The Philadelphia Eagles are home underdogs to the San Francisco 49ers in a rematch of last season’s NFC Championship Sunday. A head-to-head win over the Eagles would go a long way for the 49ers, as they currently sit two games behind them with an 8-3 record for home-field advantage and a bye in the playoffs.

Kickoff is set for 4:25 p.m. ET on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field. The game will be televised on FOX.

The matchup pits two of the highest-scoring offenses against each other; the 49ers and Eagles are tied for the third-highest points per game at 28.2. A.J. Brown has already surpassed 1,000 receiving yards for Philadelphia and caught seven touchdown passes. DeVonta Smith is heating up as of late, with 23 catches, 355 yards and three touchdowns in his last four games. Jalen Hurts’ recent play has catapulted him to be the favorite to win NFL MVP. His elite play couldn’t come at a better time, as the Philly defense has struggled recently, allowing 24.4 points per game during their five-game winning streak.

San Francisco hopes having Brock Purdy, who left the NFC Championship Game with an elbow injury, will help lead to a different result. The Niners have scored 30 or more points in seven of their eight wins. The turnaround of the defense has been critical to the 49ers’ three-game winning streak. Since getting battered by the Bengals for 31 points, opponents have averaged just 10 points per game in the three games since.

The injury status of OL Lane Johnson, DT Fletcher Cox and TE Dallas Goedert could play a significant role in the outcome of this game.

All odds from BetMGM. Looking for NFL tickets? Buy them here.

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(Photo of Jalen Hurts: Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

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Field Level Media

The NFL landscape has rarely been so uncertain as the season nears its halfway point, and the Tuesday afternoon trade deadline did little to help.

The injury-ravaged Buffalo Bills defense found some help in defensive back Rasul Douglas via trade with Green Bay. The Washington Commanders dealt the heart of their defense, sending Montez Sweat to the Chicago Bears and Chase Young to the San Francisco 49ers, and the Detroit Lions boosted their receiving talent by acquiring Donovan Peoples-Jones from the Cleveland Browns.

The Bears could finish the season owning the first two picks in the 2024 NFL Draft. They have their own as well as the Carolina Panthers’ first-rounder.

But Young is perhaps the biggest catch among contenders, giving San Francisco another massive boost on defense.

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The defending champion Kansas City Chiefs put in a pedestrian performance last Sunday in a loss to the Denver Broncos, the Philadelphia Eagles have shown vulnerabilities while winning seven of their eight games, and the 49ers have seen the wheels come off over the past three weeks in losses to Cleveland, Minnesota and Cincinnati.

Top 15 NFL teams per BetMGM

San Francisco did itself a huge favor, dealing a third-round pick for Young. This Niners’ front is going to be a problem in December and January.

In the wake of the deal, the 49ers rate as a strong value pick among the top three — that is, if quarterback Brock Purdy solves his recent troubles in a timely manner.

Speaking of a monstrous defensive presence, the Eagles figure to improve as the weather cools. A bet on Philadelphia, which holds the inside track in the race for home-field advantage, could be considered high value at the current number.

The NFC is not overly strong, and the Eagles are a proven postseason commodity.

The Chiefs’ betting attractiveness would be more secure if sports-betting fans knew whether Taylor Swift will be in attendance during the last weeks of the season. (Check Travis Kelce’s “with Tay-Tay” and “without Tay-Tay” stats if you think we’re joking.)

The Bills have to remain under consideration for a play at +1200, if only for their ability to outscore opponents.

Buffalo dumped Miami 48-20 earlier this season.

Douglas, 28, heads to an AFC contender that lacked cornerback depth after Tre’Davious White sustained a torn Achilles and was lost for the season.

Douglas had one interception, one fumble recovery and 32 tackles in seven starts for the Packers (2-5) this season.

The Lions, a similar value to Buffalo at +1300, appear to have a nice path toward winning the NFC North title and picked up offensive depth by acquiring Peoples-Jones.

With Amon-Ra St. Brown and rookie standout tight end Sam LaPorta, Lions quarterback Jared Goff has a wealth of targets — not to mention the tough one-two punch from running backs David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs.

Peoples-Jones, 24, has eight catches for 97 yards in seven games this season for the Browns, who selected him in the sixth round of the 2020 draft. He hails from Detroit and played his college football at Michigan.

“We feel like he fits our style,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “He’s smart and he can play multiple positions. … We just felt like he’d be a good fit for the team and the room.”

In four seasons with Cleveland, Peoples-Jones amassed 117 catches for 1,837 yards and eight touchdowns. His best season was 2022, when he finished with 61 catches for 839 yards and three touchdowns.

The Cincinnati Bengals, now +1600, showed last Sunday that they might be ready to announce their presence once again. A convincing win at San Francisco was more in line with the dangerous team that dominated last season’s second half and reached the AFC title game.

Get the Bengals while they’re still at a high-value number.

The Seahawks are in first place in the NFC West, a half-game ahead of the 49ers. And they’re still +3000 to win it all.

Seattle is tucked away in the Northwest, away from a ton of national scrutiny, but is certainly a stealth contender.

The Seahawks stated their intention by acquiring New York Giants defensive lineman Leonard Williams, a real boost for the run-stopping prowess needed to win as the season winds down.

