| |  | | Brought to you by USATODAY.com | | Secret services: The hidden sports finances of Army, Navy and Air Force | | The Army, Navy and Air Force academies all hail Division I sports programs and are funded by taxpayer dollars. But unlike other public universities directly funded by taxpayers, these three service academies say they don't have to disclose coaches' employment contracts and other financial records that even private schools must provide. Why? Since 2009, each got federal legislation that ratified or authorized its athletics business operations to be separate, non-federal entities. The move gave the sports programs more autonomy, but also allowed them to decline requests for public records, despite taxpayer support. Read the full USA TODAY Sports investigation and more here: | | | | Yes, there's marketing behind your apples | | Hipster apples, like the Sekai-ichi, sell for as much as $21 per pound . Let's take that in for a minute. The people making money off those apples have the 20-year-old Honeycrisp apple to thank. It was the first variety that was heavily branded and sold for a higher price at the grocery store. By giving each type of apple its own story, consumers associate certain varieties with particular moods or foods. And it works. You probably have a favorite apple type, and can identify it by name. But not all produce producers have the same marketing success. What's your favorite type of banana? Exactly. | | Transgender wins the vote | | At least five transgender politicians won their elections in four states Tuesday, prompting the national Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund to say "2017 will be remembered as the year of the trans candidate." Danica Roem became the first openly transgender elected official in the Virginia House of Delegates. Andrea Jenkins and Phillipe Cunningham, who won seats on the Minneapolis City Council, made history as the first out transgender black candidates elected to public office in the United States. Lisa Middleton , winning a spot on the Palm Springs City Council, became the first transgender person elected to a non-judicial office in California. Tyler Titus, elected to the Erie, Pa., School Board, is the first openly trans person elected in Pennsylvania. GLAAD called the wins "a victory for inclusion and acceptance." | | Her son was assaulted. Then ran from Kevin Spacey, latest accuser says | | Heather Unruh, a former TV news anchor in Boston, is the latest person (one of 14) accusing Kevin Spacey of sexual assault . Unruh said Spacey bought her 18-year-old son "drink after drink" and stuck his hand down her son's pants. Spacey then invited him to a private party. She said a concerned bystander told her son to run, and he did. "It harmed him and it cannot be undone," Unruh said at a news conference. Unruh said a criminal investigation is looking into the incident. The first accusation of sexual misconduct against the Oscar-winning actor was made Oct. 29. |  | | Black Friday is (basically) upon us. Here's what to know now | | Best Buy rolled out its holiday deals early Wednesday, making Black Friday less of a date and more of a state of mind. The retailer has iPads, smart TVs and computers on sale now through Saturday, but it's not the only place offering deals: Here's our guide to the best Black Friday deals you can get right now . Target flaunted its Black Friday deals on iPhones and TVs, alongside news that it's closing 12 underperforming stores (after the holidays, though). Sears, which reached a deal to sell 140 additional stores this week, will slash prices on Kenmore fridges and gold jewelry, while Kmart will offer deals on board games, Barbies and 1,000-thread-count sheets. | | This is a compilation of stories from across USA TODAY. | |
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