ESPN host Kirk Herbstreit announced the death of his dog, Ben — a golden retriever who captured the hearts of football fans in appearances alongside ESPN announcers.

“This is really hard to write but so many of you have loved and cared about Ben that I wanted to let you know,” Herbstreit wrote Thursday on X. “We found out today the cancer had spread throughout Ben’s organs and there was nothing left we could do-we had to let him go.”

Herbstreit had told fans earlier this year that 10-year-old Ben had been diagnosed with leukemia, requiring chemotherapy treatment and major surgery. In September, Herbstreit said that Ben had had an “incredible recovery” and had been able to resume travel with the College GameDay chief analyst.

But on Monday, Herbstreit told his supporters that Ben, who was a certified emotional support animal, had again fallen ill.

“Ben had a 2nd chemo injection on October 23rd and from that day has been getting worse and worse,” he wrote on X. “He has lost use of his back legs-almost like they’re paralyzed. He can barely walk. He hasn’t eaten in 3 days.”

Herbstreit said at the time that he and Ben were in Pennsylvania seeking treatment from a holistic doctor who was using vitamin C to try to treat the pup.

“I’ve had dogs my whole life but Ben was 1 on 1,” Herbstreit wrote in tribute to Ben. “Always a big smile and a soft tail wag. He and I could communicate…he and I understood each other and had each other’s backs. He was with me more than anyone at home and traveling with me for work. Such an easy going companion. Hard day–but he will live within all of us forever.”

During his time as an honorary sports analyst, Ben picked up fitting titles ranging from “chief happiness officer of football” to “treat analyst.”

On Herbstreit’s social media pages, Ben’s fans paid tribute to the dog and praised Herbstreit for returning to work even through his grief.

“We love you, Kirk,” one person wrote on an Instagram post showing a tail-wagging Ben excitedly walking through a hotel. “This man calls a game the day his dog passes. He loves football, but more importantly, he loved Ben. That dog was truly one of a kind.”

It’s fall, and for many that means it’s “Gilmore Girls” season.

Though its original run ended in 2007, the series about the mother-daughter escapades of Lorelai and Rory Gilmore has remained a viewing behemoth, often returning to the top 10 of Nielsen’s streaming chart during the autumn and winter months. Consider it a soothing symbol of a less digital, pre-pandemic world centered on convivial small-town life.

Capitalizing on the show’s continued popularity, the venerable Warner Bros. Studio Tour has once again made “Gilmore Girls” a centerpiece of its holiday offerings. From Dec. 18 to Jan. 5, a portion of the studio’s backlot will be remade into the fictional town of Stars Hollow, Conn., with looks at key filming locations and props, as well as costume contests and cookie decorating activities.

The “Holidays Made Here” festivities will be available as part of all studio tour offerings, says a spokesperson, with tours departing between 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. daily, excluding Christmas Day. Warner Bros. tours start at $73 but various add-ons and offerings are available for additional fees. Danny Kahn, vice president and general manager of the Warner Bros. Studio Tour, said the firm is showcasing properties that embody “the warmth, charm and community spirit that define the season.”

Those who analyze and study the series say it makes sense that fans return to “Gilmore Girls” during this time of year — or begin it for the first time.

“Gilmore Girls,” after all, sometimes appears arranged around the academic calendar, says Rachel Davidson, co-author of “Gilmore Girls: A Cultural History” with Lara Stache, beginning in the fall when the character of Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel) is accepted to a prestigious prep school. The show is anchored around multiple generations of Gilmores, following Rory and her mother, Lorelai (Lauren Graham), as they navigate familial challenges, often around the dinner table with Lorelai’s parents.

A scene from the 2023 “Holidays Made Here” event, featuring a Bjork-inspired snowperson from “Gilmore Girls.”

(Warner Bros. Studio Tour)

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“The title sequence of ‘Gilmore Girls’ also captures the feeling of fall, with its bird’s-eye view of a small-town scene surrounded by the warm hues of fall leaves,” Davidson says. “The colors and sepia-toned aesthetic of the intro set a cozy, nostalgic tone that aligns so well with the fall season, making it feel like a quintessential autumn show.”

It’s comfort food, says Haley McIntosh, who co-costs the “Gilmore to Say” rewatch podcast with Tara Llewellyn.