So, +3000? That’s quite a gap between the Seahawks and the +600 49ers.

Jump on the Bengals and Bills as a nice counter to heavy AFC favorite Kansas City. Catch the price while it still carries value.

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The NFC Championship game rematch is here.

The San Francisco 49ers (8-3) return to Lincoln Financial Field to take on the Philadelphia Eagles (10-1) in what could be a preview of another playoff matchup.

All things are clicking for the 49ers as they’ve won three straight games, the latest win coming in a Thanksgiving victory over the Seattle Seahawks. Christian McCaffrey got into the end zone once again while the defense made life tough for Geno Smith and the rest of the Seattle offense.

Philadelphia is coming off winning perhaps the game of the year in an overtime thriller against the Buffalo Bills. Despite the dreadful first-half performance, the Eagles showed why they have the best record in the NFL and can get another statement win against a team that wants revenge for last season.

PROP TALK: These are the best prop bets for NFL games this week 

NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

Eagles vs. 49ers odds, moneyline, over/under

The 49ers are favorites to defeat the Eagles, according to the BetMGM NFL odds. Looking to wager? Check out the best mobile sports betting apps offering NFL betting promos in 2023, including the new ESPN BET app.

• Spread: 49ers (-2.5)
• Moneyline: 49ers (-146); Eagles (+120)
• Over/under: 46.5

Not interested in this game? Our guide to NFL betting odds, picks and spreads has you covered with Thursday Night Football odds, Sunday Night Football odds and/or Monday Night Football odds.

 If you’re new to sports betting, don’t worry. We have tips for beginners on how to place a bet online. And USA TODAY readers can claim exclusive promos and bonus codes with these online sportsbooks and sports betting sites.

EYE ON THE FUTURE: These are the most popular NFL future bets in 2023 

NFL Week 13 odds, predictions and picks

Cowboys vs. Seahawks | Patriots vs. Chargers | Saints vs. Lions | Jets vs. Falcons | Steelers vs. Cardinals | Titans vs. Colts | Commanders vs. Dolphins | Texans vs. Broncos | Buccaneers vs. Panthers | Eagles vs. 49ers | Rams vs. Browns | Packers vs. Chiefs | Jaguars vs. Bengals

Lorenzo Reyes: Eagles 25, 49ers 20

The 49ers can present a couple of problems for the Eagles; San Francisco’s ferocious pass rush could generate pressure that disrupts Jalen Hurts and the Philly offense. But the Eagles have met every challenge they’ve faced and the key to this game will be to keep third- and fourth-down distances manageable; Philadelphia is first in the NFL in fourth-down conversion rate, moving the chains an astonishing 76.5% of the time, but also rank third in third-down efficiency (47.3%). The Niners’ defense on third downs is in the bottom third of the league. I have a hard time going against the Eagles at home, especially when they’re getting a field goal.

Tyler Dragon: 49ers 25, Eagles 24

The game of the week. This NFC title game rematch is worth the hype. The 49ers and Eagles are once again the two best teams in the conference. The 49ers don’t tend to lose games when Deebo Samuel, Trent Williams, Christian McCaffrey and Brock Purdy are all on the field together and healthy. San Francisco has revenge on its mind after losing in the NFC Championship game last season.

Safid Deen: Eagles 27, 49ers 20 

The game of the week between the two best teams in the NFL. Both sides are stacked, but I’m giving the edge to the Eagles because of the quarterback position. Give me Jalen Hurts over Brock Purdy every day of the week. 

Victoria Hernandez: Eagles 27, 49ers 26

This is probably the game of the week and a possible preview of the NFC championship as two of the grittiest teams in the conference face off. They might not be the most high-powered team in the league, but the Eagles continue to churn out win after win with sheer determination. They’re facing a stiff defense and a well-balanced offense in the 49ers, but being at home and sticking to their unique brand of football should squeak out another victory.

Jordan Mendoza: Eagles 33, 49ers 31

This game is going to be intense. San Francisco will want to prove that when they have a healthy quarterback, they can beat anybody, even the Eagles. Coming off a gritty win, Philadelphia has shown they can win even in bad performances. Even with the momentum San Francisco has, it’s tough to win inside the Linc. It’s close, but the Eagles get another last-second victory in another thriller.

You can view the full list of USA TODAY’s NFL expert predictions here.

MOST VALUABLE BET: These are the best NFL MVP betting odds 

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Can the 49ers get a win into the bye?

• By
  
  Patrick Holloway
  
• on October 29, 2023 5:15 am

The atrociousness that was the Minnesota Vikings is now in the rearview mirror. The San Francisco 49ers are back to take on the Cincinnati Bengals, the team they won their first Super Bowl against in 1981. This will be another litmus test for the defense that was unable to much of anything against Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins. A full rundown of the positions can be found by Ryan Bainbridge. This will be an afternoon game. Jim Nantz will be providing play-by-play and Tony Romo will be providing color.

The 49ers have been stumbling into a couple of losses in games many felt they should have won. Some questions have been placed towards both second year quarterback Brock Purdy and the defense led by Steve Wilks.

