THE MIGHTY OAKS: How a Morgan Hill Lacrosse Community Built More Than a Team

San Francisco Post Staff on November 7, 2025

By: R. Davis

In Morgan Hill, a youth lacrosse experiment that began in neighborhood backyards has grown into one of the most meaningful community sports programs in the South Bay. That unlikely rise — and the emotional 2024 championship run that capped it — is the subject of THE MIGHTY OAKS, a new feature-length sports documentary set to debut this holiday season.

The documentary, acquired by Freestyle Digital Media, follows the boys’ varsity lacrosse team at Oak High School during a season filled with expectation, transition, and profound personal stakes. But the film reaches well beyond the scoreboard. It explores how a group of parents, coaches, and players built something enduring in a place where lacrosse was once virtually unknown.

A Program Built From Scratch

Ten years ago, lacrosse was hardly present in Morgan Hill, where traditional youth sports like baseball and basketball dominated local fields. But a small group of parents saw something different in the sport — a game that rewarded grit, creativity, speed, and teamwork.

Among the earliest organizers was local business owner and coach Brad Ledwith, who helped launch the community program around a belief that lacrosse could provide belonging and opportunity for kids who didn’t always fit neatly into other athletic lanes. What began as informal practices slowly evolved into structured youth teams, then junior varsity competition, and eventually a full boys’ and girls’ varsity program.

THE MIGHTY OAKS How a Morgan Hill Lacrosse Community Built More Than a Team

Photo Courtesy: Dances with Media

The program’s growth reflects a larger sense of purpose. In many ways, this wasn’t simply about forming teams — it was about building identity, culture, and connection.

A Story Deeper Than Competition

Directed by Brendan Harty, THE MIGHTY OAKS follows the varsity team through its 2024 season, capturing pressures on athletes and coaches, emotional conversations at home, and the evolving relationships that make youth sports both formative and fragile.

The film features players whose experiences reach far beyond the field:

A student navigating life as an adoptee and finding confidence through the sport
A teammate using the game to honor the memory of a brother who passed away
Coaches learning where leadership ends and compassion begins

The result is not a highlight reel. It is a portrait of adolescence, mentorship, and what it means to build a community — moment by moment, season by season.

A Release With Meaning

THE MIGHTY OAKS will be released December 9, 2025 across major North American digital and on-demand platforms, including VOD, digital HD, cable, satellite, and DVD. Freestyle Digital Media, the digital film distribution division of Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group, will handle the release.

The acquisition places THE MIGHTY OAKS alongside a slate of films known for strong character-driven storytelling and independent voices. Its creators hope the documentary resonates not only with lacrosse families, but with anyone who recognizes the power of showing up for others.

At its heart, THE MIGHTY OAKS reflects the values the program was built on:

Parents who invest time, not just attendance
Coaches who lead with patience rather than ego
Teenagers learning to take responsibility for themselves and each other
A community willing to build something that did not exist before

The documentary captures how a team became a support system — and how that support system, in turn, shaped the community around it.

Photo Courtesy: Dances with Media

Film Credits

Directed by: Brendan Harty
Written by: Brendan Harty & Erik Swanson
Co-Produced by: Brendan Harty, Brad Ledwith & Erik Swanson
Featuring interviews with: Nolan Ledwith, Ben Ledwith, Kenyen Castro, Gavin Herr, Tanner Holeman, and others who helped define the program.

Trailer: https://youtu.be/5AUHeYm387g
Website: www.themightyoaksmovie.net

Kendrick Lamar Leads Early 2026 Grammy Nominations—Who’s Gaining Ground?

San Francisco Staff 2 on November 7, 2025

Kendrick Lamar is emerging as the frontrunner in the 2026 Grammy nominations, with nine nods already announced across major categories. His latest album, The Death of Slim, continues to generate critical acclaim and audience momentum, landing him in contention for Album of the Year, Best Rap Performance, and Best Music Video.

While the full list of nominees is still unfolding, Lamar’s early lead signals another strong showing for the Compton-born artist, who won five Grammys last year for “Not Like Us.” With 66 career nominations and 22 wins to date, he’s already among the most recognized artists in Grammy history—and this year’s tally could push him even further.

His presence across categories also reflects how genre boundaries continue to blur. Lamar’s work isn’t confined to rap, it’s cinematic, poetic, and layered with jazz, funk, and spoken word. That range is part of why Grammy voters keep returning to him. He’s not just making hits—he’s shaping the sound of a generation.

Lady Gaga, Jack Antonoff, and Cirkut stay in the mix

Lady Gaga is also making waves with seven nominations so far, including Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Song Written for Visual Media. Her work on the Joker: Folie à Deux soundtrack is drawing attention for its theatrical depth and vocal range, continuing her streak of genre-defying Grammy runs.

