– Wayne Byers Show – Morning – Feb 17

CSi Weather…

Update 10 a.m. Wed.

..WIND CHILL ADVISORY IS CANCELLED…

Only a few spots in northwestern Minnesota are below -25 for wind

chills, and even those locations will improve in the next hour or

two.

Forecast…

REST OF TODAY…..Mostly cloudy. Scattered flurries through the

day. Highs 5 to 10. Southeast winds up to 10 mph.

.TONIGHT…Mostly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of light snow after

midnight. Lows 5 to 10 below. South winds around 5 mph shifting

to the southwest after midnight. Wind chill readings 22 below to

27 below zero.

.THURSDAY…Partly sunny. Highs around 10. Northwest winds 10 to

15 mph.

.THURSDAY NIGHT…Mostly clear. Lows around 5 below. West winds

5 to 10 mph.

.FRIDAY…Sunny. Highs 15 to 20. South winds 5 to 10 mph.

.FRIDAY NIGHT…Increasing clouds. Lows 5 to 10 above.

.SATURDAY…Mostly sunny. Highs in the lower 30s.

.SATURDAY NIGHT…Mostly cloudy in the evening then clearing.

Lows 15 to 20.

.SUNDAY…Sunny. Highs in the mid 30s.

.SUNDAY NIGHT…Increasing clouds. Lows in the lower 20s.

.MONDAY…Mostly sunny. Highs in the lower 40s.

.MONDAY NIGHT…Mostly clear. Lows in the upper 20s.

.TUESDAY…Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 30s.

Update

Valley City (CCHD) City-County Health District in Valley city will be administering the COVID-19 vaccine to individuals who are 65 and older with or without chronic health conditions starting the week of February 15, 2021.

City-County Health District Administrator Theresa Will says a vaccination clinic scheduled today Weds Feb 17 at the Hi Liner Activity Center in Valley City from 7a.m. to noon….has been postponed to Wednesday February 24 again from 7-a.m., to noon. The Senior Center will provide free bus rides for those signed up to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

Still Scheduled….

Valley CCHD Free COVID-19 testing events for the VCSU and Valley City communities will be held this week: Wednesday Feb. 17 is still being held, and Friday Feb 19 from 1-2 p.m. at the W.E. Osmon Fieldhouse, “The Bubble”.Rapid testing events will be held. Each day request if you would like either the BiNax Rapid testing or the PCR test.

These are WALK-IN testing events. Colder temperatures have moved operations indoors. If you wish to be tested, please park your vehicle and enter through the west entrance. Handicap parking spaces and access are available at the east entrance. Preregistration at testreg.nd.gov is encouraged; one only needs to register once.

NDDoH

COVID-19 Stats

Tues. Feb. 16, 2021

Barnes:

New Positives 0

Total Positives 1288

Active 6

Recovered 1243

Stutsman

New Positives 1

Total Positives 3276

Active 23

Recovered 3165

COVID-19 Test Results
The results listed are from the previous day. Additional data can be found on the NDDoH website.

Please note that from now on the daily news release will be sent Monday – Friday. The NDDoH dashboard will continue to be updated daily.

BY THE NUMBERS
101,203	Residents who received at least one dose of vaccine
163,792	Total COVID-19 vaccine doses administered
4,148	Total Tests from yesterday*
1,596,286	Total tests completed since the pandemic began
136	Positive Individuals from yesterday*****
79	PCR Tests
57	Antigen Tests
98,781	Total positive individuals since the pandemic began
4.24%	Daily Positivity Rate**
786	Total Active Cases
+19	Change in active cases from yesterday
100	Individuals with a recovery date of yesterday****
96,564	Total recovered since the pandemic began
46	Currently hospitalized
+4	Change in hospitalizations from yesterday
0	New death(s)
1,431	Total deaths since the pandemic began
INDIVIDUALS WHO DIED WITH COVID-19
No deaths to report

NEW POSITIVE CASES REPORTED TODAY BY COUNTY

Adams		0	Grant	0	Ransom	0
Barnes		0	Griggs	0	Renville	0
Benson		0	Hettinger	0	Richland	1
Billings		0	Kidder	0	Rolette	1
Bottineau		2	LaMoure	0	Sargent	0
Bowman		0	Logan	0	Sheridan	1
Burke		0	McHenry	3	Sioux	0
Burleigh		19	McIntosh	0	Slope	0
Cass		32	McKenzie	3	Stark	2
Cavalier		0	McLean	1	Steele	1
Dickey		0	Mercer	0	Stutsman	1
Divide		1	Morton	6	Towner	0
Dunn		0	Mountrail	0	Traill	0
Eddy		0	Nelson	0	Walsh	1
Emmons		0	Oliver	0	Ward	22
Foster		1	Pembina	4	Wells	3
Golden Valley		0	Pierce	3	Williams	6
Grand Forks		20	Ramsey	2

* Note that this includes PCR and antigen; it does not include individuals from out of state.

