Iowa teachers are now banned from raising gender identity or sexual orientation issues with children through the sixth grade

The town of Rye is one of my happy places. I go there at least once or twice a year to visit in-laws and its charm never fails to make me smile. It’s all twisting alleys and cobblestone and centuries-old houses. Retail and restaurant chains haven’t got the same hold here as they do in every other town in the UK – there’s a Boots and a Waterstones, but no Primark, H&M, Pret or Caffé Nero. There isn’t even a Costa. It’s a place that takes pride in its independent shops and restaurants. Some are quirky – a shop that sells antique French confit pots for hundreds of pounds, for example, or a pub called the Waterworks that renovated and refurbished the old, unused public toilets and now sells local beers and ciders. It’s very historic, too; the oldest hotel, The Mermaid Inn, was built in 1156 and is said to be haunted. I’m inclined to agree as my partner and I received a phone call just after falling asleep during our one night there, but no one was on the other side. Spooky indeed. But I’ve always thought there was one thing that the town desperately needed: a Nice Restaurant. Before Covid brought the restaurant industry to its knees, there used to be a family-owned Italian, Tuscan Kitchen. I never got the chance to visit for one reason or another, but my in-laws sang its praises all the time. But a couple of years ago, it closed when the family packed up and went back to Italy, understandably tired of life in the UK. Since then, the only other place to go if you didn’t want to cook and you didn’t want fish and chips has been Mahdi Lounge. It’s good, but the town has been gasping for something different. Then came The Union Rye. Previously The Union Steakhouse, the restaurant was taken over by Rajh Siva, who also runs The Plough, located closer to Winchelsea, and has since overhauled the menu to focus on modern British cuisine. The building was built in 1401 and is a rustic, relaxed space with cosy open fireplaces, exposed brick and wooden furniture. The warm and welcoming restaurant is headed by chef Ben Dafforn, previously of J Sheekey and Simpsons on the Strand in London. I visited The Union Rye recently while on a weekend away with friends, excited at the prospect of trying a new Nice Restaurant in my favourite small British town. I was first alerted to its existence by Marina O’Loughlin, former restaurant critic for The Times, and had been keen to try it for months. The four of us swept in on a Sunday night, and while it was rather empty, we hardly minded – it almost felt like having the entire restaurant to ourselves. Though I hope being empty at dinnertime won’t be an issue for it for much longer, as it truly deserves a visit. Resisting the urge to order the entire menu, we opted for lots of dishes to share. The seasonal menu changes on a daily basis as the chefs work with whatever fresh local produce is available, but this is exciting for me as it means trying new dishes and flavours each time I go. We started with marinated anchovies with caper berries that were simultaneously fresh, sweet and tart, and got very into a plate of ham knuckle croquettes that were fatty and rich, accompanied by a creamy aioli. We also had a rather unusual sweet and savoury granola dish, which comprised of cottage cheese-like curds with granola flavoured with fennel seeds and a jam to cut through the almost bitter, herby flavours. It was imaginative and surprising, which I took great pleasure in. Large fried sardines arrived with their heads still intact, opaque eyes and all, to be covered in burnt lemon. Fat, juicy scallops and their bright orange tongues with samphire on toast. Fried, caramelised mushrooms with hazelnuts and plenty of butter. A succulent pork chop with syrupy charred fruit. A burnt basque cheesecake to share among friends. Oh, how we feasted. The Union Rye is the Nice Restaurant that the town deserves. The dishes are bright and refreshing, but comforting at the same time. I highly recommend going with a group of family or friends so you can order plenty of dishes. It was certainly a night to remember, and I’ll be back there soon, I’m sure. The Union Rye, 8 East Street Rye, East Sussex, TN31 7JY | 01797 229289 | www.theunionrye.co.uk Read More Forest Side: Heavenly Cumbrian produce elevated to Michelin-starred proportions Papi: Pandemic troublemakers’ restaurant is a fun, flirty hit I tried the food at Idris Elba’s restaurant – he should stick to wine

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WWE Survivor Series is back and WarGames is again taking centre stage as the top superstars from the male and female divisions clash inside two rings surrounded by a cage. The 37th edition of WWE's traditional November show takes place in the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois and will be headlined by a WarGames match between Judgment Day (Finn Balor, Damien Priest, Dominik Mysterio, JD McDonagh) and Drew McIntyre taking on the team of Cody Rhodes, Jey Uso, Seth Rollins, Sami Zayn and the returning Randy Orton, who hasn't been seen in a WWE ring for well over a year. In the women's WarGames match the team of Damage CTRL (Bayley, Iyo Sky, Asuka and Kairi Sane) will face Becky Lynch, Bianca BelAir, Charlotte Flair and Shotzi, with the tension between Flair and Lynch being the biggest talking point. Elsewhere, the biggest talking point amongst wrestling fans, is whether a certain CM Punk will make a dramatic return to WWE following his departure from All Elite Wrestling in September? The Women's World Championship and Intercontinental Championship will also be defended on the show, with Dragon Lee vs Santos Escobar rounding out the show. Let's see what goes down... Will CM Punk return? November 26, 00:17 In what will be either the best kept secret in WWE history or the most negative reaction on WWE TV since Royal Rumble 2015, rumours of a CM Punk return at Survivor Series are rife. All reports from the wrestling world suggest that he wont and hasn't signed a contract but you just never know when if comes to this sport. We've compiled everything we know about the situation surrounding the Second City Saint here. How to watch November 26, 00:08 As the excitement in Chicago builds its also worth checking how to actually watch the show. We have all the info for you here including the times for around the world and match card.

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