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CSi Weather…
.REST OF TODAY…Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid 40s. West winds 10 to 20 mph.
.TONIGHT…Mostly cloudy. Lows in the upper 20s. Northwest winds 10 to 15 mph.
.THURSDAY…Decreasing clouds. Highs in the upper 30s. North winds 10 to 15 mph.
.THURSDAY NIGHT…Partly cloudy. Lows in the lower 20s. North
winds around 5 mph shifting to the southwest after midnight.
.FRIDAY…Mostly sunny. Highs in the lower 40s. Northwest winds
5 to 15 mph.
.FRIDAY NIGHT…Mostly cloudy in the evening then clearing. Lows
15 to 20.
.SATURDAY…Sunny. Highs in the mid 30s.
.SATURDAY NIGHT…Mostly clear. Lows around 20.
.SUNDAY…Mostly sunny. Highs in the lower 40s.
.SUNDAY NIGHT…Mostly cloudy. A 30 percent chance of snow after
midnight. Lows in the lower 20s.
.MONDAY…Partly sunny. Slight chance of snow in the morning,
then slight chance of rain in the afternoon. Highs around 40.
Chance of precipitation 20 percent.
.MONDAY NIGHT…Decreasing clouds. Lows in the mid 20s.
.TUESDAY…Mostly sunny. Highs in the lower 40s.
Jamestown (CSi) The City of Jamestown informs residents that effective Monday, April 1, 2019, the City Sanitation crews and the ND Recycling Center crews will no longer be collecting carts in the residential alleys as the changing weather temperatures are causing extremely muddy conditions in the alleyways.
On April 1st, until further notice, please place garbage and recycling carts on the boulevard no further than 3 feet from the curb on your scheduled pick up day.
Please place collection carts out for pick up by 7:00 a.m. Trucks will not return to the area after the scheduled collection routes are completed.
Carts should be placed out for pick up by 7:00 a.m. each morning.
Jamestown (Cassie DuBray) The Jamestown United Way wrapped up its 2019 campaign with a celebration annual meeting luncheon at the North Dakota Farmers Union.
Executive Board Member and Treasurer, Kevin Walker, told the community members and supporters at the event that the organization exceeded its 2019 campaign goal of $200,000 by $857. He said, “Meeting goal is really exciting because we will be able to fully fund all of our agency budget requests.”.
Committee members shared campaign highlights and successes and thanked all the campaign volunteers and contributors. Awards were given to the following local businesses thanking them for their support:
100% Participation & Increased Donations: James River Community Center
100% Participation: Lloyd’s Motors
Increased Donations – Over Previous Year : Ave Maria, Cavendish Farms, Cash Wise, City Employees, Dacotah Bank, Farmer’s Union Insurance, RM Stoudt’s, Safe Shelter, South Central Human Service Center, and University of Jamestown
Spirit Awards for Continued Support: Butler Machinery, Hugo’s, Jamestown Regional Medical Center, Newman Signs, Noridian Administrative Services, and Collins Aerospace
Additionally, the Outgoing Board Member Award was given to Cassie DuBray for serving four years with the United Way, as she will be leaving the Board.
The Board also presented the following nominations: new appointees are Rebecca Kercher and Arnell McDonald. Re-appointment to a 2nd term are Dani Helton and Craig Olin. The slate of officers for the 2019/2020 campaign are as follows: President: Katie Mittleider, 1st Vice President: Dani Helton, 2nd Vice Co-Chairs: Lynette Stoddart and Dina Laskowski and Treasurer: Kevin Walker.
The United Way of Stutsman County is part of United Way Worldwide. Its mission is to improve lives by mobilizing the caring power of communities around the world to advance the common good. The current impact model emphasizes that 99% of all funds raised stays within in Stutsman County. The local agencies supported are: Alano Society, Boy Scouts – Northern Lights, Camp Rokiwan, Child Care Aware, Community Corrections, Girl Scouts – Dakota Horizons, Imagination Library, James River Transit, MOST/21st Cen. After School, PATH, Safe Shelter, Salvation Army, SANE/SART, Senior Companion Program, and The Arts Center.
Jamestown (CSi) The Annual El Zagal Mystics Fish Friday to benefit Shrine causes and projects will be Friday March 29 from 4:30-p.m., to 7:30-p.m., at Shady’s at the Gladstone Inn & Suites in Jamestown.