**Individuals (PCR or antigen) who tested positive divided by the total number of people tested who have not previously tested positive (susceptible encounters).

*** Number of individuals who tested positive with a PCR or antigen test and died from any cause while infected with COVID-19. Please remember that deaths are reported as they’re reported to us by the facility or through the official death record (up to 10-day delay).

**** The actual date individuals are officially out of isolation and no longer contagious.

*****Daily positive numbers include people who tested with a PCR or antigen test. Totals may be adjusted as individuals are found to live out of state, in another county, or as other information is found during investigation.

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.

Update:

Valley City Administrator, Gwen Crawford says the Power Emergency Alert level has been reduced from Level 3 to Level 1, which indicates the chance of rolling black outs continuing is lessening, but not eliminated.

City officials were not notified when the blackout will occur, however officials now report that advance notification of a blackout will happen, but be alert for possible rolling blackouts.

Valley City (CSi) Stemming from rolling electrical blackouts, the Valley City Public Works Department is asking residents to limit water usage until further notice.

The rolling blackouts were reported to be occurring in North Dakota and other parts of the country. The electrical outage, cuts power to the sewage lift stations.

The City of Valley City is informing residents that some areas were without power yesterday, stemming from mandatory rolling electrical blackouts.

The city reports extreme cold throughout the state and country has made the state of North Dakota implement mandatory rolling blackouts. Each blackout is expected to last between 30 minutes.

City officials are not notified when the blackout will occur.

City officials were not notified when the blackout will occur, however officials now report that advance notification of a blackout will happen, but be alert for possible rolling blackouts.

Fergus Falls, MN (OTPC) Ongoing cold temperatures in our region and throughout the nation are causing high demand for electricity. Some electric utility customers are experiencing rolling outages as a result. Otter Tail Power Company, serving approximately 70,000 square miles in parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota, is still producing and delivering energy to its more than 130,000 customers.

Otter Tail Power Company is a member of the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) regional transmission organization. This is an independent not-for-profit organization that ensures safe, cost-effective power across 15 U.S. states and the Canadian province of Manitoba. MISO is not requesting planned rolling outages from its member utilities at this time.

The Southwest Power Pool (SPP) regional transmission organization, which serves in a similar capacity for 17 U.S. states, has ordered rolling outages for its member utilities in an effort to not exceed what current energy generation and transmission can supply.

MISO and SPP overlap in much of Otter Tail Power Company’s service area, especially throughout North Dakota and South Dakota, as well as western Minnesota.

We encourage you to be prepared in case of an emergency, and we’ll be sure to provide updates as soon as we can if the situation changes.

Bismarck (CSi) During a phone call Tuesday with the administrator of the Western Area Power Administration (WAPA), Gov. Doug Burgum urged the agency to give North Dakota utilities and their customers as much advance warning as possible before temporarily shutting off their electricity as directed by market operator Southwest Power Pool (SPP).

SPP is implementing rolling blackouts to balance the power load across its 14-state region, including North Dakota, as demand for electricity is skyrocketing due to extreme cold weather gripping the central U.S. as far south as Texas, where 4.5 million people were without power today, and supply of electricity is dropping due to production issues with intermittent sources.

In addition to requesting as much notice as possible before a rolling blackout happens, Burgum also urged WAPA Administrator Mark Gabriel to consider the secondary effects and unintended consequences of rolling blackouts on critical infrastructure such as natural gas processing plants in western North Dakota. Burgum noted that cutting power to those processing plants threatens to interrupt the supply of natural gas flowing to consumers’ homes as well as to North Dakota gas-fired peaking plants that are generating electricity and helping to keep power flowing across the central United States.

Valley City (CSi) The Valley City Commission met in Regular Session, Tuesday evening virtually via the Zoom platform.

All members were present.

Discussion was held on the Valley City Mask Plan. Mayor Carlsrud said, the commission had three options, on the Mask Mandate that expires on Friday February 19, 2021. Options included ending the mask mandate in place, ending at the meeting date, or extending the mandate.

Commissioner Magnuson moved to end the mask mandate, only, in the Emergency Order.

Mayor Carlsrud agreed to end the mask mandate, which can be reimposed at a later date, with City Commission approval. The Commissioners voted unanimously to repeal the mask mandate. Masking up in Valley City public buildings by employees is still encouraged, if social distancing is not being observed, with a specific plan to be developed.

APPROVAL OF CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS:

Approve Electrician, Plumber and/or Mechanical Contractor License(s) for the following businesses:
Bakkegard & Schell, Inc.
Peterson Mechanical Inc.
Kohn Electric LLC
Enterprise Electric, Inc
Keith’s Air Conditioning, Refrigeration & Heating, Inc.

