– Wayne Byers Show – Morning – June 5

CSi Weather…

.TODAY…Sunny. Highs in the upper 70s. Northwest winds 5 to 10 mph.

.TONIGHT…Mostly clear. Lows in the mid 50s. East winds 5 to

15 mph.

.SATURDAY…Partly sunny with a 30 percent chance of rain showers

and thunderstorms in the Jamestown area, 50 percent in the Valley City area.. Highs in the mid 70s. Southeast winds 15 to 25 mph with gusts to around 40 mph.

.SATURDAY NIGHT…Showers and thunderstorms likely. Lows in the

lower 60s. Southeast winds 20 to 25 mph with gusts to around

40 mph. Chance of precipitation 60 percent in the Jamestown area, 70 percent in the Valley City area.

.SUNDAY…Mostly cloudy in the morning, then sunny with a

20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon in the Jamestown area, 30 percent in the Valley City area.

Some thunderstorms may be severe. Highs in the upper 80s. South

winds 15 to 20 mph with gusts to around 35 mph.

.SUNDAY NIGHT…Partly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of showers

and thunderstorms. Some thunderstorms may be severe. Lows in the

mid 60s.

.MONDAY…Mostly sunny. A 20 percent chance of showers and

thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs in the mid 80s.

.MONDAY NIGHT…Increasing clouds. A 40 percent chance of rain

showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the upper 50s.

.TUESDAY…Partly sunny with a 30 percent chance of rain showers

and thunderstorms. Highs around 70.

.TUESDAY NIGHT…Partly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of rain

showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the lower 50s.

.WEDNESDAY…Partly sunny with a 30 percent chance of rain

showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 60s.

.WEDNESDAY NIGHT…Mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of rain

showers and thunderstorms in the evening, then partly cloudy

after midnight. Lows in the upper 40s.

.THURSDAY…Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid 60s.

A small risk of large hail may develop as early as late tonight or more likely on Saturday morning.

By Sunday, a potential for significant-severe hazards including very large

hail, damaging winds and a few tornadoes. As a result, the Storm

Prediction Center has placed a good portion of North Dakota under

an “Enhanced Risk”.

What is most certain with any storm that develops this weekend is heavy rain.

Storm motion should be fast enough to limit any flood threat unless

training storms develop.

COVID-19 Statistics…

NDDoH

Posted Thurs. Jun. 4, 2020

11:00 a.m.

Positive COVID-19 Test Results
Results listed are from the previous day.
COUNTIES WITH NEW POSITIVE CASES REPORTED THURSDAY

Barnes County – 1
Barnes Total 6
Bottineau County – 1
Burleigh County – 2
Cass County – 20
Mountrail County – 1
Richland County – 1
Sargent County – 1

Valley City (NDD0H) The North Dakota Department of Heath reported on Thursday, one additional confirmed case of COVID-19 in Barnes County.

The person is a female in her late teens, a close contact to a case. She is currently self-isolating. The county has total of six confirmed positive cases with two active.

BY THE NUMBERS

104,888 – Total Number of Tests Completed* (+3,569 total tests from yesterday)

75,744 – Total Unique Individuals Tested* (+1,242 unique individuals from yesterday)

73,038 – Total Negative (+1,215 unique individuals from yesterday)

2,706 – Total Positive (+27 unique individuals from yesterday)

0.8% – Daily Positivity Rate**

175 – Total Hospitalized (+3 individuals from yesterday)

32 – Currently Hospitalized (-2 individuals from yesterday)

2,209 – Total Recovered (+40 individuals from yesterday)

66 – Total Deaths*** (+0 individual from yesterday)

* Note that this does not include individuals from out of state and has been updated to reflect the most recent information discovered after cases were investigated.

**Because the serial tests completed and added to the total number of tests completed can result in new individuals who test positive, the daily positivity rate will be calculated using the total positives for the day by the daily number of tests completed instead of the daily number of unique individuals tested.

*** Number of individuals who tested positive and died from any cause while infected with COVID-19.

For descriptions of these categories, visit the NDDoH dashboard.