On Tuesday’s Wayne Byers Show on CSi Cable 2, spokesperson Craig Mehlhoff said Cod fish will be served, along with buns and butter, coleslaw, baked beans, Yukon Gold potatoes, beverages, and root beer floats for dessert, all donated by local businesses.
He added that Jon Beyer from Jonny B’s Brickhouse is the head Chef, assisted by other top chefs in the community.
Craig pointed out that proceeds raised will go toward supporting transportation to the Shriners Children Hospitals, with 22 hospitals internationally, including 18 orthopedic hospitals, and four children’s burn hospitals, all at no cost to families. Proceeds are also earmarked for the parade unit, and other expenses.
Jim Boatman is the Jamestown contact person for more information or call toll free 1-800-237-5055.
Craig said the El Zagal Mystics, consist of 35 members, the Jamestown Clowns with 130 members and the EZ Wheels Motorcycle Club has around 20 members, supporting Shrine local and area causes.
Craig said this year’s Shrine Circus for Jamestown and Valley City will be at the Jamestown Civic Center, on Tuesday April 9, at 5:30-p.m., with the doors opening at 4:30-p.m.
A select number of elementary school students have received complementary tickets.
Otherwise, Children’s Tickets are $8 each, Adult Tickets are $10 in advance, or $11 at the door, with NO reserved seats.
Many bicycles will be given away from local businesses, with numbers drawn from available coloring books, sold at the circus.
Circus proceeds will go to support the Shriners Hospitals.
Jamestown (CSi) At the Jamestown Tourism monthly full board meeting, another means to draw tourists and local individuals to the 1883 Stutsman County Courthouse and Downtown Jamestown was discussed.
An Escape Room in the basement of the old sheriff’s apartment and jail cell adjacent to the 1883 Courthouse, was again discussed.
Jamestown Tourism is interested in supporting the escape room game, where players compete against each other solving a series of puzzles that will lead to freedom and occasionally, prizes. Jamestown Tourism is interested in supporting starting a game at the courthouse that would then be operated the courthouse staff as outlined by Courthouse Site Supervisor, Steve Reidburn.
The game requires a space, to hold it, along with a book of clues, technical document, and could consist of several puzzles, for possible multiple participating groups.
Individuals acting as historical characters could be included.
Jamestown Tourism Director, Searle Swedlund, pointed out that escape rooms are popular and another means of visiting it.
Tourism President, Matt Woods, and board member Tena Lawrence said, the game could be inclusive of other areas of Jamestown of interest, along with using historical information about the 1883 Stutsman County Courthouse.
Woods added that the goal is to bring tourists and local people to Downtown Jamestown and 1883 Courthouse.
Jamestown (CSi) Orphan Grain Train is collecting items to help people affected by flooding in Nebraska, South Dakota and other areas.
Items that have been requested by the Orphan Grain Train International office: 5 gallon buckets, paper towels, latex gloves, mops, brooms, gallon liquid cleaner (mold control), work gloves, face masks, shovels, wheelbarrows, rubber boots, toiletries (soap, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrushes, combs, deodorant, etc.) bottled water
Items will be collected through the end of April and can be brought to the OGT warehouse located at 103 4th Ave. SE. Hours of operation are 9 a.m. to noon on Saturdays and Mondays. Alternatively, arrangements may be made to open the warehouse at different times as needed by contacting Andrea Eckstein at (701) 658-9057.
In addition to the collection of items, monetary donations are being accepted at the OGT national office. People can donate online at the OGT website (www.ogt.org) or mail donations to:
Orphan Grain Train
PO Box 1466
Norfolk, NE 68702
100 percent of donations will go toward helping families affected by recent floods.
Orphan Grain Train is a faith-based, nonprofit organization that has been providing for the needs of people worldwide for the last 25 years. Since the Jamestown branch opened three years ago, it has participated in the collection of items for disaster relief for the victims of hurricanes occurring in the last few seasons.
Bismarck (Gov. Burgum’s Office) – Gov. Doug Burgum has declared a winter storm emergency for a severe winter storm March 13-15 that impacted much of North Dakota. The governor also has granted the first group of waivers for school districts that canceled classes because of severe winter weather.