Hi-Line Electric, Inc. Master Electricians License Contingient Pending

Bentson Electric
Dakota Electric Construction
Hope Electric
Scott’s Electric
BDT Mechanical

Approve Raffle Permit for the following:
Dakota Plans Ag
Valley City Music Boosters
District 24 Republicans

Public Comments No one spoke

ORDINANCE

Approved the first reading of Ordinance 1073 an Ordinance enacting new section of Valley City Municipal Code related to demonstrations and assemblies. City Attorney Martineck said based on activities over the past nine months, the Ordinance regulates appropriate activities, and restricts times and places to set up pickets and protests, and to notify police prior. Bull Horns are limited for use during certain hours. Violators will be guilty of an infraction with no jail time, and a fine up to $1,000, handled in municipal court.

NEW BUSINESS

Approved the VCBCDC request for $16,254. Director, Jennifer Feist said, the dollars will be used for small project funding, with reimbursements to the taxing authority.

Approved changing the April 20th Commission meeting to Monday, April 19th to allow for NDLC training. Finance Director Richter said the conference will be held in Bismarck and the change in date will allow those interest to attend.

Approved to move forward with 2021 Main Street Seal Coat Project. City Administrator Crawford said the approval includes specifics with elements of the project approved.

Approved a Recommendation from Renaissance Zone Authority Board to approve application by Valley Bridges Properties, LLC at 753 8 ½ Ave NW for the 5 year property tax and 5 year income tax exemption up to $300,000 for construction of new home, contingent on their Certificate of Good Standing, and designate it as VC-127. Avis Richter said, certificate in good standing has been approved by the state.

CITY ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT:

Gwen Crawford said, the Chamber Bucks promotion is going well, adding that the Chamber will adjust purchasing hours if needed on a case by case basis. She said water tower changes will continue to be addressed at future meetings with those involved. She thanked department employees for working outside, during the brutally cold temperatures.

She was notified during the meeting that the Power Emergency level has been reduced from Level 3 to Level 1, which indicates the chance of rolling black outs continuing is lessening.

City officials were not notified when the blackout will occur, however officials now report that advance notification of a blackout will happen, but be alert for possible rolling blackouts.

CITY UPDATES &COMMISSION REPORTS

City Attorney Martineck said the wireless communications items are being addressed, with the topic coming up for review in March.

Avis Richter said it’s possible that beginning in March the City Commission meetings are likely to return to City Hall.

Fire Chief Scott Magnuson reminds residents to keep sewer and furnace vents clear of ice, change furnace filters regularly and make sure floor drains have water in them to eliminate sewer gas in buildings.

Commission Gulmon said there remains $150,000 in the Chamber Bucks Love of Local funding.

The meeting was shown live on CSi Cable 68 followed by replays.

Valley CCHD Free COVID-19 testing events for the VCSU and Valley City communities will be held this week: Wednesday Feb. 17 and Friday Feb 19 from 1-2 p.m. at the W.E. Osmon Fieldhouse, “The Bubble”.Rapid testing events will be held. Each day request if you would either the BiNax Rapid testing or the PCR test.

Valley City (Chamber (2-16-21) Valley City Mayor, Dave Carlsrud has issued a new message to residents.”

“February has seemed like the month where we begin crawling out of winter. I have always felt once we hit February, we would have cold snaps, but they are shorter, so much for that theory. Oh well, patience, there is some warmer weather in the forecasts.

Be friendly spread some happiness. Say “Hi” to people you don’t know, wave to people walking and driving. “Reach out and touch someone” you haven’t visited in a while with a phone call.

“LOVE OF LOCAL” has a good start. Remember to buy Chamber Bucks in the Rosebud Center at a discount and redeem them in Valley City businesses at full face value. Chamber Bucks cannot be deposited in your bank. IT’S A GOOD DEAL!!

COVID VACCINATIONS, visit the City-County Health District website, citycountyhealth.org or call 845-8518.

The mitigations, washing hands, social distancing and masking when we can’t social distance, have put our area in a good position in the battle with COVID. Please continue mitigating and with more vaccinations, we’ll have a chance! Thank you for your efforts.

Gosh this has been a long pull, about a year now and I have some “COVID Fatigue”. This afternoon I was “short” in a statement to my wife, I don’t normally do that and she didn’t deserve it. That said, I searched “behavior health” and found 1. Getting enough sleep. 2. Healthy eating. 3. Exercise can all help us feel better about life and ourselves. 4. Practice gratitude, when I am thinking about all for which I have to be grateful, stress is greatly diminished.

“Don’t wait for people to be friendly, show them how.”

(Henry James)

Blessings, Pray, Be Safe and Be Kind,

Dave

Bismarck (ND Aeronautics Commission) North Dakota’s eight commercial service airports posted a total of 42,238 airline passenger boardings during the month of January, 2021. This is a 57% decline of the passengers that the state experienced during the same month last year which was pre COVID-19 pandemic.

