GRIF MAG

If you’ve spent any time at the local Moose Lodge or caught a sunset at a winery lately, you might have run into Jan and Rob Santoro. Known as theUnexpected Duo(and founding members of the six-pieceBlues Krue), the intrepid couple is the real deal — musicians who spent their days working "regular" jobs and their nights keeping the nightlife alive. Now that they’re "retired," they’re working harder than ever to make sure the local scene stays vibrant.

Gigs include theEaglesor theMooselodges in Lake County. If you're there, stop by and say hello, but don't ask them for hair or carpentry advice; they're strictly in the music biz now.

The Daily Commercial spoke to Jan about their transition from the Northeast to the Florida blues scene, their musical household and why retirement for them means anything but slowing down.

Q: You moved here from Connecticut about a year and a half ago. What spurred your move down to Florida?

A: Honestly, we just wanted the warmth! We spent decades in Connecticut. I was a hairdresser for over 30 years, and Rob was a contractor, and we always knew we wanted to retire somewhere we could actually enjoy the outdoors year-round. We landed in a cozy 55-plus community in Leesburg (Lakeside Village), and it’s been perfect. It feels like a big family here.

Q: Your partnership with Rob is pretty legendary. You’ve been married and playing music together since you were 24. How did you two first meet?

A: It was actually a band audition back in 1980. His five-piece band was looking for a singer, and a mutual friend gave them my number. It’s funny because we realized we went to the same schools and knew the same people, but our paths never crossed until that audition. We’ve been together ever since.

Q: Is yours a "musical household?" Does that talent run in the family?

A: It definitely does. Our son is 40 now and still up in Connecticut, but he’s a fantastic musician. He’s actually quite well-known for his Paul McCartney tributes. He’s left-handed, just like Paul, and he’s studied the accent and the look so perfectly that it’s uncanny. We grew up on the Beatles and the Stones, so seeing him carry that on is special.

Q: You’ve pivoted into the blues with Blues Krue. What drew you to that genre specifically?

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A: I started listening to Bonnie Raitt and Susan Tedeschi, which led me down the rabbit hole to the blues divas like Koko Taylor.

I realized that almost everything we listen to today evolved from those basics. There’s such a raw energy to it. We played Bike Fest last year as the duo, but I’m really looking forward to getting the full Blues Band into more festivals and maybe some small theaters.

Q: Where can people catch you playing locally?

A: We’re on rotation atUncorkedin Eustis, which is a great little wine bistro. We also love playing on the patio at theOrange Blossom Oprybefore the main shows.

We’re just trying to fill that void for live, soulful music in the Lake and Sumter area.

Catch the Santoros live

For Unexpected Duo:

May 9:Steve’s Bar and Grill at The Plantation in Leesburg, 5-8 p.m.

May 15:The Oak house @ Water Oak, Lady Lake, 4-7 p.m.

For Blues Krue:

May 23:Blues festival at Sparacia Witherel winery, Brooksville, at 8:30 p.m.

This article originally appeared on Daily Commercial:Unexpected Duo brings bluesy groove to retirement in Leesburg

Since it opened five years ago, theLedge Amphitheaterhas become an entertainment mecca in central Minnesota, drawing attendees from across the region, country and world. Two new acts were recently announced: comedian Jim Gaffigan and .38 Special.

As summer rolls along,Gaffiganis in town July 19.

The 60-year-old comedian is touring the country, from June 4 onward, including through this autumn and into the holiday season. The Chicago-area native has been doing standup since the early 1990s. He's also been in several movies, television shows, commercials, and a USO Tour.

Gaffigan’s material often addresses fatherhood, laziness, religion, and food . He is considered a "clean" comedian, seldom using profanity during his performances. The several successful comedy specials he has released have all received Grammy nominations, while "The Jim Gaffigan Show" — a sitcom about a couple raising five children in a New York City apartment — began in 2015 and lasted two seasons. Gaffigan has a degree from Georgetown and is married with five children.

More:Waite Park's Ledge Amphitheater announces 2026 shows

Gaffigan appeared on "Saturday Night Live" in 2024 to portray then-Democratic nominee for vice president and current Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. He credits David Letterman and Bill Murray as influences.

.38 Special heads to the Ledge

In addition,.38 Special,a southern rock band, comes north Aug. 15. Formed in North Florida, they have been playing music for more than a half century.

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They are known for hit songs, such as "Hold On Loosely" and "Caught Up in You," among various other top 40 hits, primarily during the 1980s and 1990s. The band’s highest-charting U.S. hit is the 1989 ballad "Second Chance," which peaked higher on the Billboard Hot 100 than their other songs.

Guitarist/singer Donnie Van Zant — who was part of the band for nearly four decades until 2013 — is the younger brother of Lynyrd Skynyrd co-founder and frontman Ronnie Van Zant.

More:Minnesota State Fair announces 2026 concerts, see who's playing

Current members of .38 Special include Don Barnes, Bobby Capps, Barry Dunaway, Gary Moffatt and Jerry Riggs. Just last summer, the band announced the release of their first album in 21 years, titled "Milestone."

Located between two quarries several miles to the west of St. Cloud, the Ledge Amphitheater has a capacity of up to 6,000 guests for outdoor entertainment. The must-see destination preserved its granite history by transforming an abandoned quarry into a park. It welcomes several music concerts per year along with comedians, movies, community events, vendor shows, and many other acts and performances.

With the Ledge’s 2026 lineup expecting to be among the best yet, a new season of talent across genres starts soon, when country rock singer Brantley Gilbert comes to Waite Park on May 22.

The Ledge’s box office is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Friday and is located at 1700 Parkway Drive in Waite Park. Tickets are also available through the venue's website,www.theledgeamp.com/.