For the most updated and timely information and updates related to COVID-19, visit the NDDoH website at www.health.nd.gov/coronavirus, follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and visit the CDC website at www.cdc.gov/coronavirus.

Jamestown (CSi) The Jamestown City Council met in Special Session Thursday morning at City Hall. All members were present. All in attendance observed social distancing.

Council Members considered the proposed budget amendment to the 2020 City Budget.

The proposed amendment represents fund balances on hand and revenues anticipated for 2020 which were not included in the original 2020 budget.

Mayor Dwaine Heinrich said, the 2021 budget would not be discussed, except how the 2020 budget may affect it. Changes over the last year require the amendment. He said expected expenses incurred by the COVID-19 pandemic will have to be taken into account, in balancing the budget, along with determining the revenue projections.

He said, the council needs a good idea of where the 2020 budget exactly stands, going into budgeting for 2021, including addressing no dollars currently in the reserve fund.

The transfer of funds is still to be decided regarding revenue.

At Thursday’s meeting the City Council voted to approve the vehicle appreciation fund, adjusted by $44,741 in the General Fund.

The projected year end 2020 budget revenue is $808,770, the starting point of the 2021 budget.

The next budget meeting is set for Thursday June 11, at 10-a.m., at City Hall.

The Jun 4 meeting was shown live on CSi 67.

Jamestown (CSi) Stutsman County Auditor, COO Nicole Meland informs the public that the Stutsman County Courthouse will remain closed to the public, and all services conducted by the first floor Courthouse (Auditor, Treasurer, Recorder and Tax Director) will be suspended from Friday, June 5, 2020, beginning at 8:00 a.m. through Tuesday, June 9, 2020, to process Vote-By-Mail Election ballots.

Only election-related phone calls will be accepted. All other calls will be answered as time permits. Should you have an election-related question or wish to leave a non-election related message, please call (701) 252-9035 or email auditor@stutsmancounty.gov.

Valley City (CSi) Valley City Mayor, Dave Carlsrud says that this Sunday June 7, at 11-a.m. there will be a Black Lives Matter, Peaceful Rally at City Park in Valley City.

City police have given approval of the event.

CSi (USDA) As COVID-19 has struck the nation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) was pleased to announce the Farmers to Families (F2F) Food Box program as a part of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act helping to purchase and distribute agricultural products from across the country and get them into the hands of those in need.

The program works with suppliers packaging fresh produce, dairy and meat products into family sized food boxes then transport them to organizations like the Great Plains Food Bank.

Upcoming Great Plains Food Box distributions:

Valley City
June 9, June 23
Epworth United Methodist Church (parking lot)
680 8th Avenue Southwest
10 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Jamestown
June 9, June 23
Jamestown Civic Center (parking lot)
212 3rd Avenue Northeast
3-6 p.m.

**Cars may begin lining up one hour prior to the start of each distribution.

Bismarck (DPI) – State School Superintendent Kirsten Baesler has announced applications for two openings on the Board of Public School Education, which facilitates cooperation among the state’s various K-12 education organizations.

Baesler is executive secretary of the board and is responsible for its administration. The board has seven members, including Baesler and six members that represent groups of counties. The groups are listed in state law (NDCC 15.1-01-01(1)).

Applicants are being sought to represent two groups of counties. The person must be an eligible voter and live in one of the counties in the group. The groups are:

Burleigh, Eddy, Foster, Kidder, McLean, Sheridan, Stutsman or Wells counties (NDCC 15.1-01-01(1)(d); and
Dickey, Emmons, LaMoure, Logan, McIntosh, Ransom, Richland, or Sargent counties (NDCC 15.1-01-01(1)(c).

The application deadline for the two openings is 5 p.m. Tuesday, June 30. The one-page application form is posted on the Department of Public Instruction’s website here: https://www.nd.gov/dpi/sites/www/files/documents/SFN%20Forms/SFN%2061841.pdf

Applications should be sent to dpi@nd.gov at the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction. Applications may also be mailed to the Department of Public Instruction, 600 E. Boulevard Ave., Dept. 201, Bismarck, N.D., 58505.