In an executive order signed Tuesday, Burgum declared a winter storm emergency for the counties of Foster, Grant, Kidder, LaMoure, Logan, McIntosh, McLean, Nelson, Steele, Towner, and Wells, and the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. Counties statewide reported more than $1 million spent on snow removal for the storm, according to the results of a survey conducted by the state Department of Emergency Services and reported to the Governor’s Office on Sunday.
Bismarck (CSi) North Dakota’s 11 public colleges and universities will present at the 2019 Legislative Showcase in the state Capitol Memorial and Legislative Halls Wednesday, March 27.
Representatives of the 11 North Dakota University System institutions as well as its constituent groups of faculty, staff and students will provide displays highlighting some of the high-quality academic experiences and innovative new ventures taking place on its campuses.
Displays are scheduled from 10 a.m. through 3 p.m. and are open to the public.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The North Dakota Senate has again rejected adding edibles as a legal form of medical marijuana.
The Senators voted 28-18 on Tuesday in favor of adding edibles, but it was three votes short of the two-thirds majority needed to amend the ballot measure approved by voters in 2016 that made medical marijuana legal.
The measure also came up three votes short on Monday.
The expansion was sought by advocates and supported by the state Health Department.
The bill stipulated that edibles couldn’t be in a form that could be targeted to children, but some lawmakers still expressed worries.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — An attorney for a man who fatally shot a West Fargo woman in 1995 is asking the North Dakota Supreme Court to give him a chance at parole.
Barry Garcia is serving life in prison without the possibility of parole for killing Cheryl Tendeland while she, her husband and a friend were sitting in a car.
KFGO reports defense attorney John Mills told justices that North Dakota law permits minors serving long sentences to seek parole after serving 20 years. But, Cass County State’s Attorney Birch Burdick says the legislative intent was not to change the law retroactively.
The defense has also cited a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that a life sentence without parole for juveniles was cruel and unusual punishment. Garcia was 16 at the time of the shooting.
The high court did not immediately rule.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A man accused of setting his stepson aflame in Des Moines has been sentenced to 30 years in prison.
The Des Moines Register reports that 42-year-old Randy Miles Jr. told his stepson’s family in court Tuesday that he was sorry. Miles had pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and fleeing the state to avoid prosecution. Prosecutors dropped charges of arson and first-degree murder in return for Miles’ pleas.
Authorities say Miles fled to Grand Forks, North Dakota, following his confrontation with 26-year-old Christopher Lenhart on Aug. 25, 2017. Witnesses told police that Miles had argued with Lenhart and then threw gas on him while Lenhart was inside a vehicle. The gas then ignited. Lenhart died two days later at an Iowa City hospital.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Floodwaters caused a small oil spill into the Yellowstone River in northwestern North Dakota.
State environmental scientist Bill Suess (sees) tells The Bismarck Tribune that the amount is estimated to be no more than 1 barrel, or 42 gallons.
The oil originated from a small spill on a Whiting Petroleum well pad in McKenzie County. Whiting spokeswoman Ashley McNamee says affected soil hadn’t been fully cleaned up before floodwaters hit.
The original spill was contained to the well pad and was less than 10 barrels, so it wasn’t required to be reported. State regulations do require all spills to be cleaned up, though there is no set timeframe required. Suess says Whiting still could be fined.
The oil sheen is being removed. The state is monitoring the process.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota utility regulators have granted a final approval to Enbridge Energy’s proposed Line 3 crude oil pipeline replacement.
The Public Utilities Commission on Tuesday unanimously rejected the last pending petitions for reconsideration, including one from the state Commerce Department.
The Commerce Department had joined with tribal and environmental groups in challenging the project’s approvals before the Minnesota Court of Appeals, which sent the case back to the commission last month.
Gov. Tim Walz says his administration will study Tuesday’s decision before deciding next steps.
Line 3 has carried Canadian crude since the 1960s and is showing its age. The new line would cross Alberta, a corner of North Dakota and northern Minnesota to an Enbridge terminal in Superior, Wisconsin. Besides clearing the legal challenges, Calgary-based Enbridge also needs state and federal permits, which the company hopes to secure around end of the year.
In sports..
Valley City (VCSU) The Valley City State softball team moved up two spots to No. 9 in this week’s NAIA Top 25 Coaches’ Poll released Tuesday.
The Vikings moved inside the Top 10 for the first time in program history, improving upon their program-best No. 11 ranking from two weeks ago.