Gaga’s ability to move between pop, film, and performance art has made her a fixture in Grammy conversations for over a decade. This year, her nominations reflect both her vocal power and her storytelling instincts, especially in categories that reward emotional complexity and sonic experimentation.

Producers Jack Antonoff and Cirkut are matching Gaga’s count, each with seven nods. Antonoff’s collaborations with Taylor Swift and Lana Del Rey have landed him in Album and Song of the Year conversations again, while Cirkut’s production credits with Doechii and Sabrina Carpenter are helping shape the sound of 2025’s biggest hits.

Their nominations also highlight how behind-the-scenes talent continues to drive Grammy narratives. Producers aren’t just supporting artists, they’re curating entire sonic worlds. And voters are paying attention.

Sabrina Carpenter and Leon Thomas gain momentum

Sabrina Carpenter is having a breakout Grammy season, with six nominations already confirmed. Her single “Espresso” and full-length album are earning praise for their vocal clarity and pop sensibility, placing her in the running for Best New Artist and Best Pop Solo Performance.

Carpenter’s rise has been steady, but this year marks a shift. She’s no longer just a promising voice—she’s a contender. Her blend of playful lyricism and polished production is resonating with both fans and critics, and her Grammy recognition feels like a natural next step.

Leon Thomas is also gaining traction, with six nominations that span Best R&B Album and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical. Known for his behind-the-scenes work with artists like SZA and Giveon, Thomas stepped into the spotlight this year with a solo project that blends alternative R&B and cinematic production.

His nominations reflect a growing appreciation for artists who straddle multiple roles, writer, producer, performer. Thomas isn’t just making music, he’s building soundscapes that feel intimate and expansive at the same time.

Bad Bunny, Doechii, and others build strong cases

Bad Bunny continues to be a Grammy favorite, with six nominations so far across Latin and general categories. His album Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana and a high-profile collaboration with Travis Scott are keeping him in the spotlight, especially in Best Música Urbana Album and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.

Kendrick Lamar Dominates 2026 Grammy Nominations—Who Else Made It

Photo Credit: Unsplash.com

His global reach and genre-blending style have made him a consistent presence at the Grammys, and this year’s nominations suggest that his influence is still growing. Whether he’s rapping over trap beats or singing ballads, Bad Bunny’s versatility keeps him in the conversation.

Doechii, who helped announce the nominations during the Recording Academy’s livestream, is also gaining recognition in Best Rap Performance and Best New Artist. Her genre-fluid style and sharp lyricism have made her one of the most exciting voices in hip-hop right now.

Mixing engineer Serban Ghenea is matching their nomination count, with six nods tied to his work on albums by Olivia Rodrigo, Sam Smith, and Chappell Roan. While his name isn’t always front-facing, his technical influence is felt across some of the year’s most polished releases.

New categories and Grammy shifts

This year’s Grammys introduced two new categories: Best Album Cover and Best Traditional Country Album. The latter replaces the broader Best Country Album category, allowing voters to distinguish between contemporary and heritage sounds.

With 95 categories in total, the 2026 Grammy nominations are shaping up to be one of the most expansive and inclusive yet. The early list reflects a mix of legacy acts and rising stars, with more announcements expected in the coming weeks.

Artists like Lizzo, Chappell Roan, and Sam Smith have also entered the conversation, each earning nominations in pop and performance categories. Roan’s theatrical debut album is drawing praise for its boldness and vulnerability, while Lizzo’s continued evolution as a performer and activist keeps her in the spotlight.

The Recording Academy’s nomination process is still underway, and surprises are likely. As more categories fill out, expect shifts in momentum, especially in competitive fields like Best New Artist and Album of the Year.

What to watch as nominations unfold

With Kendrick Lamar currently leading, all eyes are on how the major categories will fill out. Album of the Year is already shaping up to be competitive, with entries from Taylor Swift, SZA, Billie Eilish, and others expected to join Lamar’s The Death of Slim.

Best New Artist could go in several directions, with Sabrina Carpenter, Doechii, and Leon Thomas all building strong cases. As more nominations roll in, the field will likely expand—and surprises are still possible.

The 68th Annual Grammy Awards will air live from Los Angeles on February 1, 2026. Until then, the nomination process continues to unfold, offering a glimpse into the sounds and stories that defined the past year.