Purdy hasn’t played a good full four quarters of football in each of his two losses but managed to put the team in winning position in one of the aforementioned losses and played while concussed in the other (which explains two picks). The concussion leads to the third serious injury Purdy has suffered in what can be considered a full NFL season at this point. While he has managed to play through two of those injuries, durability—while not a question— is definitely something to keep an eye on.

Meanwhile the 49ers defense, led by Steve Wilks began the season with a weekly bonehead play or two per game that led to an opponent touchdown. That only grew worse and the small drippy leaks in the plumbing festered to pipes exploding as his defense couldn’t close out a game in Cleveland (though still managed several stops and can’t be blamed for the loss entirely). Wilks and the defense need to figure out the issues, and fast. Not calling cover 0 with 16 seconds left in the first half would be a good start. The 49ers will be getting their bye week after this game so a win could definitely send them in a positive direction as they get healthy.

The Cincinnati Bengals started almost the opposite of the 49ers. They dropped their first two games to the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens, respectively then won their next three out of four games. All three of those wins came against the NFC West (one of which against the Seattle Seahawks…thanks Cincy!).

The Bengals offense started out quite slow but once they met Arizona, Burrow went a game throwing for over 300 yards (first time this season) and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase broke the Bengals record for single-game receptions. While there is no panic button involved with the Bengals yet, the urgency factor is high.

The San Francisco 49ers will not be with wide receiver Deebo Samuel who is still nursing a shoulder fracture. He may return after the 49ers bye which comes concluding the Bengals game. Offensive Tackle Trent Williams has been listed as questionable and as of this writing looks to be a game-time decision. Quarterback Brock Purdy, who has been in the concussion protocol, has been cleared to play as of Saturday.

The Bengals running back depth will be tested. Chase Brown went on IR Saturday which means Joe Mixon may get some extended work Sunday with Trayveon Williams getting a bit more of a workload. Tackle Orlando Brown Jr. was listed as questionable through the week, but should play.

Date: Sunday, October 30th, 2023
Kickoff: 01:25 PM PST, 04:25 PM EST
Location: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, CA
Network: CBS
Play-by-Play: Jim Nantz
Color Analyst: Tony Romo

506sports

SB Nation Affiliate: Cincy Jungle
Odds: 49ers at -5.5
Total: 43.5
For more betting information, please visit DraftKings Sportsbook.

Read more

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This article is part one in a three-part series from Adria Carpenter exploring the history of HIV/AIDS activism in Iowa City. Part two and three will be published in the weeks to come.

Michael Blake poses for a portrait in his home in Iowa City, Iowa, on Thursday, Dec. 8, 2022. – Adria Carpenter/Little Village

In the early 1980s, Rev. John Harper was a fresh-faced graduate student at the University of Iowa and a semi-active member of the Gay People’s Union.

He’d heard about some disease affecting gay men in New York and San Francisco. He started being more careful, though he doubted whatever it was would spread as far as Iowa.

But by June 1983, Iowa’s first case of HIV/AIDS was reported in Des Moines, and when it finally hit Iowa City, the disease multiplied fast.

“There was a period of time when probably a dozen or more people I knew in Iowa City died pretty quickly,” Harper said.

This article is the first in a three-part series that will document how AIDS changed the LGBTQ community in Iowa City. The second and third parts will be published online in the lead-up to Pride Month, June 2023.

This first installment will cover the ’60s and ’70s, focusing on the gay and lesbian communities, and their occasionally competing interests.

The second article will show the beginnings of HIV/AIDS in the ’80s and Iowa City’s reaction, leading to the creation of organizations like the Iowa Center for AIDS Resources (ICARE), the AIDS Coalition of Johnson County and the university’s Virology Clinic.

The final article will describe the end of the AIDS crisis, spurred by effective antiviral treatments, and how ’90s activism adapted following a decade of homophobic rhetoric and policies.

Out of the closet and into the streets

John Harper was born and raised in Des Moines, from a long legacy of native Iowans. He attended UI in 1964 to finish a degree in business and stuck around, serving as an English professor for 37 years.

He came out in 1968, a year before the Stonewall riots ignited the Gay Liberation Movement.

“When I started it was pre-Stonewall. So, there wasn’t a whole lot that was known about what it meant to be gay,” he said. “I had so many gay friends who felt they had no option but to marry a woman and have children because anything else would be suicidal.”

The ’70s were “wild, radical times.” Like elsewhere in the country, LGBTQ activism in Iowa City sprouted from the ’60s anti-war movement and protests against the Nixon administration.

This became the bedrock of early activist groups, including the Rape Victim Advocacy Program, Domestic Violence Intervention Program and the Emma Goldman Clinic, according to Laurie Haag, a program director at the Women’s Resource Action Center (WRAC).

Madde Hoberg shows off her favorite material in the LGBTQ Iowa Archives and Library — a portrait of Chris Keebler — on Aug. 17, 2022, in the basement of the Wesley Center. — Adria Carpenter/Little Village

On Sept. 23, 1970, a small group of gay and bisexual students at UI gathered in the Wesley Center to discuss equal rights in education, housing and employment. In attendance was Ken Bunch — the first to apply for same-sex marriage license in Iowa, with his partner, Tracy Bjorgum — and Rick Graf, who later co-founded ICARE.