North Dakota Aeronautics Commission Kyle Wanner says, “The negative impacts that COVID-19 has had on airline passenger demand is continuing into 2021. It is however, encouraging to see COVID-19 cases in North Dakota and throughout the country trending lower which can have a direct impact on an individual’s decision to travel. We also remain optimistic that further passenger growth will occur as Spring approaches and penned up travel demand may help to jumpstart the recovery.”

January 2021 Jamestown airline boardings were 389 compared to 823 in January of 2020.

Update…

Sanborn (CSi) The City of Sanborn announces that the water service will be shut off on Thursday February 18, 2021, starting at 8-a.m, to repair the water leak.

Sanborn residents continue to be asked to limit their water usage until further notice as crews plan to repair a water leak that has persisted since Thursday, February 11th.

City spokeswoman Julie Franklin says the repair work will take several hours to complete possibly more than 24 hours. Store water or obtain water from a different source until the repair is completed.

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The Legislature is set to continue a committee that’s studying ways to spend earnings from North Dakota’s voter-approved oil tax savings account. The Legacy Fund Earnings Committee got the approval by the House and is poised to get the OK in the Senate. The 11-member committee includes Senate and House majority and minority leaders. The committee was formed to years ago and has held several meetings around the state but has not yet developed a plan for Legacy Fund earnings. The fund has hold about $8 billion and is expected to earn about $500 million in the next budget cycle.

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The North Dakota Senate has killed a bill seeking to ban companies such as Apple and Google from requiring app developers to exclusively use their app store and payment system. Only 11 of the chamber’s 47 senators voted in favor of the bill Wednesday. Republican Sen. Kyle Davison, of Fargo, said his bill sought to “level the playing field” against companies he called monopolies. Fessenden GOP Sen. Jerry Kline and other opponents of the bill argued it interferes with the free market and could put people’s security and privacy at risk.

In sports….

Jamestown (UJ) The University of Jamestown men’s volleyball team swept this week’s edition of the Hauff Mid-America Sports/GPAC Volleyball Player of the Week awards, the conference office announced Tuesday.

Attacker – Zack Meyer, University of Jamestown (Outside)

Zack Meyer of the University of Jamestown is this week’s GPAC/Hauff Mid-America Sports Volleyball Attacker-of-the-Week. Meyer, a junior, from Wheaton, Illinois, had 26 kills and hit .512 in helping seventh ranked Jamestown to a pair of conference wins last week. He had 17 kills in a 3-1 win at No. 15 Ottawa. He made just one error with nine kills in 14 attempts in UJ’s 3-0 win at Morningside.

Setter- Derek Correa, University of Jamestown

Derek Correa of the University of Jamestown is this week’s GPAC/Hauff Mid-America Sports Volleyball Setter-of-the-Week. Correa, a freshman, from Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, averaged 6.14 assists per set in helping seventh ranked Jamestown (N.D.) to a pair of wins last week. He piled up 26 assists in a 3-1 win at #17 Ottawa.

Defender – Austin Jacob, University of Jamestown (Middle Blocker)

Austin Jacob of the University of Jamestown is this week’s GPAC/Hauff Mid-America Sports Men’s Volleyball Defender-of-the-Week. Jacob, a freshman, from Houston, Texas, had nine total blocks in a pair of wins for seventh ranked Jamestown last week. He currently ranks 12th in the NAIA in blocks per set.

The Jimmies, 4-1 overall and ranked seventh in the latest NAIA Coaches’ Poll, host Dordt (Iowa) University Tuesday at 7 p.m.

(UJ) The seventh-ranked University of Jamestown men’s volleyball team was successful in its home debut Tuesday night, defeated Dordt (Iowa) 3-0 at Harold Newman Arena. Set scores were 25-16, 25-20, and 25-21.

Jamestown, now 5-1 overall and 3-0 in the GPAC, travels to William Penn (Iowa) Thursday to begin a stretch of four matches in three days. UJ will play at No. 1 Grand View (Iowa), then take on 15th-ranked Ottawa (Kan.) and Morningside (Iowa) at the GPAC Classic in Sioux City, Iowa, on Saturday.

Four Jimmies registered at least eight kills, led by Tanner Woods (FR/Huntington Beach, Calif.) and Samuel Jackman (SO/St. Jean Baptiste, Manitoba) with nine. Clark Steele (JR/Lake Forest, Calif.) hit .462 on eight kills and Derek Owens (FR/Andover, Minn.) hit .385 also on eight kills.

Derek Correa (FR/Vega Baja, Puerto Rico) (22) and Caylor Cox (FR/Helena, Mont.) (14) combined for 36 of UJ’s 39 assists.

Woods led the defense with seven digs and three solo blocks. Braden Neumann (JR/Costa Mesa, Calif.) had six digs while Jackman also had three solo blocks.