Valley City State has a 24-1 overall record so far this season after sweeping a four-game series with Dakota State on Sunday and Monday. The Vikings have won their last nine games and have the third-best winning percentage in the nation behind No. 1 Science & Arts (26-0) and No. 5 Marian (16-0).
Through 25 games, VCSU is allowing less than two runs per game and has outscored opponents 186-44.
Up next: Valley City State is scheduled play Dickinson State this weekend. The exact date, time and location of the games are still being determined based on weather forecasts.
Valley City (VCSU) Valley City State University junior Emily Smith has been named the North Star Athletic Association Pitcher of the Week, the conference office announced Monday night.
North Star Athletic Association Softball Pitcher-of-the-Week
Emily Smith – Valley City State (N.D.) – 5’5″ – Junior – Pitcher – Portage La Prairie, Manitoba, Canada – Smith was dominant in No. 11-ranked Valley City State’s conference opener. She threw a complete game 2-hitter in a 5-1 win over Dakota State (S.D.). After giving up an RBI single in the third inning, Smith set down the final 14 batters in order to finish the game. She finished the game with 11 strikeouts and did not issue a walk. It was Smith’s 15th win of the season, which ranks her third in the NAIA. She is second in the NAIA with 129 total strikeouts.
North Star Athletic Association Softball Player-of-the-Week
Claire Shoffit – Dickinson State (N.D.) – 5’10” – Senior – Catcher – Woodland, Calif.– Shoffit batted .750 after going 9-of-12 at the plate as Dickinson State (N.D.) opened up their North Star conference play with a 3-1 record at Waldorf (Iowa). She recorded at least a hit in all four games. She was perfect at the plate, going 3-of-3 in the series opener and 4-of-4 in the series finale. For the week, Shoffit registered a slugging percentage of 1.333 with two doubles and a home run. She collected nine RBIs and reached on base by a walk two times. She scored at least a run in each game, totaling seven runs for the week.
— Nikola Vucevic scored 24 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, Jonathan Issac added 19 points and the Orlando Magic extended their longest winning streak in eight years to six games by topping the Miami Heat 104-99 on Tuesday night. D.J. Augustin scored 17 points and Aaron Gordon finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Magic (37-38), who won the season series with Miami 3-1 and moved past the Heat (36-38) into eighth in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
— Danilo Gallinari scored 25 points as the Los Angeles Clippers clinched a playoff spot Tuesday night with a 122-111 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Coach Doc Rivers’ club is back in the postseason after falling short last year. The Clippers finished last season with a 42-40 record to miss the playoffs after six straight years in the postseason — and four under Rivers. The Clippers (45-30) were the fifth Western Conference team to secure a postseason berth.
— Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart each scored 21 points, and the Boston Celtics broke away from a fourth-quarter tie to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 116-106 on Tuesday night. Kyrie Irving (rest) didn’t play for Boston, but the Celtics snapped a four-game losing streak and are 11-2 without their leading scorer.
— Kemba Walker had 11 of his 38 points in overtime, and the Charlotte Hornets beat the San Antonio Spurs 125-116 Tuesday night to stretch their season-long winning streak to four games. It was Charlotte’s first overtime win of the season in five tries. The Spurs entered the game tied with Oklahoma City for the seventh-best record in the West.
— Norman Powell scored 20 points, Serge Ibaka had 16 and the Toronto Raptors beat Chicago 112-103 on Tuesday night, their eighth consecutive win over the struggling Bulls. The Raptors improved to 30-9 at home.
— Rookie Trae Young had 33 points and 12 assists for his 24th double-double of the season, and the Atlanta Hawks beat the New Orleans Pelicans 130-120.
— De’Aaron Fox scored 23 points, including a crucial basket to help Sacramento stay in front in the final minute, and the Kings beat the Dallas Mavericks 125-121 on Tuesday night. Dallas rookie sensation Luka Doncic tied Magic Johnson with his seventh triple-double in his first season, getting 28 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists. It’s the third-most triple-doubles by a rookie. Dirk Nowitzki, in a record 21st season with the same franchise, didn’t play in the second half.
— Jamal Murray scored 33 points, including six over the final minute, and the Denver Nuggets held off the Detroit Pistons 95-92 on Tuesday night after nearly squandering a 27-point lead. At 50-23, the Nuggets move into a tie with Golden State for the top spot in the Western Conference. It’s the first 50-win season for Denver since the 2012-13 squad went 57-25.