That was the first meeting of the Gay Liberation Front (GLF), one of the first university-recognized LGBTQ student groups in the country. Other inaugural members included Garry Smith, Paul Hutson, Paul Hauer, Dean Blake and Raymond Perry.

GLF, as their name suggests, were willing to use militant, “in your face” tactics that could be “loud and obnoxious,” said Michael Blake, a later member.

Their public displays were eye-catching and unapologetic. Harper recalled men in drag roller skating around the Pentacrest.

The Gay Liberation Front’s homecoming parade Cadillac in 1970. The float was covered by NBC Evening News and caused protests against the University. – image courtesy of the University of Iowa Archives

The group’s first outing was the UI Homecoming Parade in October 1970. GLF rode through Iowa City on a Cadillac convertible with signs reading, “Out of the closet and into the streets,” “Gay pride is gay power” and “No racism, no sexism, no classes.” They chanted “Two, four, six, eight, gay is good as any straight” while tossing Hershey Kisses to spectators, and they ended the parade by crowning an “anti-queen.”

NBC Evening News covered the parade float, and people protested the university’s tolerance of GLF, demanding it disband the group.

“This university was quite a pioneer in acceptance,” Harper said.

We didn’t get along

Unlike the united acronym of today, the ’70s queer community was split on gendered fault lines. GLF was technically open to anyone, but its members were predominantly men.

“Men had their own issues, and women had their own issues. And there was some crossover, but there was also some healthy distrust of each other’s issues,” said Haag, the founder of the Iowa Women’s Music Festival and Girls Rock! Iowa City. “But when AIDS started to be a real crisis, I think communities came together in ways that they hadn’t … If there was an upside, that was what the upside was.”

The Lesbian Alliance grew out of WRAC in the spring of 1974, alongside other feminist organizations like the Emma Goldman Clinic. The Lesbian Alliance was the square to WRAC’s rectangle. It was intersectional, focusing on women’s issues like reproductive rights, the Equal Rights Amendment, domestic violence and sexual assault, in addition to sexuality.

Activist group the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence originally formed in Iowa City in 1976, and are now based in San Francisco. — The Daily Iowan, June 29, 1987

Jill Jack, a native Chicagoan, came to the university the following year and cobbled together a women’s studies degree before the program existed. She joined WRAC and soon headed the Lesbian Alliance.

The university and student government treated the GLF and Lesbian Alliance as one entity, often refusing to fund Lesbian Alliance, Jack said. Unlike the women’s group, GLF was narrowly focused on gay rights.

“We didn’t really get along. For one thing, the culture was different early to late ’70s. We were always fighting with the university for lesbian rights to get funding,” Jack said.

In 1976, the Gay Liberation Front rebranded to the Gay People’s Union (GPU), a move to become more service oriented. They offered support and intervention services and a crisis phone line.

These support groups helped a young Michael Blake come out. Blake grew up on a farm in Riceville, Iowa, and was raised in a Catholic family with eight siblings. He graduated UI with an education degree in 1974 but couldn’t find a teaching job, so he decided to work at Student Health and join GPU.

Jack also joined GPU around the same time, becoming one of the first women in the group. She worked closely with Blake holding joint speaking engagements with GPU and the Lesbian Alliance, and organizing protests and Pride rallies (originally called Harvey Milk Week).

“We started to work across the aisle, as it were,” Jack said with a laugh.

“I think I got along really well with the women because I was always willing to give them deference,” Blake said. “I always knew kind of where the boundaries were with the women.”

The 1985 Gay and Lesbian Pride March. Image courtesy of the University of Iowa Archives.

Even still, they’d argue about the Gay and Lesbian Pride March — “Why are the women always second?” Jill said — and after many fights they decided to alternate the name every year.

The women’s groups had a separatist reputation. Women had their own establishments and community in Iowa City.

“We had the women’s press, women’s plumber — you’ll see where this is going — mechanics, electrical, carpenter. We kind of had all our own little stuff,” she said. “A woman in town would sell books, lesbian books, out of a suitcase. And then a couple of women started the women’s bookstore.”

The women’s bookstore was on the upper floor on 330 E Prentiss St, now The Vine, before moving to the Hall Mall. The women’s coffee house was in the same building. There was also a women’s gym near the 620 Club, and a women-only restaurant, Grace and Rubies, open from 1976 to 1978 at 209 N Linn St, now Brix Cheese Shop & Wine Bar (membership cost 50 cents).

The 1987 Lesbian and Gay Pride March. Image courtesy of the University of Iowa Archives.

Close-knit but cautious

The separatist reputation was a double standard, according to Haag. Some gay men’s groups could be exclusionary, and the Iowa Women’s Music Festival, for example, was welcoming of trans and nonbinary people, she said.

Still, distrust was prevalent.

“The women were more paranoid,” Haag said. “It was very covert.”

The paranoia came from the Nixon administration, which was suspected of sending spies and informants into leftist organizations. The women’s community was close-knit but cautious.

“For years, I didn’t know people’s last names,” Jack said. “A lot of people had nicknames. And for some people today, I couldn’t tell you. Which isn’t unique to here, or even unique to the ’70s.”