This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times:Jim Gaffigan, .38 Special coming to Ledge Amphitheater in Waite Park

According to multiple body language experts,Blake Livelydisplayed “reserved sadness” at the Met Gala 2026. The actress had been involved in a long-running lawsuit with her co-starJustin Baldoni, with whom she starred in the film “It Ends With Us.” The case recently reached a settlement. Following that, Lively was reportedly seen displaying signs of tenseness at herMet Gala appearance.

Blake Lively showcased ‘signs of discomfort’ at Met Gala 2026 amid lawsuit settlement, per expert

Body language experts suggest thatBlake Livelydisplayed “signs of discomfort” during her appearance at the Met Gala 2026, following the recent settlement of her lawsuit. Lively had sued her “It Ends With Us” co-star and director Justin Baldoni in 2024 for sexual harassment and creating an unfavorable work environment. In response, Baldoni filed a defamation lawsuit, alleging that her claims were false.

The case was settled this month, after which the “Gossip Girl” star stepped out at the Met Gala 2026. She turned heads in adazzling gownwith a flowing silhouette. While her look drew attention, it was her demeanor that sparked conversation, with experts pointing to moments of “reserved sadness.”

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Traci Brown, a behavior analyst, decoded Lively’s expressions and demeanor. She toldPage Six, “Primarily, she’s radiating happiness with that big open-mouth smile. And in a couple of other moments, we see a closed-mouth smile that doesn’t quite reach all the way to her eyes.” She continued, “There’s a reserved sadness there. Could these be a reflection of the settlement? Absolutely. Could it be something else? Yes.”

Meanwhile, another expert, Darren Stanton, noted that she didn’t appear genuinely happy. He said, “Blake Lively appears to be projecting confidence, with her hands on her hips to make herself appear larger — a classic body language signal of self-assurance.” The expert further added that she showed “subtle signs of discomfort.” He also highlighted that she seemed “slightly tense” and not as calm as she usually appears.

The postBlake Lively Displayed ‘Reserved Sadness’ at Met Gala 2026 — Expertappeared first onReality Tea.

A Franklin County judge hasruled that cleanup of the former Golden Bear shopping center sitein Upper Arlington can continue, saying the development company did not prove its case for a temporary restraining order against the city.

Arcadia Development, which uses the entity Golden Bear Development LLC for the project at the site,sued the city on April 23, contending that efforts to use a private contractor to perform cleanup work could cause damage to the work being done on the property, located near theintersection of Riverside Drive and Fishinger Road.

Franklin County Common Pleas Court Judge Karen Phipps ruled on April 27 that Golden Bear Development had not proven its case for a temporary restraining order blocking the work by the private contractor. Phipps ruled that the developer's request for a preliminary injunction be referred to a magistrate for a hearing, which is scheduled for June 1.

Construction and development work on the property have been ongoing since 2018.

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Upper Arlington and city residents have expressed concern about the site after the developers changed their plans following the demolition of the former shopping center in 2023.

Arcadia's building permits expired in October 2025. The day after the permit expirations, Upper Arlington issued notice of violations of the city's property maintenance code to the developer, court records say. The city gave the developers until Jan. 6 to remedy some of the property code violations, and until April 6 for others that may be impacted by winter weather.

In March, the lawsuit states, the city published a bid opportunity for private contracting work on the site, including leveling the site to its original grade, reseeding with grass, and adding a gravel path. Upper Arlington entered into an agreement for more than $100,000 of work on April 16.

Reporter Bethany Bruner can be reached atbbruner@dispatch.com.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch:Developer can't pause Upper Arlington work at Golden Bear site, judge rules

Scientists have identified a newdinosaurspecies that lived190 million years agoin what is nowChina, bridging a major gap in ourevolutionaryunderstanding of the long-necked giant.

Xiangyunloong fengmingwas 9-10m long, making it one of thelargest-known plant-eating dinosaursfound in China. It lived during the Early Jurassic epoch, between 201 and 174 million years ago, which wasa pivotal evolutionary periodwitnessing the rise and diversification of long-necked, plant-eating dinosaurs.

The genus name is an amalgamation ofXiangyun,the county where the specimen was found, andloongfor the traditional “Chinese dragon”. The species name,fengming,meaning phoenix singing, is a reminder thatbirds are living dinosaurs. It also echoesLuming, the town the fossil was found in.

“Additionally, Fengming was the original name of Lin Fengmian, the artistic master and founding president of the China Academy of Art, whose staff participated extensively in this project,” the researchers wrote in a study published in the journalRoyal Society Open Science.

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The researchers identified the new species from fragments of cervical, pelvic, vertebral, and hip bones found at a fossil site in the Fengjiahe Formation in southwestern China’s Yunnan province.

They noticed thatXiangyunloongwas distinguished from fellow long-necked sauropod dinosaurs by a unique combination of features.“Xiangyunloongexhibits significant morphological distinctions fromXingxiulongand other early-diverging sauropodomorphs, supporting its designation as a new genus,” they wrote.

It had a larger body size, a shorter neck, and an elongated tail compared to similar dinosaurs, indicating an initial stage of gigantism characteristic of such species, as well as the potential ability to walk on two legs.

These features, according to the researchers, could represent an alternative evolutionary pathway to the neck elongation seen in many of its relatives.

“It provides further evidence for the diverse adaptive strategies employed by these dinosaurs prior to the dominance of the long-necked, gigantic sauropods,” they argued. “The discovery ofXiangyunloongsignificantly enriches the morphological and ecological diversity of early-diverging sauropodomorphs in southwestern China.”