NHL-SCHEDULE
Columbus stays alive while Caps keep lead
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Sergei Bobrovsky recorded his second consecutive shutout and the Columbus Blue Jackets stayed in the NHL playoff hunt, beating the New York Islanders 4-0 Tuesday night.
Ryan Dzingel, Artemi Panarin, Oliver Bjorkstrand and Cam Atkinson scored, and Bobrovsky finished with 26 saves and his eighth shutout of the season for the Blue Jackets, who are fighting to get above the wild-card line in the Eastern Division with six games to play.
They started the day two points behind Montreal for the second Eastern Division wild-card spot and three points behind Carolina for the first. The Canadiens and Blue Jackets face off in Columbus on Thursday night.
The Blue Jackets took advantage of a couple of New York mistakes to help salvage a win in the last of the four-game season series between the Metro Division rivals.
In Washington, Alex Ovechkin scored his NHL-leading 49th goal of the season to snap a four-game drought and help Washington beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-1 on Tuesday night, increasing the Capitals’ division lead.
Washington increased its lead to three points over former coach Barry Trotz and the New York Islanders atop the Metropolitan Division. But the Columbus Blue Jackets’ defeat of the Islanders on Tuesday night kept the Capitals from clinching a playoff berth.
Three hockey games still out Chicago Vs Arizona and Anaheim vs Vancouver
In other NHL action:
— Rookie Sam Steel recorded his first NHL hat trick and the Anaheim Ducks beat the Vancouver Canucks 5-4 Tuesday night. Rickard Rakell and Kiefer Sherwood also scored for the Ducks. Jake Virtanen, Alex Edler, Josh Leivo and Tanner Pearson scored for the Canucks.
— Nick Cousins scored a power-play goal early in the third period and the Arizona Coyotes boosted their playoff chances, snapping a five-game losing streak with a 1-0 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks. Darcy Kuemper made his 18th consecutive start and stopped 31 shots for his fourth shutout of the season.
— Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Leon Draisaitl (DRY’-sy-tul) each scored three goals as the Edmonton Oilers powered their way to an 8-4 victory over the Los Angeles Kings. Draisaitl added an assist, Connor McDavid had a goal and three assists, and Zack Kassian also scored for the Oilers, who moved within five points of a wild card in the Western Conference playoff race with six games remaining.
— Tomas Tatar had two goals and an assist to lead the Montreal Canadiens over the Florida Panthers 6-1 on Tuesday night to remain in playoff position. Brett Kulak, Artturi Lehkonen, Phillip Danault and Max Domi also scored for the Canadiens (41-28-8), who have won four of five. Montreal is in a tight three-team playoff race with the Carolina Hurricanes and the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Canadiens are in the second wild-card spot, one point behind Carolina and two points ahead of Columbus.
— Craig Anderson stopped 35 shots for his second shutout of the season and the Ottawa Senators beat the Buffalo Sabres 4-0 Tuesday night. The Senators won the first of a four-game homestand after going 1-2-0 on a three-game trip through Western Canada.
NCAA TOURNAMENT NIELSENS
Strong opening week for CBS, Turner with NCAA hoops tourney
NEW YORK (AP) — One week into March Madness, CBS is feeling good.
Based on ratings from the nation’s largest media markets, the Nielsen company said CBS and the Turner Networks had the second best performance over the last 29 years for the first four games of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. The only year to do better in that period was 2015.
Nielsen did not have exact viewership numbers, but Duke’s close call Sunday against Central Florida was particularly popular.
NCAA-PERFECT BRACKET
Man picks perfect NCAA tourney bracket heading into Sweet 16
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio man has made history with a March Madness bracket that’s perfect through 48 games on the NCAA.com’s “Bracket Challenge,” according to the NCAA.
Gregg Nigl of Columbus told The Columbus Dispatch he almost didn’t fill out his bracket last week, saying he was home sick just hours before the deadline. But he felt bad about not entering a bracket in his friend’s tournament group.
Instead, he correctly predicted every game through the first two rounds of the 2019 NCAA tournament.
The NCAA bracket tracker says the bracket is the only perfect one remaining across all major online bracket games, including Yahoo, ESPN, CBS, Fox, Sports Illustrated and the NCAA’s own contest. It’s the longest streak of correct bracket picks, breaking the reported record of 39 games, which happened in 2017.