The Lesbian Alliance and GPU held regular dances at the Unitarian Universalist Church on Gilbert Street. But they couldn’t advertise them as “lesbian dances” or put the church’s name on flyers, Jack said.

The old Unitarian Universalist Society church on the corner of Iowa Avenue and Gilbert Street in Iowa City has a rich history as an LGBTQ safe space. — Zak Neumann/Little Village

“You would put up a poster and you’d say, ‘Friday night, three o’clock, 10 South Gilbert.’ The bad part was we were right down from the police department. You didn’t really trust that you wouldn’t get raided, and you had to be careful,” Jack said. “I heard that somebody within the lesbian community was actually an informant. And some women got arrested and stuff, because it wasn’t legal. So consequently, when we’d hold the dances at the Unitarian, we’d have lookouts for the police. We’d have somebody at the door just to make sure the police weren’t gonna come in.”

The suspicion was warranted. In 1973, Iowa state liquor control agents, Iowa Highway Patrol officers, the Iowa City Police Department and the Johnson County Sheriff’s Departments raided a Gay Liberation Front dance at the church “for selling beer illegally,” according to Daily Iowan archives.

Like GPU, the Lesbian Alliance also held a phone line and provided counseling at WRAC, Jack said. They curated a resource book and offered spare bedrooms where women could spend the night. Oftentimes, women escaping unsafe, abusive environments would rely on that network.

“When you go to the Women’s Center, and you walk in, if you hadn’t been there before, it could be terrifying, a little intimidating and exciting all at the same time. We offered counseling, and I just don’t know how many women I’ve met with who were, ‘Well, I came into college with my boyfriend, but I really think I might be gay. I don’t know what to do,’” Jack said. “A number of women, who I don’t always remember, have come back and said, ‘You really changed my life.’”

WRAC and the Lesbian Alliance also had an unofficial phone tree to provide 24-hour guarding of the Emma Goldman Clinic, using walkie-talkies to coordinate — “an old version of Twitter,” Jack joked.

Starved for gay culture

The Lesbian Alliance didn’t have an official signup sheet, but Jack estimated that they had several hundred members.

“I would throw an event, and if women showed up, I’d count how many there were and then figured they’re lesbians and that’s how many are part of Lesbian Alliance,” she chuckled.

Jack went to picnics with friends and softball games in the summer. Blake belonged to a Sunday brunch group of 30 to 40 people, hosted on a rotating schedule. The Lesbian Alliance and GPU held movie screenings, usually of a crappy, independent film with a queer storyline, or a TV show with a lesbian kiss.

“In those days, people were so starved for gay culture, they would come to anything,” Haag said.

Gay men would hang out in “little pockets,” Harper said, like Kenney’s Bar, an artistic space also popular with the Iowa Writers’ Workshop students, and The Boulevard Room (later called That Bar), open from 1975 to 1977. The building now houses Artifacts.

Ethel and Gene Madison owned The Boulevard Room, but it wasn’t officially a gay bar.

“They made the mistake of hiring a gay bartender,” Blake said. “So a few friends of his started hanging out, and hey, it was fun … And before long, it became this gay bar. And of course, they hired a gay DJ.”

The crowd at The Boulevard Room was academic — college kids and townies, writers and poets — but there were also groups of gay farmers who tumbled into town.

“The gay farmers used to be a hoot,” Blake said. “Sometimes you forget here in Iowa City. It’s different.”

The Daily Iowan mistakenly labeled The Boulevard Room as a gay bar in a 1975 article, and the Madisons sued the Student Publications Inc. and the article author, Daily Iowan Assistant News Editor Kim Rogal, for libel. They won the suit, but “it was a big slap in the face” to the LGBTQ community, so the community boycotted the bar.

“That was considered the impetus for 620, you know, ‘Fuck Gene and Ethel. We’ll get our own bar,’” Blake said. “There’d be this caravan of gays to Cedar Rapids to the gay bars up there. And that prompted Woody to open 620.”

Daryl “Woody” Woodson, who also owned The Sanctuary, opened The 620 Club at 620 S Madison St, an industrial building. A row of tables was elevated up on the side of the dance floor, along with a drape railing (Rick Graf, who was a carpenter, did construction inside). 620 was the first official gay bar in Iowa City.

Michael Blake as the Condom Queen. – courtesy of Michael Blake

It was open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays (Tuesdays and Wednesdays with no DJ), and welcomed everyone. But patrons had to embrace the queer community, otherwise why were you there? A local artist painted a poster in the style of Soviet propaganda, depicting a muscly, idealistic man pointing at you with the words, “Are you queer?” in big letters.

“We were pretty militant about [the fact that] we were here, and we were gay. If you didn’t like that, you could go somewhere else,” said Riverside Theatre actor Tim Budd, who served as a bartender and doorman at 620, becoming manager in 1992. “We actually had a stamp that said, ‘I’m gay.’ And people hated it. They hated it. Because it takes a few days for that to wear off.”

Working the bar was hard. You’d hear the music echo in your ears long after the shift was over, Budd said. But it also came with memorable moments, like bartending on New Year’s Eve and seeing his friend meet his longtime boyfriend for the first time.