Dordt closed within 13-12 in the first set before the Jimmies responded with 12 of the final 16 points to take a 1-0 match lead.

Jamestown trailed 17-15 in set two but scored seven straight, thanks to four attack errors and a ball handling error in the run. A Dordt service error gave UJ the winning set point and a 2-0 lead in the match.

The Jimmies never trailed in the third set, opening up an 11-6 lead before the Defenders got within a point after a 4-0 run. Two kills by Jackman and another by Woods stretched UJ’s lead to four. Dordt got as close as 20-19 before Jamestown took four of the next six points, then used an Ever Cancel (FR/Mayaguez, Puerto Rico) kill to finish off the sweep.

BOY’S HOCKEY

WDA QUARTER FINALS

Bottineau-Rugby 7, Jamestown 4

GIRL’S HOCKEY

Devils Lake 3 Jamesttown 2

BOYS PREP BASKETBALL=

Bismarck Legacy 74, Jamestown 65

Wahpeton 83 Valley City 65

Lisbon 68, Oakes 59

Ellendale 81, Kidder County 49

Harvey/Wells County 50, Carrington 38

Bismarck St. Mary’s 68, Bismarck Century 60

Bowman County 76, Hettinger/Scranton 33

Cavalier 88, Park River-Fordville/Lankin 39

Center-Stanton 55, Grant County 54

Central Cass 65, Maple Valley 36

Central McLean 76, Max 42

Devils Lake 77, Grand Forks Central 61

Dickinson 76, Williston 59

Drake-Anamoose 59, Garrison 55

Edgeley-Kulm-Montpelier 63, Wyndmere-Lidgerwood 59

Fargo Davies 79, Fargo South 70

Flasher 70, Wilton-Wing 68, OT

Four Winds/Minnewaukan 119, Warwick 37

Hazen 75, Heart River 68

Hillsboro/Central Valley 51, Thompson 45

Kenmare 61, Stanley 54

Killdeer 62, Richardton-Taylor 43

Kindred 65, Hatton-Northwood 46

Langdon-Edmore-Munich 85, Griggs Central/Midkota Co-op 38

Lewis and Clark North Shore 63, Tioga 61

Lewis and Clark-Berthold 53, Velva 46

Linton-HMB 68, New Salem-Almont 41

Mandan 80, Bismarck High 72

Midway-Minto 80, Lakota 50

Moorhead, Minn. 72, Fargo North 69

Napoleon/Gackle-Streeter 67, South Border 39

Nedrose 77, Towner-Granville-Upham 69

New England 77, Harding County, S.D. 46

North Border 69, Drayton/Valley-Edinburg 42

Our Redeemer’s 65, Bottineau 54

Powers Lake 63, Glenburn 30

Rugby 51, Bishop Ryan 44

Sheyenne 80, Grand Forks Red River 62

Trenton 58, Parshall 46

Tri-State 64, Wilmot, S.D. 36

Trinity Christian 84, Alexander 31

Wahpeton 83, Valley City 65

West Fargo 74, Fargo Shanley 63

Westhope-Newburg 72, Surrey 61

GIRLS PREP BASKETBALL=

Bismarck Legacy 68, Jamestown 61

Valley City 77, Wahpeton 55

Beulah 56, Mott-Regent 32

Bismarck Century 94, Bismarck St. Mary’s 40

Devils Lake 85, Grand Forks Central 57

Dickinson 58, Williston 20

Fargo Davies 87, Fargo South 51

Fargo Shanley 63, West Fargo 53

Grand Forks Red River 76, Sheyenne 52

Mandan 74, Bismarck High 67

Watford City 48, Minot 36

NBA

— LeBron James had 30 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists for the Lakers in a 112-104 downing of the Timberwolves. Dennis Schröder scored 24 points and Montrezl (MAHN’-trehz) Harrell pitched in 17 points as Los Angeles won in Minnesota for the first time in eight games since March 2015.

— Brooklyn picked up its fourth win in a row by turning a 24-point deficit into a 128-124 decision over the Suns. James Harden scored 38 points and Joe Harris added 22 as the Nets overcame the absences of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving due to injuries. Harden’s 3-pointer with 31 seconds left gave the Nets their first lead of the game at 126-124.

— Zion Williamson dominated the inside scoring 31 points on 13 of 16 shooting as the Pelicans hammered the Grizzlies, 144-113 to end a three-game losing streak. Josh Hart finished with a season-high 27 points for New Orleans, while Brandon Ingram had 22 points.

UNDATED (AP) — Nikola Jokic (nih-KOH’-lah YOH’-kihch) registered his third 40-point game of the season, but it wasn’t enough for the Denver Nuggets.

The Nuggets’ three-game winning streak is over after they wasted Jokic’s 43 points in a 112-99 loss at Boston. Jaylen Brown had 27 points and eight assists for the Celtics, who turned 17 turnovers into 23 points and led by 15 in the first half.