The NCAA says the odds of a perfect bracket are 1 in 9.2 quintillion — so bettors, take the under.
Nigl, 40, said he researched his picks, doing his homework after the tournament field was unveiled, including watching some of the bracket shows on TV.
DOCTOR-SEXUAL ASSAULT
Officer says he was fooled by Nassar’s ‘lies’ in 2004
MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan police officer who investigated a complaint against Larry Nassar back in 2004 says he didn’t send the case to a prosecutor because the now-disgraced sports doctor fooled him.
Officials in Meridian Township, Michigan, publicly apologized to the victim, Brianne Randall-Gay, a year ago, after Nassar was sentenced to decades to prison for molesting girls and young women. They also took an extraordinary step, hiring an investigator to learn more about how police handled her complaint.
That report, released Tuesday, didn’t reveal many new details, but it includes an interview with Andrew McCready, who investigated Randall-Gay’s allegation that Nassar had molested her. Nassar told police he was performing a legitimate medical procedure.
McCready says, “I believed his lies.” Randall-Gay, who lives in the Seattle area, says she forgives McCready.
PATRIOTS OWNER-PROSTITUTION CHARGE
Patriots’ Kraft now wants jury trial on prostitution charge
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft now says he wants his misdemeanor solicitation of prostitution charge tried by a jury, not a judge.
Kraft’s attorneys filed a court notice Tuesday also waiving his arraignment, which had been scheduled for Thursday. His lawyers also reiterated his not guilty plea, which he made last month.
Kraft and 24 other men were charged in Palm Beach County as part of a multicounty crackdown on massage parlor prostitution. About 300 men are charged overall.
Prosecutors say Kraft was videotaped by police twice in January paying for sex with a woman at a Jupiter, Florida, massage parlor. If convicted, Kraft would face 100 hours of community service and a $5,000 fine. He could also get a year in jail, although that is unlikely.
MICHAEL AVENATTI-ARREST
True to form, Avenatti attacks Nike a day after arrest
NEW YORK (AP) — Attorney Michael Avenatti came out swinging Tuesday against Nike, accusing the shoemaker of “rampant” corruption mere hours after he was released from U.S. custody on charges he tried to extort up to $25 million from the company.
In a string of posts on Twitter — a medium he often used to accuse others of wrongdoing — Avenatti claimed Nike has funneled “large sums” of money to elite student-athletes bound for top colleges.
He added that corruption “reaches the highest levels of Nike” and cryptically referred to receipts that are “clear as day.” Avenatti, best known for representing porn actress Stormy Daniels in legal battles against President Donald Trump, didn’t produce evidence or detail exactly what he believed the company had done wrong.
Avenatti’s tweetstorm came the morning after he was arrested and charged in two separate federal cases. In Los Angeles, he’s accused of embezzling money from a client. In New York, prosecutors say he told Nike he would reveal damaging information about its dealings with a youth basketball team unless the company paid him millions.
A Nike spokesman declined to answer questions about Avenatti’s tweets. The company released a statement Monday saying it will “not be extorted or hide information that is relevant to a government investigation.” It also said it has been cooperating with a federal investigation into NCAA basketball for a year.
MLB-SALARIES
AP study: MLB average salary on track for 2nd straight drop
NEW YORK (AP) — According to projections by The Associated Press, even with huge new contracts for Bryce Harper, Manny Machado and Nolan Arenado, Major League Baseball’s average salary is on track to drop on opening day for an unprecedented second straight season.
The 872 players on rosters and injured lists on Monday evening averaged $4.36 million, down from $4.41 million at the start of last season and $4.45 million on opening day in 2017, according to AP studies.
Back-to-back drops follow consecutive slow free-agent markets that saw salaries slashed for many veterans, and top pitchers Dallas Keuchel and Craig Kimbrel remain unsigned as openers approached.
This year’s exact figure could rise or fall when teams set opening-day rosters Thursday. The number will be impacted by how many players go on the injured list and how many lower-priced replacements are put on active rosters.
MLB NEWS
Cubs’ Hendricks, Mets deGrom getting bigger deals
UNDATED (AP) — Two top National League starters well be getting bigger paybacks.
