“‘I went to Jewish schools my whole life, I grew up religious, I keep kosher,’ Turell said. ‘I was like, ‘What are we doing here? I want to go to Yeshiva.’ My parents were kind of shocked because my dream was to play Division I. But I told them, ‘I want to be a Jewish hero.'” (Achievement level unlocked.) NYT: The Nation’s Top Scorer Plays for a School and a People.

+ Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations are down in the US as deaths also start to plateau.

+ After days of doom-and-gloom talk about how bad the January jobs numbers would be due to the Omicron variant, they turned out to be, um, great?

+ Book a prize: Idaho library has wait list for story eight-year-old hid on a shelf.

+ Why a school board’s ban on ‘Maus’ may put the book in the hands of more readers.

+ Michigan finalizing plan to build first-ever wireless charging road for electric cars.

+ Kid of the Year Finalist Ethan Hill, 11, on Helping the Homeless: ‘If You See a Problem, Fix It.’

+ Pillow fighting: yes, it’s professional combat sport.

+ And an out of context video clip I have watched ten times already. “I don’t remember who reached out their hand first, if it was me or the monkey…”