Jayson Tatum added 21 points and eight assists as Boston bounced back following two anemic performances in back-to-back losses to Detroit and Washington.

Checking out Wednesday’s other NBA action:

— Damian Lillard scored 12 of his 31 points in the final 4:11 to help the Trail Blazers pick up their fifth consecutive victory, 115-104 at Oklahoma City. Portland squandered a 24-point lead in the second half, then regained control as Lillard made all four of his 3-point tries during the closing run while playing with five fouls.

— Fred VanVleet dropped in 33 points and Pascal Siakam (see-A’-kam) added 23 in the Raptors’ 124-113 win at Milwaukee. The Bucks lost their fourth in a row despite getting 34 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists from Giannis Antetokounmpo (YAH’-nihs an-teh-toh-KOON’-poh).

— The Pistons-Mavericks game in Dallas was postponed as the state of Texas deals with with icy conditions for travel and widespread power outages.

NBA-NEWS

More Spurs games canceled amid outbreak

UNDATED (AP) — The NBA says the San Antonio Spurs are dealing with a coronavirus outbreak among four players, putting their schedule on hold until the middle of next week at the earliest.

The league has postponed five more games: the next three for the Spurs as well as the next two for the Charlotte Hornets while contact tracing is completed.

In NBA news:

— Knicks center Mitchell Robinson will be out until after next month’s All-Star break after having surgery Tuesday to repair a broken right hand. Robinson was hurt last Friday in Washington when he banged his hand trying to block a shot. Robinson shot an NBA-record 74.2% from the field last season and was leading the league at 66% when he was hurt.

— Timberwolves point guard D’Angelo Russell will undergo arthroscopic surgery Wednesday on his left knee and be sidelined for four to six weeks. Russell missed the last three games due to soreness in his left leg and was diagnosed with a loose body in his knee. He is averaging 19.3 points and 5.1 assists this season on 42.6% shooting.

— The mayor of Atlanta is raising concerns about the notion of fans coming to the city for the NBA All-Star Game and skills competitions on March 7. Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms says, “People should not travel to Atlanta to party.”

— The Bucks will start having a limited number of spectators at their home games beginning tonight against the Raptors. They’ll have 250 spectators Tuesday, 500 for Thursday’s game with Toronto and 750 for Friday’s game with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Members of the general public will be allowed to attend games starting Sunday when the Bucks face the Kings.

TOP 25 MEN’S BASKETBALL

UNDATED (AP) — Illinois had a lapse in the second half before extending their winning streak.

The fifth-ranked Illini picked up their sixth straight win by getting past Northwestern, 73-66.

The Illini shot 60% from the field in taking a 38-26 halftime lead. The Wildcats got within two before suffering their 12th straight loss.

Kofi Cockburn had 17 points and 17 rebounds for his 14th double-double of the season. Ayo Dosunmu chipped in 13 points and helped the Illini open the game with a 25-7 run.

In other top-25 men’s basketball action:

— Toumani Camara scored 15 points, including a big three-point play, as Georgia rallied to beat No. 20 Missouri 80-70. Justin Kier to help the Bulldogs deal the Tigers their third straight loss. Georgia trailed 48-35 but ended the game on an 18-8 run.

Davonte Davis led four Arkansas players in double figures with 18 points, propelling the No. 24 Razorbacks over Florida 75-64. Arkansas blew a 15-point lead before earning its seventh straight win and first since cracking the top-25.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Baylor to resume slate next Tuesday

UNDATED (AP) — Second-ranked Baylor is set to resume its schedule next Tuesday following a six-game hiatus that started because of COVID-19 protocols.

The Bears are scheduled to play Iowa State at home after the Big 12 announced the postponement of Saturday’s home game against Oklahoma State. The conference didn’t specify whether the Oklahoma State postponement was over COVID-19 issues or the wintry weather affecting Texas.

Baylor hasn’t played since matching the best start in school history at 17-0 with an 83-69 win over No. 12 Texas on Feb. 2.

In other COVID-related men’s basketball news:

— The Boston College-Georgia Tech game scheduled for Wednesday has been postponed. The Atlantic Coast Conference said the postponement was due to the continued quarantines and contact tracing within the Boston College program.

NHL…

UNDATED (AP) — The Washington Capitals ended a pair of streaks on Wednesday.

The Capitals’ 3-1 victory at Pittsburgh halts Washington’s four-game skid and stops the Penguins’ season-opening home winning streak at five games. Conor Sheary and Jakub Vrana scored in the second period to support Vitek Vanecek (VEE’-tehk VAN’-ih-vhehk), who made 26 saves in his 11th straight start.

Tristan Jarry made 39 saves for the Penguins, who scored six times against the Capitals on Sunday.

