To every Jane Doe: We’re still in your corner

LOS ANGELES -- The "Dancing with the Stars" theme for week 6 is the always popular, fan favorite "Dedication Night. "Each celebrity dedicates their performances to people and places that have made a lasting impact on their lives. It's a tissue-filled episode, with emotions running high. Former pro and two-time mirror ball champ Kym Johnson joined Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli at the judge's table. A familiar face was missing from the ballroom: dancing pro Val Chmerkovskiy, who was suspended for one week after posting "an inappropriate remark" on social media after week 5's "Super Bowl Night. " Chmerkovskiy released an apology. But for this week, Alan Bersten filled in and danced with Jenna Dewan. Here's a rundown of the night's scores, from highest to lowest:Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov: Contemporary to "Breathe Me" by Sia, dedicated to Amber's sister, Brooke. Kym was blown away by the raw emotion, vulnerability and athleticism of the routine. Bruno called it an emotional tour de force and absolutely brilliant. Carrie Ann thanked them for using the platform to send an important message to the world.

FOXBOROUGH — After the Patriots hung on to beat the Jets, let’s take a look at who’s up, who’s down, and whom to watch against the Bears in Week 7. Quarterback Drake Maye: Sunday wasn’t the offense’s best day, but Maye turned in a clean sheet with no turnovers and three touchdown passes. His completion percentage (56.3) was lower than average, but that was impacted by A. J. Brown’s multiple drops on catchable balls. Maye’s early-season woes appear to be behind him. According to Next Gen Stats, he now leads the NFL in deep passing yards this season with 439. That stat is encouraging, as Maye’s ability to convert deep downfield was one of his defining qualities last season. Running back Corey Kiner: Kiner took advantage of his opportunities at the end of the fourth quarter, allowing the Patriots to run out the clock and forcing the Jets to burn all three of their timeouts. On New England’s final drive, Kiner took almost four minutes off the clock with eight consecutive carries for 42 yards. He also showed some pop as a kickoff returner. It will be worth watching whether Kiner’s production will lead to more opportunities on Thursday.

Sandwich (15-0-0), the only unbeaten/untied team in this week’s Globe Top 20 field hockey poll, surges to the No. 1 ranking, up from No. 3. At 4.68708 points, the Division 3 Blue Knights have the highest power ranking across all four MIAA divisions. Franklin (13-1-1), dealt its first loss Monday to King Philip in a nonleague game, drops to second, and Belmont (12-0-1) remains third. Lincoln-Sudbury (10-0-1), still atop the D1 rankings, holds at No. 4, Watertown (13-1-1) stays at No. 5, and Dover-Sherborn (12-1-1) remains at No. 6. Canton (13-2-0) and Andover (12-2-0) switched positions to No. 7 and No. 8 after Canton’s 3-1 win over No. 18 Attleboro (8-5-1) and 4-2 win over No. 11 King Philip (11-3-0). Somerset Berkley (11-1-1), which tied juggernaut Uxbridge, 5-5, is ninth, and KP 11th, followed by Acton-Boxborough (10-3-1) and Milton (9-0-2). Walpole drops to 13th after absorbing its third loss. Cohasset, No. 1 in Division 4, is 19th. Records based on scores reported to the Globe. The Globe’s Top 20 field hockey pollThe Globe poll as of Oct. 21, 2026. Teams were selected by the Globe sports staff. Inaaya Omer can be reached at inaaya.omer@globe.com. Girls' rugby

Angela Saini is a science journalist and author. Her fifth book, “Other: Race, Sex, and the Hidden Harms of Human Categories,” will be published in January. The Trump administration is looking to remove race and ethnicity questions from the next US census in 2030. For more than 50 years, these categories have served to further equality, protecting voters’ rights and overseeing affirmative action policies, including government set-asides for business owners of color. It stands to reason that this administration would place the census in its crosshairs. The proposal may be sold to the public as working toward the lofty goal of racial color-blindness. Surely, conservative campaigners argue, a truly fair nation wouldn’t need to catalog people by race at all? This was precisely the justification used by Chief Justice John Roberts when, three years ago, the Supreme Court struck down race-conscious university admissions. But if color-blindness is the Trump administration’s true aim here, how to explain its simultaneous demand that universities provide race data on incoming students to monitor the rates of people of color they admit?

Wednesday, October 21, 2026 6:36AMTwo 15-year-old Riverside County students have been arrested on suspicion of conspiring to carry out a school shooting at Corona High School, police said. CORONA, Calif. (KABC) -- Two 15-year-old Riverside County students have been arrested on suspicion of conspiring to carry out a school shooting at Corona High School, according to Corona police. Authorities said the investigation began after the FBI alerted the Corona Police Department and the Riverside County Sheriff's Office to social media threats that were flagged earlier this month. Detectives arrested a 15-year-old female student who attends Corona High School. The investigation also led to the arrest of a 15-year-old female student who attends Norco High School. According to Corona police, search warrants uncovered evidence that the two teens had spent several months researching school shootings and discussing how they could potentially carry out an attack at Corona High School. The investigation also revealed the pair discussed how they could obtain weapons to carry out the attack, police said.

Jad Abumrad’s recent article, “I talk to people for a living. But the conversations weren’t clicking. So I tried a very strange experiment” (Ideas, Oct. 18) was intriguing. I understand the need for a journalist to create a tone to make an interview meaningful. The approach of using new techniques other than face-to-face interaction could improve the flow. I have choreographed conversations my whole life as part of my job. I find that small talk can start the process and then being able to identify common ground is what creates results. I describe the technique as schmoozing, which is basically chit-chat. I’ve thought about doing a talk show-style podcast, but given it’s audio-only, I guess I should reconsider that strategy. I will keep in mind the language of dance. I used conversation to pursue discovery in legal matters. There is an art to conversation and the dance floor is a good construct. I am attending a No Kings demonstration and I am sure the words will flow. Steven A. LudsinEast Hampton, N. Y.