“We were who we were, because we felt we were on our own, and we would have to take care of each other,” Budd said. “The bar really worked as a community center as well.

“We had a Halloween Costume Contest one year, and the guy who won came in drag and wore a dress that was entirely made of condoms, still in their packaging. He made that whole dress out of condoms he’d taken from our bar, and then we gave him $150 for doing it.”

Budd would caravan to the gay bars in Cedar Rapids but thought they were boring, less atmospheric and smaller. It was an older crowd without the university’s presence, and Budd felt like a stranger.

You had to fight for it

Iowa City was the queer omphalos. If Jack had to be anywhere in the state, Iowa City was the place. But despite the relative tolerance in Iowa City, the LGBTQ community was constantly fighting to secure their rights and spaces.

“People were still getting beat up. I had death threats. I had my phone tapped because I was getting death threats,” she laughed. “I used to wear suits a lot, and walking downtown in a three-piece suit could be a little challenging at times. And when we would do Take Back the Night, they tried to run us over. That was not unusual at all. There were pipe bombs at 620 before.

“During those decades, the politics was front and center, because we had to move the needle. University wasn’t gonna do it. That’s for damn sure. The city wasn’t going to do it. That’s for damn sure,” Jack said. “You had to fight for it.”

A group from Iowa City piles into a bus headed for the Second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. Photograph courtesy of Jill Jack.

One early victory came in 1977, when the Iowa City Council added sexual orientation to its non-discrimination ordinance. Iowa City was the one of the first cities in the country to include that protection in its human rights ordinance.

Tragically, advancements made by the nationwide Gay Liberation Movement were undone in the ’80s.

“AIDS was an enormous setback for basic rights that we take for granted today,” Harper said. “And not only speaking about the nature of unions, but housing, employment, medical, all kinds of things. Two steps backwards.”

“The sort of wild, bucking ’70s, it really came to a screeching halt. So many people died,” Haag said. “They didn’t change the world as much as they’d hoped to. But the world is kind of hard to change.”

The Cleve Jones’s NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt covered the National Mall at the Second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. Photograph courtesy of Jill Jack.

Adria Carpenter is a freelance journalist based in Minneapolis and former LV staff writer. Thanks to everyone who decided to share their story with me, and thanks to the UI Special Collections and Archives for helping me sort through boxes and boxes of documents and materials. I hope this series does our history justice.

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The New York Jets didn’t add any players this offseason. But their Super Bowl odds had quite a big shift in the first week of March.

We all know why. The Jets are tracking Aaron Rodgers, who has received permission from the Green Bay Packers to speak with the Jets. None of this happens unless all three parties — Jets, Packers, Rodgers — urgently consider a change.

Odds makers don’t wait for a team to add a quadruple MVP to change their Super Bowl odds. Anticipating the Jets making a big move in QB, BetMGM lowered New York’s odds. Weather charged Jets futures this week.

Only a handful of teams stand a better chance of winning the Super Bowl than the Jets.

Jets among Super Bowl favorites

The Jets, who were +2500 at the end of February to win the Super Bowl, are +1600 as of Wednesday. Only five teams have less chance of winning everything. The Kansas City Chiefs (+500), Buffalo Bills (+850), San Francisco 49ers (+850), Cincinnati Bengals (+900) and Philadelphia Eagles (+900) are the only teams in the Super Bowl odds lie ahead of the jets.

There’s a pretty big gap between this group of five favorites and the Jets, but the Jets’ chances could drop yet again when the trade becomes official. Nothing is done until everyone agrees. The Jets traveling to meet up with Rodgers is a big step in that process, but Rodgers is a “complicated guy,” and if he decides to retire or otherwise strike a deal with the Jets finish, New York is back at number one at quarterback. That’s the risk of betting on the Jets before the trade takes place.

But Rodgers to the Jets seemed like a good option for a while, and a drop in the ratings was fairly predictable a couple of weeks ago. There’s still a chance of getting the Jets to win the Super Bowl for a decent price before a trade is struck.

Aaron Rodgers meets the New York Jets this week. (Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images)

Jets could be a QB away

The Jets could be a quarterback away. They have good defense and lots of fun young playmakers up front. The only thing that kept the Jets from the playoffs last season was a terrible quarterback game.

Rodgers might not be the same quarterback since he’s nearly 40 years old, but he’s just a season away from his second straight MVP honor and he’s still capable of playing well with a good team around him. The Jets play in a difficult AFC East, and the AFC as a whole is very deep, but New York would be a dangerous team going from Zach Wilson to a future Hall of Famer first-round quarterback pick.

Rodgers’ move from the Packers to the Jets would be a huge story in the NFL world. It would also have a lot of reverberations in the betting market. This has already started.

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The New York Jets didn’t add any players this offseason. But their Super Bowl odds had quite a big shift in the first week of March.

We all know why. The Jets are tracking Aaron Rodgers, who has received permission from the Green Bay Packers to speak with the Jets. None of this happens unless all three parties — Jets, Packers, Rodgers — urgently consider a change.

Odds makers don’t wait for a team to add a quadruple MVP to change their Super Bowl odds. Anticipating the Jets making a big move in QB, BetMGM lowered New York’s odds. Weather charged Jets futures this week.