Right-hander Kyle Hendricks and the Chicago Cubs agreed to a contract that adds $55.5 million from 2020 to 2023, guaranteeing he will receive nearly $63 million over the next five seasons. Hendricks, who turned 29 in December, has a 3.07 ERA in five seasons with the Cubs and went 14-11 with a 3.44 ERA last year.
Meanwhile, a person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press that NL Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom and the New York Mets have agreed to a $137.5 million, five-year contract. The deal guarantees an additional $120.5 million over four seasons. DeGrom would have been eligible for free agency after the 2020 season, but the new deal gives him the right to opt out of the deal after the 2022 season. The right-hander turns 31 in June. He had a 1.70 ERA last year yet and allowed three runs or fewer in 29 consecutive starts to close the season.
In other baseball news:
— Major League Baseball has suspended San Francisco Giants President and CEO Larry Baer without pay until July 1 after a video showed him in a physical altercation with his wife. Commissioner Rob Manfred says Baer’s conduct, as seen on the video, was “unacceptable” and warranted discipline. Manfred says Baer should be held to a higher standard because of his position as a leader of the franchise. In a statement, Baer says he respects the decision and apologized for his actions.
MLB-YANKEES-STEINBRENNER
Steinbrenner say Yankees have a championship-caliber team
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner thinks New York has a championship-caliber team as it heads into Thursday’s opener against Baltimore.
Steinbrenner said the Yankees are “as good as anybody. The team is going to do everything they can to win this thing. I believe they’re going to play up to their potential.”
Steinbrenner thinks the Yankees have enough depth to overcome injuries to Sabathia, Luis Severino, Dellin Betances, Didi Gregorius, Aaron Hicks, and Jordan Montgomery.
New York went 100-62 last season for its best record since 2009, yet finished eight games back of the AL East champion Boston Red Sox, who won the World Series for the fourth time in 15 seasons.
Last year’s Yankees, led by Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton set a major league record with 267 homers, three more than the 1997 Seattle Mariners.
The Yankees focused on pitching during the offseason, adding Adam Ottavino and James Paxton, and re-signing Sabathia, Zack Britton, and J.A. Happ.
NFL-MEETINGS
NFL owners vote down potential onside kick change
PHOENIX (AP) — NFL owners voted down a proposal to replace the onside kick with one play from scrimmage, and tabled a suggestion to require each team to have one possession in overtime regardless of what happened on the first series of the extra period.
Owners will next take up the overtime topic again at their May meeting.
Team owners are tweaking Pass interference. Whether flagged or not, pass interference can be challenged by coaches and reviewed by officials next season.
NFL team owners voted Tuesday on a one-year trial basis to include those often-controversial penalties in the officiating replay review system. Coaches still will have two challenges per game, and in the final two minutes of a half or fourth quarter or for all of overtime, the replay official can order a review of offensive or defensive pass interference.
The major change — owners traditionally have been highly reluctant to include any penalties in the replay process — stems from an egregious missed call in the NFC championship game that likely led to the Rams making the Super Bowl and the Saints falling short.
The NFL has also awarded nearly a quarter-million dollars to two companies seeking to enhance protection provided by helmets. Windpact, founded by former NFL cornerback Shawn Springs, is receiving $148,820 to tailor its padding technology, called Crash Cloud, for use in Schutt’s helmets. Auxadyne was awarded $86,688 to advance its XPF material, an energy absorber that becomes more dense upon impact. The company will use this unique material, the only commercially available of its kind, to create a football helmet padding system that can reduce the impact to an athlete’s head.
In other NFL news:
—The New Orleans Saints have added 2018 Pro Bowl tight end Jared Cook to their roster. General manager Mickey Loomis says the 6-foot-5, 254-pound Cook has agreed to the terms of a free-agent contract. He’s a 10-year veteran and caught 68 passes for 896 yards and six touchdowns with Oakland last season, his best season season yet.
—The Oakland Raiders have signed free agent quarterback Landry Jones. The move on gives the Raiders another potential backup behind starter Derek Carr. Oakland signed Mike Glennon earlier in free agency and also has Nathan Peterman on the roster. Jones was originally a fourth-round pick by Pittsburgh in 2013. He has played 18 games with five starts in his career, completing 108 of 169 passes for 1,310 yards, eight TDs, seven interceptions and an 86.2 rating.