Members of the Board of Public School Education are appointed by the governor and serve six-year terms. They meet on the third Monday of each month, except when the board has no pending business. Members are paid $62.50 per day, plus expenses, for meetings and for performing duties as directed by the board.

Fargo (NDSU) The NDSU Extension Service says NCR-SARE awarded more than $718,000 to 55 grant projects for the Farmer Rancher grant program, including three in North Dakota. The program offers competitive grants for farmers and ranchers who want to explore sustainable solutions to problems through on-farm research, demonstrations and educational projects.

Those selected in North Dakota included:

Megan Mahoney of MaHoney Bees and Queens, Jamestown, N.D., $9,000 for the project “Honeybee Breeding Program Designed for the Commercial Beekeeping Industry to Provide Sustainable Breeding Stock Using Artificial Insemination.”

FARGO, N.D. (AP) — Black leaders in North Dakota’s largest city pleaded for calm Thursday in the face of violent threats to disrupt a gathering in memory of George Floyd and advertised the event as a celebration and not a protest. The OneFargo event is scheduled Friday afternoon at a downtown Fargo park. Organizers had planned to march from Island Park to City Hall for a sit-in. They have scrapped that idea after social media threats surfaced to burn down the city offices and commit other violent acts. Organizer Wess Philome says anyone who is looking to destroy the “positive energy” from Friday’s event should stay home. The pledge to tone down the dissent comes after people damaged buildings and vehicles in downtown Fargo last weekend.

Fargo (KFGO) Fargo Mayor Tim Mahoney says the North Dakota National Guard will be stationed at City hall Friday.

He says the emergency declaration he issued Saturday night during the downtown riot remains in effect which will allow the national guard to return, as a precaution.

Mahoney says threats have been found on social media, made by anarchists called Antifa, a loose knit group known to create violence during demonstrations.

He says authorities are well aware of the Facebook posts that threaten to burn city hall but it’s not known if it’s credible.

The mayor says Fargo will take the measures needed to protect the city. He says “we will be prepared.”

Fargo, ND (Valley News Live)– Deputy Chief Todd Osmundson has now resigned from the Fargo Police Department. Chief Todd originally suspended Deputy Chief Osmundson for one week of unpaid leave, effective immediately.

Osmundson was reportedly seen in the crowd of protesters undercover on May 30th, holding a beer and yelling obscenities about Police.

According to the release, he was acting on his own and did not have permission to do so.

Chief Todd says that Osmundson “has accepted full ownership of his actions.”

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota election officials are working to comply with a federal judge’s order forcing the state to notify and provide a remedy for voters whose mail-in ballots are rejected due to signature discrepancies. U.S. District Judge Peter Welte’s ruled late Wednesday. North Dakota’s June 9 primary will be conducted entirely by mail after all 53 counties chose to avoid in-person voting due to the coronavirus. Advocacy groups sued the state last month over a law that requires signatures on absentee ballots and ballot applications to match. The state didn’t notify voters if their ballot was rejected for a mismatched signature.

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A former sheriff in North Dakota won’t spend any time behind bars after reaching a plea agreement with prosecutors on accusations he stole more than $750,000 from the state government. Forty-three-year-old Johnny Zip Lawson, the former Wells County sheriff, was ordered to pay full restitution during sentencing in federal court earlier this week. Minot Daily News reports he could have been sent to prison for 10 years and fined $250,000. Lawson was ordered to serve three years of supervised release. Lawson and his wife, Christine Diana Lawson, were indicted for “converting for their use $751,000 in overpayments” made from North Dakota’s Department of Human Services. She was given the same sentence earlier.

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota’s top prison administrator is resigning after 15 years to take a job in the private sector. Gov. Doug Burgum announced Thursday that Leann Bertsch is stepping down as head of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation on July 31. Dave Krabbenhoft, the agency’s head of administration, will serve as interim director. Burgum says Bertsch has taken a job at a Utah-based company that operates private correctional facilities and federal Job Corps centers. Former Gov. John Hoeven appointed Bertsch as state labor commissioner in 2004 and to head the corrections agency a year later. Bertsch also was a former state prosecutor.

