed to the

board hinted at the first meeting of the new board that they would exercise leverage over Disney, such as prohibiting COVID-19 restrictions at Disney World. But legal experts have said that the new board’s authority has no control over Disney content.

Hosting the conference is another demonstration of the limits on the Republican governor’s ability to influence the content and scope of events at Disney.

‘Largest LGBTQ+ conference’

Out & Equal says its summit “is the largest LGBTQ+ conference in the world,” bringing executives, employee resource group leaders, human resource professionals and experts in diversity, equity and inclusion together to promote equality.

“Over more than 20 years, Summit has grown to become the preferred place to network and share strategies that create inclusive workplaces, where everyone belongs and where LGBTQ+ employees can be out and thrive,” the website states.

DeSantis has campaigned against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)

initiatives, pushing for them to be eliminated at state colleges and universities in Florida and asserting that the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank was caused by its focus on DEI programs. He has accused large corporations that engage in DEI training of attempting to “advance woke ideology through its employee ranks — and virtue signal in the process.”

Rep. Randy Fine, a Palm Bay Republican who last year sponsored the bill to dissolve the Reedy Creek Improvement District, which governed land use, fire protection, and sewer services on the Disney resort, said he had never heard of the summit and was not troubled by it.

“I’m not willing to interpret it as some grand conspiracy to stick it in the eye of the state of Florida,” Fine said Monday. “Disney is part of the fabric of the Florida economy. ... If they weren’t holding any conferences at Disney World, that would be news because that would be a big problem.”

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Disney World will host a conference promoting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights in the workplace this September.

Underappreciated musical soundtracks that will knock your boots off

Jaycee Hampton Staff Reporter

Whether you are familiar with musicals, it is never too late to become a fan.

Musicals are not everybody’s cup of tea. Watching people sing and dance across a stage might not be as entertaining as a sports game to some, but the work that goes into making a musical is undeniably incredible and some of the most talented people work in this industry.

You’ve probably heard of popular musicals such as “Wicked” or “Hamilton,” but diving into underappreciated, not unpopular, musicals is a beautiful way to expand your music taste. All soundtracks listed are available to listen to on Spotify and other music streaming apps.

“Kinky Boots” is based on the 2005 British film that tells the true story of Charlie Price. The story begins following Charlie as he inherits a shoe company from his father. Unsure what to do with the business, he forms an unlikely partnership with Lola, a drag queen. They work together to create a line of high-heeled boots strong enough to lift the weight of anyone who wants to wear them, ultimately leading to them realizing they aren’t so different from each other after all. The musical first premiered in 2012, with original cast members Billy Porter (Lola) and Stark Sands (Charlie). Cyndi Lauper wrote the music and lyrics, which led to six Tony awards for the show for impeccable writing and performances done by cast members.

“Waitress” is another musical based on a film titled the same name with music and lyrics done by Sara Bareilles.

“Waitress” tells the story of Jenna Hunterson, a baker and waitress who unexpectedly falls pregnant with her abusive husband’s child. Looking for a way out of her troubles, she enters a pie-baking contest with a grand prize big enough to get her out of her current situation. Not only is the music great, but it’s a moving story about inspiring women who want to create their own happiness. Original Broadway cast members Jessie Mueller, Kimiko Glenn and Christopher Fitzgerald made the soundtrack top tier with their vocal talent.

“Hedwig and the Angry Inch” is a rock musical that follows a genderqueer singer, Hedwig, the singer of a fictional band. The story starts off as she begins following her much more successful fellow rockstar, Tommy Gnosis, on tour. In 2014, the musical was revived for Broadway, and cast members such as Neil Patrick Harris (Hedwig), and Lena Hall (Yitzhak), were admirable in their performances. Although “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” is a story that is extremely in-your-face and doesn’t have a lot of boundaries, the soundtrack is exceptional and emotionally engaging, it should be heard by all fans of musicals. The 2001 movie is also available to rent on Amazon Prime Video.

There are countless soundtracks filled with great music waiting to be discovered by students at OSU unfamiliar with the genre. Musicals such as the ones listed above are that the musical theater loves deeply and are great listens for people interested in the magic behind musicals.

entertainment.ed@ocolly.com

Courtesy of Tribune News Service

Delphon Curtis Jr. stars as Hedwig in Portland Center Stage’s 2020 production of “Hedwig and the Angry Inch.”

Edited by Patti Varol and Joyce Lewis

Come check out the wide variety of elegant clothing at Formal Fantasy!

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121 E. 9th Ave, Downtown Stillwater

The best selection of beer, wine and li quor that Stillwater has to offer! Perfect for all your game day needs, come to Brown’s Bottle Shop located on 128 N. Main

“The Original Hideaway, located on the corner of Knoblock and University. Serving quality pizza and more since 1957.”

Murphy’s Department Store

815 S Main, Downtown Open 10-6

Monday thru Saturday

Business Squares Business Squares Company Coming?

Check out “Cowboy Cabin” 550 steps east of Boone Pickens Stadium

Daily Horoscope

Nancy Black

Tribune Content Agency

Linda Black Horoscopes

Today’s Birthday (03/23/23). You’re in the spotlight this year. Meditation, art, nature and contemplation feed your spirit. Reach a personal peak this springtime. Find different summer income sources, before romance and partnership flower anew this autumn. Adapt shared winter financial strategies together. Rise like the star you are.

To get the advantage, check the day’s rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging.

Aries (March 21-April 19) — Today is a 9 — Pluto enters Aquarius today, beginning a phase, lasting until 2043, of social evolution, scientific innovation and humanitarianism. Power rises naturally. Teamwork allows transformation.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) — Today is a 9 — Collective enterprises thrive, with Pluto in Aquarius over the next two decades. Economic benefits flow through collaboration. A rising tide lifts all boats.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) — Today is a 7 — Surrender the unnecessary or superficial. Pluto’s ingress into Aquarius colors the next two decades of your journey. Discover hidden truths. Follow your heart.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Today is an 8 — You can’t eat gold. Despite provoking a desire for financial control, Pluto in Aquarius reminds that strength, worth, value, and wealth come from within.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) — Today is an 8 — Partnership and teamwork empower the next two decades, with Pluto in Aquarius. Grow and deepen networks, bonds and connections. Love is the strongest glue.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) — Today is a 7 — Pluto entering Aquarius begins a 20-year phase of revelation and healing. Abandon false illusions, especially around health and work. Evolution and rebirth recur as themes.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) — Today is a 9 — Purpose, focus and clarity illuminate your heart’s passion, with Pluto in Aquarius for two decades. Relationships develop deeper intimacy. Have fun making a difference together.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) — Today is an 8 — The next two decades revolve around home and family connection, with Pluto entering Aquarius. Get down to basics. Share precious moments and milestones.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) — Today is an 8 — Media transformation reveals hidden truths and dirt. Innovations with communications color the next two decades, with Pluto in Aquarius. Tell your own story.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) — Today is an 8 — Breakthroughs around income and values illuminate two decades, with Pluto in Aquarius. Recognize fears without letting them drive. Discover hidden talents. Expectations transform. Abandon the superficial.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) — Today is a 9 — Reclaim personal power. Pluto enters your sign today, flavoring a generation. In a special lifetime milestone transit for Aquarians, Pluto reconnects you with your core purpose.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Today is a 7 — Pluto’s ingress into Aquarius shines light into darkness. Honesty, integrity and reconciliation strengthen over the next 20year phase. Deepen connections with nature, love and spirituality.

Rebecca Goldstein & Rafael Musa

Solution to Wednesday’s puzzle

Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit, 1 to 9. For strategies on how to solve Sudoku, visit