Life Coaching for a Better World: How Aleksandrina Longinova Inspires Personal and Global Transformation

San Francisco Post Staff on November 7, 2025

By: IPR.AI

Life coaching is a profession that demands more than insight. It requires resilience, intuition, and a genuine belief in human potential. Behind every breakthrough is the quiet work of listening, of helping someone untangle years of self-doubt. It’s not easy: coaches often carry the weight of life while they act as models of the very ideals they teach. Among those who approach this challenge as a matter of fact and a form of spiritual work is Aleksandrina Longinova, a California-based life coach whose mission to transform lives spans worldwide.

For Aleksandrina, guiding others is inseparable from elevating the world itself. She believes that when individuals raise their own energy—when they become more loving, aware, and purposeful—they contribute to what she calls the Earth’s vibration, or the collective effect of these individual realizations.

What “Raising Vibrations” Really Means

In Aleksandrina’s view, “raising vibrations” starts with small, personal shifts that ripple outward. It’s about helping people become better versions of themselves—stronger, more aware, and more compassionate. “In everyday life, this means people becoming better after coaching,” she explains. “For example, someone might overcome an addiction or break free from a destructive pattern.”

She recalls one client who quit smoking after their sessions. “That person not only stopped harming their own body,” Aleksandrina says, “but also stopped harming the environment. That’s what raising vibrations means—it begins with the self, but its impact extends to the world around us.”

Building a Community for Growth

Aleksandrina dreams of building a large community of people dedicated to self-development and conscious living—a network where awareness and creativity flourish side by side. “I imagine regular meetings where members discuss large-scale plans to improve people’s lives,” she says. “We’ll host events, trainings, and sessions to create new technologies, projects, and ideas that help humanity advance.”

For her, these wide-scale changes will transorm society for the better. “When people unite around growth and awareness, they start to live differently,” Aleksandrina explains. “They shift toward something more productive, more compassionate—and that’s how we raise the vibration of the planet.”

A Coaching Method That Creates Breakthroughs

Many of Aleksandrina’s clients come to her feeling trapped by what she calls “dead-end situations”—in business, relationships, or life direction. Through her own structured yet intuitive method, she helps them uncover blind spots and shift their perspective. “The most common breakthrough,” she says, “is when people move beyond their belief in a hopeless situation. Suddenly, everything changes. They realize they have more power than they ever imagined.”

Love as the Foundation

At the center of Aleksandrina’s philosophy is her guiding belief: God is Love. For her, love is not a sentimental notion but a force capable of transformation. “It’s necessary to increase love on Earth,” she says. “When people act from love—toward themselves, others, and the planet—they begin to live on a higher frequency. That’s when real change begins.”

A Broader Vision for Humanity

Aleksandrina believes that coaching can play a vital role in solving global issues like stress, disconnection, and environmental imbalance. “A broader perspective can, in fact, solve most problems,” she explains. “When people understand themselves better, they stop acting out of fear and start living more consciously.”

Her ultimate dream is a world where people live with greater awareness, positivity, and love. “If more people lived by these values,” she says, “they would experience life on a higher level—more meaningful, more connected, and of a truly higher quality.”

Disclaimer: The experiences and results described in this article are based on individual cases and may not be representative of every person’s experience. Success in life coaching and personal transformation varies from individual to individual, and past results are not necessarily indicative of future outcomes.

The Underground Awakens: Inside Dar Dowling’s Urban Fantasy Sexy Bloody Mess

San Francisco Post Staff on November 7, 2025

By: Martha Rolfe

With Sexy Bloody Mess, author Dar Dowling delivers a novel that punches like a fist to the sternum and whispers to the throat: seductive, violent, chaotic, and tender. The book is a genre-bending collision of fantasy, sci-fi, and horror, where love is love, power is unstable, and transformation demands blood.

It reads like John Wick meets The Punisher with a big splash of Suicide Girls — a cinematic fever dream stitched with neon thread.

The tale begins beneath the streets of New York City, in a sprawling, myth-eaten sewer world that thrums with ancient power. This realm is not merely underground; it is alive. It remembers everything society tries to bury — monsters, memories, identities too unruly for daylight. Rat-faced gargoyles leer in shadowed chambers, architecture bends toward the surreal, and the tunnels themselves seem to breathe.

Connor: A Man Reborn in Darkness

At the center stands Connor, once a cop, now something far stranger — a body remade by violence and fused with the undercity. His new form moves like liquid shadow, slipping through pipes and tunnels to strike with devastating precision.

He is not a hero; the book refuses to flatten him. Connor is rage sharpened into purpose as the story unfolds, guided less by nobility than by a bone-deep need to confront the world that destroyed him.

This ambiguity is Dowling’s hallmark — characters forged in trauma, still searching for connection and meaning amid the wreckage.