In sports…

Jamestown (CSi) The Annual American Legion Post 14 Alumni Baseball is scheduled for Jack Brown Stadium in Jamestown.

The game will be played on Saturday June 6, at 11-a.m.

A free lunch will be offered after the game.

FARGO, North Dakota – In the interest of the health and safety of the Special Olympics North Dakota (SOND) community and to continuance of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the SOND State Summer Games which were scheduled for June 4-6 in Fargo will not be conducted. President/CEO, Kathleen Meagher says, “We know this is a great disappointment for the entire SOND family, but the safety of our athlete’s families, coaches, volunteers and staff remain our PRIMARY concern. This cancellation of a face to face event only compounds the feelings of disappointment and isolation. Our events are opportunities for entire communities to come together for a wonderful cause, a celebration of life, but unfortunately, joining together at this time can pose a risk to our participants and volunteers.”

SOND State Summer Games historically provided state competitions in five (5) sports to nearly 700 people with and without intellectual disabilities with the support of nearly 500 day of event volunteers.

More information at CSiNewsNow.com

MLB-SEASON NEGOTIATIONS

Players holding firm on stance for prorated pay

NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball is no closer to framing an agreement for starting the season.

Players have reaffirmed their stance for full prorated pay, leaving a huge gap with teams that could scuttle plans to start the coronavirus-delayed season around the Fourth of July and may leave owners focusing on a schedule as short as 50 games.

More than 100 players, including the union’s executive board, held a two-hour digital meeting with officials of the Major League Baseball Players Association on Thursday, a day after the union’s offer was rejected by Major League Baseball.

Management on Sunday pitched an 82-game schedule that included a sliding scale for prorated salaries, with the richer players receiving a reduced share. The union countered on Tuesday with a 114-game schedule with prorated salaries and no adjusted scale.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-NBA

AP source: NBA owners approve 22-team season restart plan

UNDATED (AP) — The NBA continues to take positive steps toward resuming a season that was suspended in March because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The league Board of Governors has approved a 22-team format for restarting the season in late July at the Disney campus near Orlando, Florida. The format calls for each team playing eight games to determine playoff seeding plus the possible utilization of a play-in tournament for the final spot in each conference postseason field.

The 22-team plan includes all teams that were holding playoff spots when the season was stopped, plus all other clubs within six games of a postseason berth. That means 13 teams from the Western Conference and nine from the East.

The players association has a call on Friday to approve the plan as well, the final step as the league attempts a reboot.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL-NBA DRAFT

NCAA sets deadline for withdrawal from NBA draft

UNDATED (AP) — The NCAA has set a new schedule for early entrants to the NBA draft to withdraw and return to school.

Players will now have until 10 days after the NBA scouting combine or Aug. 3, whichever comes earlier.

The original June 3 deadline was set to come 10 days after the completion of the combine, but the NBA postponed the combine amid the coronavirus pandemic and has yet to announce a new date.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-NHL

NHL OK’s opening of team facilities, finalizes playoff format as Pens player tests positive

UNDATED (AP) — The National Hockey League is allowing team facilities to reopen and players to take part in voluntary on- and off-ice workouts beginning Monday.

Players can skate or work out in groups of up to six at a time. Unlike training camps scheduled to begin sometime in July, these workouts are not mandatory for players.

The league also has nailed down the final details of a playoff format if the season can resume.

Every playoff series will be a best of seven after the qualifying round and teams will be re-seeded along the way instead of bracketing.

The announcement came on the heels of the Pittsburgh Penguins revealing one of their players tested positive for the coronavirus. The team said the unidentified player was not in Pittsburgh, was isolated after experiencing symptoms and has recovered.

The NHL has not yet announced the start of voluntary workouts or a firm timeline for training camps and the resumption of games.