Elsewhere on NHL ice:

— The Avalanche pulled out a 3-2 win over the Golden Knights on Nazem Kadri’s (NA’-zehm KA’-dreez) goal with 41 seconds left in regulation. Nathan MacKinnon and Brandon Saad also scored for Colorado, while Philip Grubauer stopped 27 shots.

— Ilya Sorokin’s first NHL victory was a shutout as he made 20 saves in the Islanders’ 3-0 win over the Sabres. Anders Lee scored twice, including a last-second empty netter, to help the Isles improve to 5-0-3 in their last eight games.

— The Rangers absorbed their fourth straight loss as Yegor Sharangovich (yeh-GOHR’ shar-ehn-GOH’-vihch) and Nicholas Merkley scored in the third period of the Devils’ 5-2 victory against their neighbors. Pavel Zacha (ZAH’-kah), Will Butcher and Mikhail Maltsev also scored for New Jersey, which returned to action for the first time this month after an extended pause due to a COVID-19 outbreak.

— The Kings earned a 4-0 win over the Wild as Jonathan Quick handled 28 shots in his first shutout of the season and 53rd of his career. Jaret Anderson-Dolan had a goal and an assist against Minnesota, which was playing for the first time since Feb. 2 due to a COVID-19 outbreak.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-NHL

More Flyers practice

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Flyers returned to practice in limited quantities after a weeklong shutdown because of the virus.

The Flyers had 16 players on the ice for yesterday’s workout. General manager Chuck Fletcher expects eight more to be cleared for practice today.

Philadelphia has seven players on the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol list.

TENNIS-AUSTRALIAN OPEN

Muchova, Brady advance

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Karolina Muchova (moo-KOH’-vah) has moved into the semifinals of the Australian Open after a surprising win over the world’s No. 1 player.

Muchova took an injury timeout early in the second set and rallied to a 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 win over Ash Barty. Her comeback win ended Barty’s bid to become the first Australian woman to win the title in Melbourne since Chris O’Neil in 1978.

Muchova’s opponent Thursday will be the winner of the last quarterfinal, an all-American matchup between No. 22-seeded Jennifer Brady and unseeded Jessica Pegula.

Barty dropped just six points in taking a 5-0 lead in the opening set.

Next up for Muchova is Jennifer Brady, who has reached her second Grand Slam semifinal in a row by beating fellow American and good friend Jessica Pegula (peh-GOO’-luh), 4-6, 6-2, 6-1. Brady struggled at times and gave her racket an angry toss midway through the second set before rallying.

On the men’s side, No. 4-seed Daniil (dah-NIHL’) Medvedev moved into the third Grand Slam semifinal of his career and pushed his current winning streak to 19 matches by beating Andrey Rublev, 7-5, 6-3, 6-2. The stifling hot weather left Medvedev needing a massage for cramping in his left thigh before he could stand up for his on-court TV interview.

AUSTRALIAN OPEN-FANS

Fans to return after 5-day lockdown in Melbourne

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Fans will be allowed back at the Australian Open after a five-day lockdown in Melbourne.

Australia’s second-largest city is set to relax its third lockdown after authorities contained the spread of a COVID-19 cluster centered on hotel quarantine. Tournament director Craig Tiley says the crowd will be capped at 7,477 — half the capacity of Rod Laver Arena — starting Thursday.

Crowds of up to 30,000 a day were allowed into Melbourne Park for the first five days of the tournament. Those were the first sizable crowds in 12 months at a major.

MLB-PHILLIES-HERRERA

Herrera gets an invite to spring training

UNDATED (AP) — Former All-Star center fielder Odubel (oh-DOO’-bul) Herrera was among 31 non-roster players the Philadelphia Phillies have invited to spring training.

Herrera, hasn’t played for the Phillies since 2019 when he was suspended under Major League Baseball’s domestic violence policy. The charges against Herrera were dismissed but he was removed from the team’s 40-man roster last year and wasn’t part of the 60-player pool for the shortened season.

Catcher Jeff Mathis signed a minor league deal with the Phils on Tuesday and will join the major league camp. Mathis batted .161 in 24 games for Texas last season.

Elsewhere in the majors:

— The Athletics finalized their one-year, $3.5 million package with Mike Fiers (FY’-urz) after he passed his physical. Fiers earned a team-high six wins for Oakland last season after going 15-4 with a no-hitter and a 21-start unbeaten stretch in 2019.

— The Braves beat Dansby Swanson in salary arbitration, and the shortstop will earn $6 million rather than his request for $6.7 million. The 27-year-old Swanson hit .274 with 10 homers and 35 RBIs last season in an NL-high 237 at-bats.

— The Red Sox have signed Japanese right-hander Hirokazu Sawamura to a two-year contract. Sawamura joins the Red Sox after a 10-year stint in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball league. He went 48-52 with 75 saves, four shutouts, a 2.77 ERA and 790 strikeouts in 352 appearances, including 88 starts.