The Queer Trinity

Connor’s new life shifts when he crosses paths with Lady — wild, sensual, elemental — and Sheba, her lover, her fiery partner in crime, and equal in both ruthlessness and devotion. Together they form an unlikely alliance — loving, seductive, and narratively magnetic.

Their bond is unapologetically queer. Sheba and Lady share a dynamic that is intimate, timeless, passionate, and fiercely protective. Connor enters not as a disruptor but as someone who must find his way within their already-established relationship.

Rather than reducing queerness to ornamentation, Dowling enshrines it as a source of power, creativity, and survival. These three are drawn together by trauma, desire, and the need to build something resembling family — even as the world teeters on the brink of collapse.

Myth and Metaphor

Dowling’s subterranean world is both brutal and strangely beautiful. She describes her narrative approach simply: “I have an idea, and I’m just going to see where it takes me.”

That instinctive creation produces a world with its own strange logic — a myth unfolding organically rather than dictated by formula. The sewers operate as a metaphor as much as a setting: a place where what society discards returns transformed.

It is here that forgotten things — bodies, memories, identities — learn to gather themselves and become powerful.

Above and Below

The story moves freely between the underworld and the New York City above. Connor, Sheba, and Lady move through both planes, their extraordinary abilities colliding with the everyday lives of the city’s inhabitants.

The result is a persistent tension — the familiar haunted by the impossible. Darkness presses upward. The city remains unaware, even as something ancient begins to stir beneath its feet.

Global catastrophe looms, but the novel’s stakes remain grounded in character, healing, love, and survival.

Love, Violence, and Chosen Family

Despite its brutality, Sexy Bloody Mess is unexpectedly tender. Beneath its snarling violence, sharp humor, and moral ambiguity lies a story about belonging: lovers found, families we lose, and the ones we dare to build from the wreckage.

“They have the family they were born with, which is not in the picture anymore for a variety of action-packed reasons,” Dowling explains. “But out of the grit, sorrow, and hope, they actually create a family—one that is growing along with the darkness they face on the horizon.”

This chosen family — queer, traumatized, fiercely loyal — becomes the heart of the novel.

The Antihero Reimagined

Connor, Sheba, and Lady retain their jagged edges. They do not soften to please the reader. Instead, they deepen. Connor transforms from a shattered instrument of revenge into someone capable of connection; Sheba’s instincts sharpen; Lady’s loyalty becomes both weapon and shield.

Dowling calls them “Dar-made hybrids” — creations who defy the familiar binaries of hero and villain. Their choices are unpredictable, which is precisely what makes them all the more compelling.

A Genre All Its Own

Sexy Bloody Mess is deliberately uncategorizable. It folds fantasy into sci-fi, threads horror through romance, and layers it all with queer sensuality and myth.

The narrative’s pulse shifts from brutal confrontation to intimate confession, from absurd humor to quiet sorrow. It is, as its title suggests, both bloody and messy — and deeply alive.

The Saga Begins

This novel is only the beginning. Sexy Bloody Mess launches a larger saga, one that could offer deeper explorations of the trio’s origins, the darkness stalking the world, and the emotional terrain that binds them. If the first book is any indication, what follows will be stranger, wilder, and even more brutally heartfelt.

Dive into the world of Sexy Bloody Mess and meet Connor, Sheba, and Lady as they fight, love, and transform in the shadows beneath New York City. Keep an eye out for the official release, coming just after Halloween, and be among the first to experience this ferocious new saga.

Follow Dar Dowling on Instagram for exclusive updates and behind-the-scenes extras.

Day: November 7, 2025

THE MIGHTY OAKS: How a Morgan Hill Lacrosse Community Built More Than a Team

A Program Built From Scratch

A Story Deeper Than Competition

A Release With Meaning

Film Credits

Kendrick Lamar Leads Early 2026 Grammy Nominations—Who’s Gaining Ground?

Lady Gaga, Jack Antonoff, and Cirkut stay in the mix

Sabrina Carpenter and Leon Thomas gain momentum

Bad Bunny, Doechii, and others build strong cases

New categories and Grammy shifts

What to watch as nominations unfold

Life Coaching for a Better World: How Aleksandrina Longinova Inspires Personal and Global Transformation

What “Raising Vibrations” Really Means

Building a Community for Growth

A Coaching Method That Creates Breakthroughs

Love as the Foundation

A Broader Vision for Humanity

The Underground Awakens: Inside Dar Dowling’s Urban Fantasy Sexy Bloody Mess

Connor: A Man Reborn in Darkness

The Queer Trinity

Myth and Metaphor

Above and Below

Love, Violence, and Chosen Family

The Antihero Reimagined

A Genre All Its Own

The Saga Begins

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News Variety

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