Each conference will play its postseason games in a separate hub city to be announced. The top four teams in each conference will compete in a round-robin to determine seeding, while the next eight teams in each conference will battle for a spot in the opening round. The seven other teams have received spots in the draft lottery.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-NFL

NFL coaches allowed to return to team facilities on Friday

UNDATED (AP) — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has told the 32 clubs in a memo obtained by The Associated Press that coaching staffs may work from team complexes starting Friday.

Previously, only up to 75 people per day could be at the facilities, with coaches and players not seeking treatment for injuries barred. The maximum number of club employees in each facility will be increased to 100, subject to governmental regulations and implementation of health protocols developed by the NFL’s medical staff.

NASCAR-SCHEDULE CHANGES

NASCAR makes final alterations to schedule

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — NASCAR is set to run its All-Star race on a Wednesday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway and added one more weeknight Cup Series race as part of its latest revised schedule through July.

The All-Star race is now slated for July 15, two months after it was scheduled to be run before being postponed by the coronavirus pandemic.

NASCAR will keep its scheduled twin-bill weekend later this month at Pocono Raceway. Kansas Speedway will host the Cup Series for a Thursday night race July 23.

NASCAR-VIRUS OUTBREAK-INDIANAPOLIS

Indianapolis Motor Speedway slams door on fans at Brickyard

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indianapolis Motor Speedway will hold the July 4 IndyCar-NASCAR doubleheader without fans.

Track officials had been optimistic it could be the first major sporting venue to have fans back in the stands this summer. Instead, the stands will be empty much like the rest of the tracks since major racing resumed in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic last month.

IMS officials made the decision after consulting with local and state officials.

SPORTS-VIRUS OUTBREAK

MLS: training can resume; 7 Arkansas St athletes positive; Tottenham borrows $220M

UNDATED (AP) — A day after announcing a deal with its players’ association to resume the season with a tournament in Florida, Major League Soccer says teams may resume training.

MLS says each player and staff member must complete two tests for the coronavirus 24 hours apart, 72 hours ahead of the start of training.

Every player also must have a test for antibodies and a physical. Testing for antibodies will take place every three months.

Testing providers must be authorized by the FDA or Health Canada.

In other sports developments related to the coronavirus outbreak:

— Seven Arkansas State athletes have tested positive for COVID-19 and are self-isolating for 14 days. Chancellor Kelly Damphousse said the seven athletes are from three sports, and all were asymptomatic so far. Damphousse said contact tracing has begun, and anyone who has been exposed to any of the seven athletes will be required to quarantine for 14 days.

— Premier League club Tottenham is borrowing $220 million by using the Bank of England’s emergency pandemic loan scheme to cope with the absence of spectators from its stadium and the cancellation of two NFL games it was to stage this year. The north London club revealed the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic as the Premier League advanced plans for the competition to end its 100-day shutdown in two weeks.

— Premier League clubs have agreed to allow five substitutions per match but allowing for only three pauses to bring on substitutes. They will adopt the temporary change when the league resumes on June 17 amid the pandemic. Premier League clubs have also agreed to temporarily increase the number of substitute players from seven to nine.

— All referees in Italy’s top soccer league have tested negative for the coronavirus. The Serie A referees and some from the second division were tested at the Italian federation’s training headquarters on the outskirts of Florence. They will remain there until June 10 to have further tests and continue training and preparing for the resumption of Serie A on June 20.

— The International Olympic Committee is in talks with insurers over compensation for the postponed 2020 Tokyo Games. The IOC pays for insurance against the cancellation of an Olympics, but it is unclear if its policy covers a one-year postponement. The IOC said last month it set aside $650 million to cover potential extra costs for the postponement. Costs for organizers in Japan are expected to run to billions of dollars.

— Rafael Nadal says if he had to decide right now he wouldn’t play in the U.S. Open, but he wants to wait and see what happens with the coronavirus pandemic. The 19-time Grand Slam champion thinks it’s important that there be two requirements for tennis to return: assuring everyone’s health and making sure players from all countries can travel. All sanctioned tennis has been on hold since March.