Only a handful of teams stand a better chance of winning the Super Bowl than the Jets.

Jets among Super Bowl favorites

The Jets, who were +2500 at the end of February to win the Super Bowl, are +1600 as of Wednesday. Only five teams have less chance of winning everything. The Kansas City Chiefs (+500), Buffalo Bills (+850), San Francisco 49ers (+850), Cincinnati Bengals (+900) and Philadelphia Eagles (+900) are the only teams in the Super Bowl odds lie ahead of the jets.

There’s a pretty big gap between this group of five favorites and the Jets, but the Jets’ chances could drop yet again when the trade becomes official. Nothing is done until everyone agrees. The Jets traveling to meet up with Rodgers is a big step in that process, but Rodgers is a “complicated guy,” and if he decides to retire or otherwise strike a deal with the Jets finish, New York is back at number one at quarterback. That’s the risk of betting on the Jets before the trade takes place.

But Rodgers to the Jets seemed like a good option for a while, and a drop in ratings was fairly predictable a couple of weeks ago. There’s still a chance of getting the Jets to win the Super Bowl for a decent price before a trade is struck.

Aaron Rodgers meets the New York Jets this week. (Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images)

Jets could be a QB away

The Jets could be a quarterback away. They have good defense and lots of fun young playmakers up front. The only thing that kept the Jets from the playoffs last season was a terrible quarterback game.

Rodgers might not be the same quarterback since he’s nearly 40 years old, but he’s only a season away from his second straight MVP honor and he’s still capable of playing well with a good team around him. The Jets play in a difficult AFC East, and the AFC as a whole is very deep, but New York would be a dangerous team going from Zach Wilson to a future Hall of Famer first-round quarterback pick.

Rodgers’ move from the Packers to the Jets would be a huge story in the NFL world. It would also have a lot of reverberations in the betting market. This has already started.

The post Jets’ Tremendous Bowl odds transferring even earlier than they land Aaron Rodgers appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Will there be snow in San Francisco? It’s hard to say, said Rick Canepa, meteorologist for the Bay Area National Weather Service.

About 1/10 to 1/15 inch of rainfall is forecast for San Francisco by 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday, with an additional 3/4 to 4/5 inch of rain possible overnight, Canepa said. Whether that precipitation will result in snow depends on how cold the air will be, Canepa said.

If snow were to fall, it would most likely be on San Francisco’s highest elevations like the Twin Peaks and Mount Sutro, Canepa said.

“This is really difficult to predict even in the short term because there are so many different variables at play,” Canepa said.

A woman photographs snow falling in San Francisco on February 5, 1976.

Clem Albers/The Chronicle 1976

San Francisco hasn’t seen snow since 1976, when several inches of powder fell across the city, leaving a thin layer of snow over city streets.

By Thursday night, the snow line — the height at which snow is possible — will fall to 500 feet, according to San Francisco Chronicle meteorologist Gerry Díaz. This increases the likelihood of snow on San Francisco’s highest peaks between 1 a.m. and 8 a.m., Díaz said.

“Up to dusting is possible, along with some ice pellets in the mix,” Díaz said.

Some of the factors that determine whether it will snow overnight are the weather variations with altitude and the effects of the ocean, Canepa said. Southwest winds bring milder air from the ocean — sea surface temperatures are around 49 to 51 degrees, which is above freezing, reducing the chance of snow, Canepa said.

Colder air will move to San Francisco early Friday morning, but the city will also be at the “end of precipitation,” Canepa said. The likelihood of snow or other freezing precipitation will depend on the timing of those two events, Canepa said.

By midmorning, rising temperatures will raise the snowline too high to allow for further possible dusting on San Francisco’s peaks, and precipitation will become a mix of ice pellets and rain, Díaz said.

On February 5, 1976, snow fell on San Francisco, including the Sutro Tower.

Art Fresh/The Chronicle 1976

The best chances of seeing snow are in the inner parts of the Bay Area like the North Bay Hills or the East Bay Hills, Canepa said.

There is a 38% chance of seeing an inch of snow down to the valley floor near Healdsburg or Cloverdale, Bay Area NWS meteorologist Brian Garcia said in an update Thursday afternoon.

Snow covered the Marin Headlands north of the Golden Gate Bridge on February 5, 1976.

Art Fresh/The Chronicle 1976

The “vast majority” of snow that falls — snow that stays on the ground — will be over 1,000 feet in the Bay Area, according to Garcia.

Some snow up to 500 to 1,000 feet is expected in the Bay Area overnight and through Friday, according to a tweet from UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain. “Novel flakes” and sleet — supercooled water droplets that freeze on snow, also known as soft hail — are seen at even lower elevations, Swain wrote.

Some snow fell in the North Bay, East Bay and Santa Cruz Mountains throughout Thursday, according to photos and video shared on Twitter. Sleet crashed on a beach in Santa Cruz on Thursday afternoon.

Reach Claire Hao: claire.hao@sfchronicle.com; Twitter: @clairehao_

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Justin Herbert’s Los Angeles Chargers (5-3) have the better record, but it’s Jimmy Garoppolo and the San Francisco 49ers (4-4) who are favored at home by a touchdown in this Week 10 matchup.