NASCAR–2020 SCHEDULE
NASCAR shuffles 2020 schedule to freshen stagnant schedule
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — NASCAR made the first significant changes to its schedule in years by shuffling the 2020 season into a freshened new sequence that tries to meet the wants of fans to the best of its current ability.
The 2020 schedule released Tuesday moved the season finale to the Phoenix area and iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway got July 5th to give it back-to-back summer holiday weekends. Daytona gave up its traditional and often rain-wrecked July 4th weekend for the final race of the regular season, when the playoff field will be completed.
Pocono Raceway will run both its 400-mile races on back-to-back June afternoons, Martinsville Speedway got a Mother’s Day race under the lights and also a slot in the playoffs — one of three short tracks featured in NASCAR’s 10-race playoffs. Even better for Martinsville, it got the penultimate race for the championship finale.
Bristol and Richmond short tracks both joined the playoffs, as did Darlington Raceway.
In world and national news…
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Democrats backed by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (puh-LOH’-see) are unveiling legislation to shore up the Affordable Care Act, trying to deliver on campaign promises about health care.
But it’s also a messaging shift as Democrats want to show they care about policy issues beyond special counsel Robert Mueller’s (MUHL’-urz) Russia report.
Pelosi’s office says the bill being unveiled Tuesday would make more middle-class people eligible for subsidized health insurance while increasing aid for those with lower incomes who already qualify.
The bill would provide money to help health insurers pay for their costliest patients and restore advertising and outreach budgets slashed by President Donald Trump’s administration.
The bill will get a vote in the House, but as a package it has no chance of passing the Republican-controlled Senate.
CHICAGO (AP) — Prosecutors still insist Jussie Smollett faked a racist, anti-gay attack on himself in the hopes that the attention would advance his acting career. The “Empire” star still says he was assaulted by two men late at night in downtown Chicago.
But with little explanation, authorities on Tuesday abruptly dropped all charges against Smollett. They abandoned the criminal case after only five weeks. In return, prosecutor say, the actor agreed to let the city keep his $10,000 in bail.
The dismissal drew a backlash from the mayor and police chief. It also raised the question of why Smollett was not forced to admit any wrongdoing.
Among those sure to keep pressing for answers is Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. He appeared blindsided by the decision and visibly angry. He called it “a whitewash.”
JERUSALEM (AP) — The Palestinian Health Ministry says an 18-year-old has been shot dead in West Bank clashes with Israeli troops.
The ministry says Israeli soldiers shot Sajed Mizher after stones were thrown at them early Wednesday during an arrest raid in the Dheisheh refugee camp near Bethlehem. It says two others were wounded in the clashes, which come amid an uptick in West Bank violence.
The Israeli military had no immediate comment. It often carries out pre-dawn arrest raids.
Since 2015, Palestinians have killed over 50 Israelis in stabbings, shootings and car-ramming attacks in the West Bank. Israeli forces have killed more than 260 Palestinians in that same period. Israel says most of the Palestinians killed were attackers, but clashes between protesters and soldiers have also turned deadly.
(AP) The Federal Aviation Administration is expected to undergo a major revamp of its airplane construction oversight this summer after questions were raised about how it manages inspections.
The U.S. Transportation Department’s inspector general will reveal the plans during a Senate aviation subcommittee hearing scheduled for Wednesday. He will further discuss his office’s findings of management weaknesses with a number of the agency’s oversight processes over the years.
The subcommittee will also hear from the acting head of the FAA and the nation’s top transportation safety investigator on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, a key House chairman wants an independent review of Boeing’s proposed fixes to its 737 Max aircraft, which has been grounded worldwide for two weeks after crashes that killed a combined 346 people.
LONDON (AP) — The leader of the House of Commons says Britain’s government still hopes to bring Prime Minister Theresa May’s European Union divorce deal back to Parliament for a vote this week.
Andrea Leadsom told the BBC on Wednesday that there is a “real possibility” the agreement will be considered on Thursday or Friday.
She says “we’re completely determined to make sure that we can get enough support to bring it back.” She added that the deal is the only way to guarantee Britain leaves the EU.
Some opponents say they may now vote for the deal amid fears parliamentary deadlock will lead to Brexit being delayed or abandoned.
Brexit supporter Jacob Rees-Mogg says May’s deal is still a bad one, but “the risk is, if I don’t back it, we don’t leave the EU at all.”
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