BREES-SOCIAL MEDIA

Brees says he ‘completely missed the mark’ in flag comments

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Drew Brees is apologizing for comments that he now says were “insensitive and completely missed the mark” when he reiterated his opposition to Colin Kaepernick’s kneeling during the national anthem in 2016

Those remarks, in an interview with Yahoo, drew sharp criticism from fellow high-profile athletes and others in the wake of George Floyd’s death.

Los Angeles Lakers great LeBron James, New Orleans Saints safety Malcolm Jenkins and former NFL player Martellus Bennett were just some of the high-profile athletes to criticize Brees on their Twitter feeds.

James says he couldn’t believe Brees was still confused about what Kaepernick was trying to do. The Lakers’ star says kneeling was not about showing disrespect to the flag or the military but instead about police brutality.

In an Instagram post Thursday, Brees said he was apologizing to his friends, teammates, New Orleans, the black community, the NFL community and “anyone I hurt with my comments.” He says his words “lacked awareness and any type of compassion or empathy” and had become “divisive and hurtful.”

INDYCAR-WINDSCREEN

IndyCar drivers uncertain how aeroscreen will work at Texas

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Some IndyCar drivers are nervous heading into Saturday’s season-opening race at Texas.

They will be racing on one of the series’ trickiest tracks, in stifling heat and with the new windscreen for the first time.

The protective device was supposed to make its debut on a road course in March. But when the pandemic shut down the sports world, series officials revised the schedule.

Now, the introductory race will take place on a high-speed, high-banked Texas oval, where it has not been tested.

NCAA-COMPENSATING ATHLETES-CONGRESS

UNDATED (AP) — Federal legislation setting guidelines for college athletes to pursue money-making opportunities could be proposed within a month.

Ohio Rep. Anthony Gonzalez plans to introduce the bill and says there will be no blanket antitrust exemption for the NCAA. The Republican congressman says it’s imperative for Congress to act in time to render moot the array of state laws that are being considered or already have passed and are slated to go into effect as soon as next year.

The NCAA announced five weeks ago that it would move forward with a plan to allow athletes to earn money for endorsements, personal appearances and social media content, among other things.

Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith has said there will be no caps on how much an athlete can earn. Smith led the Knight Commission that produced the recommendations approved by the Board of Governors.

Still, the issue of a possible antitrust exemption for the NCAA has been raised because some states suspect the NCAA will use “guardrails” to put limits on athletes and their ability to maximize their earning potential in a free market.

NABC-RACIAL RECONCILIATION COMMITTEE

South Carolina’s Martin to chair hoops committee on race

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — South Carolina coach Frank Martin will chair a new committee formed by the National Association of Basketball Coaches to address issues of race and discrimination not only within intercollegiate athletics but society at large.

The NABC’s board of directors announced the new committee Thursday, saying in a statement that “coaches can and should lend their voices to making a difference on the national, regional and local levels.” But the college coaching association also wants to ensure that the concerns of student-athletes also are being addressed.

The board also released a set of recommendations for coaches, including holding in-person or virtual meetings to discuss current events and racial injustice; stressing a team’s commitment to diversity and inclusion; establish Election Day as an annual team day off; and encourage meetings with law enforcement leaders and others outside the department.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL-FLORIDA STATE-NORVELL

Coach apologizes for misstatement

UNDATED (AP) — Florida State football coach Mike Norvell has apologized after a star player accused him of lying about personally connecting with each player to discuss the police killing of George Floyd and ensuing protests against racial injustice.

Defensive tackle Marvin Wilson said last night on Twitter that he and his teammates were “outraged” by Norvell’s characterization of the contact the white, first-year coach had with the players. Wilson, who is black, went back to social media on Thursday to say the matter was settled.

TRACK-BERRY’S PROTEST

Berry ‘disappointed’ with USOPC in aftermath of Floyd death

UNDATED (AP) — Olympic hammer thrower Gwen Berry wants an apology from the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee for shaming her last summer.

She captured headlines when she used her turn on the gold-medal podium at the Pan-Am Games to raise her fist as a show of her frustration with America’s treatment of blacks. The USOPC put Berry on a 12-month probation for her gesture.