The 49ers have been rolling on offense since adding Christian McCaffrey to an already talented unit featuring Deebo Samuel and George Kittle. Meanwhile, the Chargers are banged up on both sides of the field and have been scrapping to get wins. Which team comes out on top? The game is set to kick off Sunday at 8:20 pm ET from Levi’s Stadium.

Here’s a look at the betting details and USA TODAY’s NFL staff picks for the Chargers vs. 49ers Week 10 game:

Chargers at 49ers odds, moneyline and over/under

Follow every game: Live NFL Scores

NFL BOLD PREDICTIONS:NFL bold predictions for the second half: When will Eagles lose? Bears… in the playoffs?

WEEK 9 NFL COACHING GRADE:Bengals, Jets score high marks after big wins; Colts, Raiders fail

NFL WEEK 9 WINNERS AND LOSERS:Tom Brady saves Buccaneers’ season, Packers hit rock bottom

Lorenzo Reyes: 49ers 30, Chargers 20

The Chargers escaped Sunday in a game they should’ve lost. Their offense is frustratingly inefficient at times, and coordinator Joe Lombardi’s job is in peril. San Francisco is at home and off the bye.

Safid Deen: 49ers 27, Chargers 20

The injured Chargers are finding a way to stay alive this season, but it won’t find success against a revamped 49ers team pushing toward the Super Bowl this season. It’ll be fought hard, but San Francisco wins.

Lance Pugmire: 49ers 30, Chargers 17

Plagued by injuries and dubious coaching, Los Angeles falls prey to the sudden NFC power on Sunday night. At least the Chargers don’t have to feel the sting of playing a road game at home given what the 49ers’ throng annually do to the Rams.

32 THINGS WE LEARNED:Bills may regret last week; Packers, Rams done?

NEW BUCKETS:The NFL has returned alternate helmets in 2022: Ranking all 13 from best to worst

IN DEPTH:The NFL coaches project

NFL salaries: These are the highest-paid NFL players

Gannett may earn revenue from sports betting operators for audience referrals to betting services. Sports betting operators have no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See applicable operator site for its terms and conditions. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, help is available. Call the National Council on Problem Gambling 24/7 at 1-800-GAMBLER. Must be 21 or older to gamble.

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After getting throttled at home by the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 7, Jimmy Garoppolo and the San Francisco 49ers (3-4) find themselves in desperate need of a win on the road against Matthew Stafford’s Los Angeles Rams (3-3) in a game with huge NFC West ramifications.

The Rams have had their fair share of struggles during the 2022 season, but will Stafford, Cooper Kupp and Co. find some rhythm coming out of the bye in a wide-open division? Or can Garoppolo, Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel pull off a tough win on the road? The game kicks off Sunday at 4:25 pm ET from SoFi Stadium.

Here’s a look at the betting details and USA TODAY’s NFL staff picks for the 49ers vs. Rams Week 8 game:

49ers at Rams odds, moneyline and over/under

Follow every game: Live NFL Scores

OBSCURITY:Brock Purdy, ‘Mr. Irrelevant’ of 2022 NFL draft, makes history in San Francisco 49ers debut

DEADLINE NEARING:One player from each team who could be moved before 2022 NFL trade deadline

NEW LIDS:The NFL has returned alternate helmets in 2022: Ranking all 13 from best to worst

NFL Week 8 odds, predictions and picks

Ravens vs Buccaneers | Broncos vs Jaguars | Dolphins vs Lions | Panthers vs Falcons | Steelers vs Eagles | Raiders vs Saints | Bears vs. Cowboys | Patriots vs Jets | Cardinals vs Vikings | Titans vs Texans | Commanders vs Colts | Giants vs Seahawks | 49ers vs Rams | Packers vs Bills | Bengals vs Browns

Lorenzo Reyes: 49ers 28, Rams 20

This is an interesting matchup as both coaches know each other extremely well. But both teams have been so hot and cold this season, that I’m going to back the team that has the better defense — even though the Chiefs’ buzzsaw ran through them last week. And with a full week to incorporate Christian McCaffrey, I think the Niners cover as road favorites.

Safid Deen: 49ers 24, Rams 17

The 49ers got a rude awakening against the Chiefs last week in Christian McCaffrey’s debut, but their defense loves going up against Matt Stafford, Cooper Kupp and the Rams’ offense, which has yet to find its footing this season. I’ll take San Francisco on the road in this one.

Lance Pugmire: Rams 24, 49ers 21

Refreshed from a bye, Sean McVay finally beats Kyle Shanahan in a regular-season meeting as LA’s defense stifles Christian McCaffrey at home and Cooper Kupp catches three touchdowns.

NFL WEEK 7 WINNERS AND LOSERS:Bengal’s offense returns to form; Packers more than receiver away

32 THINGS WE LEARNED:Observations from Week 7 of 2022 NFL season: What’s wrong with Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and NFC?

IN DEPTH:The NFL coaches project

NFL salaries: These are the highest-paid NFL players

Gannett may earn revenue from sports betting operators for audience referrals to betting services. Sports betting operators have no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See applicable operator site for its terms and conditions. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, help is available. Call the National Council on Problem Gambling 24/7 at 1-800-GAMBLER. Must be 21 or older to gamble.

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