“Right now, people are starting to watch holiday movies to get into the Christmas spirit, and there’s a wash of people who get into a cozy spirit by diving into ‘Gilmore Girls,’” McIntosh says. “Everything is very autumnal. Regardless if it’s a spring episode, it will still feel like fall. There’s an emphasis on small-town community and crazy town events, but it’s so cozy. It’s the TV show equivalent of soup season. It’s too cozy to bypass.”

Warner Bros.’ “Holidays Made Here” program will invite guests into the show’s Luke’s Diner for coffee and pastries and highlight pivotal series locales such as the town’s gazebo, the official Stars Hollow sign, Lorelai’s house and Mrs. Kim’s Antiques. Guests are encouraged to come in outfits inspired by the show — Warner Bros. is promising trivia contests and 3 p.m. costume meetups — and key to the “Gilmore Girls” Christmas spirit will be a glimpse of a Bjork-inspired snowperson.

The Bjork sculpture is found in the Season 2 episode “The Bracebridge Dinner,” which also features a snow-laden sleigh ride. “It’s playful and whimsical — perfectly capturing the cozy, festive vibe of the show,” Davidson says.

“The series is all about family, including found family, and that is probably why it feels so appropriate for Christmas,” Stache says.

No word, however, if Warner Bros. will attempt to capture the scent of snowfall.

“Some of the most iconic episodes have been in the wintertime,” Llewellyn says. “Lorelai says, ‘I smell snow.’ That is one of her traits. She can smell when snow is coming. She loves snow. So I understand why Warner Bros. choose this season to zero in on. That’s the season one of the main characters thrives.”

Belle da Costa Greene in 1929.

Library of Congress

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Library of Congress

Belle da Costa Greene in 1929.

Library of Congress

Imagine yourself in Gilded Age New York, as you witness a glamorous, self-possessed young woman become an influential figure in wealthy social circles.

Known throughout the city, photographed by the press, she works with one of the richest men in the country collecting some of the world’s rarest books and manuscripts, for his personal collection.

Though it may sound like the plot of a movie, this story is taken from history. Referred to as one of the most fascinating librarians in American history, Belle da Costa Greene is the figure who is responsible for the depth and legacy of the Morgan Library’s collection, to this day.

You may have never heard of her — but the Morgan Library and Museum in New York is trying to change that.

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The Morgan Library

The library was founded by J. Pierpont Morgan, one of the richest and most powerful bankers in the early 20th century.

While it was originally intended to house J.P. Morgan’s personal collection, today, it houses a one-of-a-kind collection of medieval writings, rare books and illuminated manuscripts. That’s thanks in large part to Belle da Costa Greene.

She became the librarian for the collection in 1905 — and in 1924 was appointed director of the Morgan Library.

Erica Ciallela is a curator for “A Librarian’s Legacy” — a new exhibit that is part of the Morgan’s 100th anniversary celebrations. She says it’s hard to find an area of the study that Greene hasn’t influenced, telling NPR: “We could go on forever with everything she touched and created.”

The exhibit traces Greene’s life and her lasting impact on the role of libraries as public spaces for everyone, not just the educated elite.

“Our exhibition programs, our lecture programs, our collections that we do today, we can trace it all back to her becoming director and believing that this institution could be one of a kind in the world and a place for scholars everywhere to come and look at these amazing materials.”

Greene’s vision was also a key factor in defining the scope of this collection.

“She really was looking for one of a kind items, which is what sets our collection apart, because she really was like, ‘I want the best of the best.’ And that sometimes meant looking outside of what was popular. And she knew exactly what would make this collection and this building become a site.”

Passing to survive

Heading a library was an unusually prominent role for a woman at the turn of the last century, particularly for a Black woman. But this woman chose to pass as white to survive in a highly segregated America.

Ciallela says the decision was a family choice, spearheaded by her mother, Genevieve, who not only made the decision for all of Greene and her siblings to pass, but did it fairly early on, when Greene was still in school.

Da Costa Greene’s personal struggles with race and gender were lost to time and her own hand, as she burned her 10-volume set of diaries before her death.

“But we do have a letter she wrote to the art historian, Bernard Berenson, where she said that that is where she wrote things down that she dare not even think to herself. So what that means, unfortunately we’re never going to know. But, I mean, it’s got to have been a struggle. And, I mean, it’s actually incredible that she was made director as a woman,” Ciallela said.

This episode was produced by Jordan-Marie Smith and Kathryn Fink. It was edited by Jeanette Woods. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.