It is a gesture that has taken on new meaning in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death and the protests that have followed. Berry found it galling the USOPC recently issued a statement saying the organization “stands with those who demand equality.”

COLLEGE SPORTS-CENTRAL MICHIGAN-NCAA WAIVER

Central Michigan gets NCAA waiver to reduce men’s athletic programs

UNDATED (AP) — Central Michigan says it has received a two-year waiver from the NCAA regarding the minimum Division I sports sponsorship requirements.

Division I schools are not supposed to have fewer than six sports for male athletes. CMU announced last month it was dropping men’s track and field, citing university-wide budget cuts. That leaves the school with five men’s teams: baseball, basketball, cross country, football and wrestling.

Central Michigan requested the waiver after losing revenue due to the coronavirus pandemic.

CARL CRAWFORD ARREST

Ex-Dodgers star Carl Crawford arrested on assault charge

HOUSTON (AP) — Former Los Angeles Dodgers star Carl Crawford has been arrested after his former girlfriend accused him of assaulting her during an argument over a man she had begun dating.

An arrest affidavit filed by Houston police states Crawford went to the home of Gabriele Washington on May 8, produced a handgun from which he unloaded the ammunition in her presence, then demanded information on her latest dating relationship.

Washington told investigators that he pushed her to the floor, slammed her head against a wall and choked her.

Crawford is free on $50,000 bond.

In world and national news…

WASHINGTON (AP) — America’s workers likely suffered another devastating blow in May, with millions more jobs lost to the viral pandemic and an unemployment rate near or even above 20% for the first time since the Great Depression. Economists have forecast that the U.S. government will report that employers shed 8.5 million more jobs last month on top of the 21.4 million lost in April. A figure that large would raise the total losses since the coronavirus intensified in March to nearly 30 million — more than triple the number of jobs lost during the entire 2008-2009 Great Recession.

(AP) Shares have surged in early European trading after a broad advance in Asia as investors await U.S. jobs data for May. Wall Street futures also climbed and Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 closed Friday at its highest level since late February. Investors were awaiting more updates on the U.S. employment situation after jobless data released overnight gave the S&P 500 its first loss in five days. Investors shrugged off that news, betting on hopes for a quick recovery from the worst downturn in decades due to the coronavirus pandemic. Treasury yields rose and crude prices also rose ahead of a possible meeting of major oil producers this weekend.

Twitter has blocked a Trump campaign video tribute to George Floyd over a copyright claim. The move adds to tensions between the social media platform and the U.S. president, who is one of its most widely followed users. The company put a label on a video posted by the @TeamTrump account that said, “This media has been disabled in response to a claim by the copyright owner.” The video was still up on President Donald Trump’s YouTube channel. The clip is a montage of photos and videos of protest-related scenes set to gentle piano music and Trump speaking.

TUSKEGEE, Ala. (AP) — Deputies are investigating a cross burning on a bridge over Interstate 85 in Alabama. Sheriff Andre Brunson said the wooden cross was set ablaze Thursday night in Macon County. WRBL-TV reported that three people in passing cars stopped and ran up to scene with a fire extinguisher, calling 911 and knocking the cross down. One of them described seeing what “looked like a shadow” fleeing from the scene. Brunson says deputies arrived and helped extinguish the fire. The sheriff says they don’t have suspects so far. Cross burnings have historically been used by racist groups such as the Ku Klux Klan to rally supporters and terrorize black people.

TEMECULA, Calif. (AP) — The mayor of a Southern California city has resigned over an email that stated he didn’t “believe there’s ever been a good person of color killed by a police officer” locally. Temecula Mayor James Stewart stepped down late Thursday. He has said he never meant to put in the word ‘good’ in his Tuesday voice text and doesn’t know how it was added. Stewart had said he wanted to say that he didn’t believe Riverside County sheriff’s deputies, who also patrol Temecula, had ever killed a person of color. However, there were demonstrations after the 1998 shooting of a black woman, Tyisha Miller, by Riverside police.