— The Mets have sent right-hander Corey Oswalt to the minors and released reliever Brad Brach (brahk). Oswalt cleared waivers and was assigned outright to Triple-A Syracuse. Brach was designated for assignment last week and is guaranteed a salary of just over $2 million this year.

— The Indians have signed veteran reliever Blake Parker to a minor league contract with an invitation to training camp. The 35-year-old Parker spent the past two seasons with the Phillies and was 3-0 with a 2.81 ERA in 14 games for Philly last year.

— Bullpen coach Matt Wise will serve as the Los Angeles Angels’ interim pitching coach. He replaces Mickey Callaway, who is being investigated by Major League Baseball over allegations of inappropriate behavior toward several women who work in sports media.

NFL-DOLPHINS-SANDERS

Dolphins kicker signs extension

UNDATED (AP) — Miami Dolphins kicker Jason Sanders has signed a $22 million contract extension through 2026. The deal includes $10 million guaranteed.

Sanders is the Dolphins’ leader in career field goal percentage. He was chosen All-Pro after tying the franchise’s single-season points record with 144 in 2020.

Elsewhere in the NFL:

— A person familiar with the situation says the Panthers are releasing two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kawann Short. Short has played in just five games over the last two seasons due to separate shoulder injuries that twice landed him on injured reserve.

NFL-CHIEFS-BRITT REID

Girl hurt in crash involving Chiefs coach Britt Reid awake

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The family of a 5-year-old girl left in a coma following a crash involving Kansas City Chiefs assistant coach Britt Reid says the girl is now awake. The news was delivered Monday in a post on the GoFundMe page for Ariel Young. The girl has been hospitalized since the Feb. 4 crash.

Britt Reid is head coach Andy Reid’s son. Britt Reid was initially placed on administrative leave following the multi-vehicle crash. He’s no longer employed by the team.

In world and national news…

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Anger over Texas’ power grid failing in the face of a record winter freeze is mounting. More than 4 million customers in the energy capital of the U.S. woke up Tuesday still without power. The outages follow unusually heavy snowfall and single-digit temperatures in Texas that created a surge in demand for electricity to warm up homes. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday called for an investigation of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which operates the state’s power grid. Officials offered no timetable for when power might be restored throughout the state.

OCEAN ISLE BEACH, N.C. (AP) — A winter storm that left millions without power in record-breaking cold weather has claimed more lives. They include three people found dead after a tornado hit a seaside town in North Carolina and four family members who perished in a Houston-area house fire while using a fireplace to stay warm. The storm that overwhelmed power grids and immobilized the Southern Plains carried heavy snow and freezing rain into New England and the Deep South and left behind painfully low temperatures. Wind-chill warnings extended Tuesday from Canada into Mexico. In all, at least 20 deaths were reported.

BERLIN (AP) — Pfizer and BioNTech say they have finalized an agreement to supply the European Union with another 200 million doses of their COVID-19 vaccine. The U.S. and German companies said the doses will come on top of the 300 million initially ordered. The EU’s executive Commission has an option to request a further 100 million doses. They said the 200 million doses are expected to be delivered this year, an estimated 75 million of them in the second quarter. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was the first of three so far to be approved for use in the EU, which faces criticism for a slow start to its vaccination campaign.

TOKYO (AP) — Global shares are mostly lower as investors sell to lock in profits from the recent rally driven by hopes economies will gradually return to a pre-pandemic normal. Benchmarks in Europe fell in early Wednesday trading, while indexes in Japan, South Korea and Australia also finished lower. Hong Kong shares rose, while markets were closed in Shanghai for the Lunar New Year holiday. Shares of Toyota Motor Corp. slipped on news that 14 assembly lines at nine of its plants in Japan are being halted for up to four days following a strong earthquake that shook northeastern Japan.

BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg is urging members of the military alliance to jointly fund more of its work. He wants defense ministers, meeting from Wednesday, to consider whether to collectively pay some of the costs for the deployment of troops stationed near Russia’s border, air policing or military exercises. Right now, countries supplying troops or equipment for activities in NATO territory must pay the costs themselves. It’s unclear exactly how it would all work. Questions remain over whether a new budget would be needed. Some worry that it might be seen as a bailout for those not prepared to spend more. It’s also tough to justify given the impact of coronavirus restrictions on the global economy.

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Ford announced a major push into electric vehicles in Europe, vowing to convert its entire passenger car lineup on the continent to electrics by 2030. Ford will spend $1 billion to revamp its factory in Cologne, Germany and make it a base for production of zero local emission cars using Volkswagen’s mechanical framework, said Stewart Rowley, president of Ford of Europe, during an online news conference Wednesday. The new electric car is to reach the market in mid-2023, and could be followed by a second one there in the future. The agreement lets Ford take advantage of Volkswagen’s massive investment in electric cars as the industry shifts toward zero-local emissions vehicles.