1 Studies Show These Are the Best States for Your Retirement The U.S. is a big country, offering lots of choices on where to spend your retirement. Maybe too many choices , and too much help on how to make that decision. Each year, multiple studies rank the best and the worst states for retirement , and often they don't agree. You're left wondering: Which state really is the best? That's where we can help. We've taken three of these annual studies and have essentially averaged the rankings into one master list. We count down the 16 states that are on top overall   sort of the best of the best states for retirement. OUR METHODOLOGY: We added each state's retirement ranking from Bankrate , WalletHub and Kiplinger to create scores out of a possible 150 . The lower the score, the higher the state ranks as a retirement destination. 15. (tie) Nebraska Score: 56 Forget beaches and mountains: The Cornhusker State has miles upon miles of walking and biking trails, 6,500 acres of parks and 1,475 acres of wild nature to keep retirees active. Lincoln offers shopping, dining and the arts in its Haymarket District. Meanwhile, Omaha is home to a fantastic local beer and football culture, a great music scene, and some of the best steak you'll ever taste. Though Kiplinger calls Nebraska one of the nation's least tax-friendly states for retirees, it points out that the state also has a cost of living that's 12% below the U.S. average and below-average health care costs. You can stretch your retirement savings here. Here's more peace of mind for seniors: Bankrate ranks Nebraska the No. 12 state for health care quality, and WalletHub puts it in eighth place for overall health care. 15. (tie) North Carolina Score: 56 North Carolina is one of the few places where you can visit rugged mountains and sandy beaches in the same day. With its hot and humid summers and mild-to-chilly winters, the Tar Heel State has the perfect climate for enjoying its charming towns and waterfronts, NASCAR racing and amazing barbecue any time of the year. Health care costs can be high, but Social Security benefits are not taxed, and property taxes are comparatively low. The cost of living in North Carolina is 5% below the national average, Kiplinger says, and the other studies put the state in the top 20 for affordability. 14. Pennsylvania Score: 54 Pennsylvania has a livable four-season climate with hot and humid summers in the southeast, a pleasant fall and a genuine winter. Offering pretty natural surroundings, easy access to beaches and lakes, plus busy cities, Pennsylvania will never bore you. Pittsburgh has a relatively low cost of living and a ton of history, entertainment and amenities. Philadelphia offers top-notch health care, good public transportation, a major international airport and a highly walkable layout. Retirees will love the Keystone State's low 6% sales tax and lack of taxes on retirement income and medications. WalletHub ranks it No. 5 out of the 50 states for overall quality of life. 13. Hawaii Score: 53 Hawaii is a paradise for retirees, offering gorgeous scenery, a laid-back lifestyle and amazing food. But because Hawaii is so far from everything, basic household items, clothing and groceries must be flown in and often cost twice as much as on the mainland. Hawaiians also pay some of the highest gasoline prices in the U.S. Kiplinger says the cost of living in the Aloha State is a staggering 87% above the national average   but if you can afford to live here, it's worth it. Health care costs are surprisingly low; WalletHub says health care quality is second-best in the U.S.; and you won't find better weather in any other state, according to Bankrate. 12. Missouri Score: 50 With over 1,000 miles of gorgeous coastline encircling its lakes, highly ranked hospitals and a strong brewing and wine industry, Missouri has a lot to offer retirees. You can enjoy laid-back, country living not far from the big-city amenities of St. Louis and Kansas City. Missouri's agreeable climate features hot summers, cool winters and more than 200 days of sunshine. Bankrate says the cost of living in Missouri is among the lowest, and Kiplinger notes that Social Security isn't taxed and health care costs are below average. Great communities with affordable houses for retirees include Blue Springs, with its many parks and an excellent health care center; and the college town of Springfield. 11. Delaware Score: 45 Seniors appreciate that Delaware has award-winning beaches and that it's tax-friendly. There's no sales tax, and this small state doesn't tax Social Security and exempts some investment and pension income. The location in the midst of the East Coast's major population centers is a big plus   if you can put up with the perpetual potholes and construction on the Delaware stretch of Interstate 95. The cost of living here is 11% above the national average, and housing prices can be high. But health care costs are below average, Kiplinger says, and the state ranks sixth for health care quality, according to Bankrate. 10. North Dakota Score: 43 North Dakota proves that you don't need a beach to have a great retirement. Even with its cold winters, residents make the most of the state's natural beauty, its low cost of living, and the many things to do here. The bustling city of Bismarck sits on the Missouri River and offers great fishing, watersports and a vibrant arts scene downtown. Fargo has museums, galleries and shopping to keep you engaged. Although retirement income is taxed, income taxes are low. The cost of living is generally affordable, and the state gets high marks for health care and for providing a pleasant way of life. Bankrate says it's the No. 5 state for seniors' overall well-being. 9. Colorado Score: 38 Colorado really has it all. Mountains? Check. Breweries? Check. Big-city amenities and small-town charm? Check and check. Add to this a fantastic quality of life, solid medical care and a few good tax breaks for seniors, and it's no wonder so many retirees are settling here. Although cities like Denver and Boulder can be expensive, there are many smaller towns that are far more affordable and provide the same access to the state's natural wonders. Kiplinger says health care costs are below average, and WalletHub ranks Colorado fourth in the country for health care quality and clinical care. The state has three nationally ranked hospitals, plus nine other high-performing medical centers. 8. Iowa Score: 36 Iowa is more than just cornfields: The state is home to hills, rivers, lakes and woodlands just waiting for you to explore them. Iowa's eclectic towns welcome you to enjoy bountiful farmers markets (NewBo City Market in Cedar Rapids), local theater culture (at Englert Theater in Iowa City), savory treats (the Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival in Des Moines) and much more. Cedar Rapids also offers a vibrant arts scene and lots of outdoor activities, and rents and home prices are fairly low. Iowa doesn't tax Social Security, and Kiplinger says the cost of living statewide is 12% below the U.S. average. Health care also is more affordable than in other states, and Bankrate and WalletHub put Iowa in the top 25% of states for health care quality. 7. Wyoming Score: 33 Wyoming is a breathtakingly beautiful and sparsely populated state that offers retirees plenty of outdoor activities and lots of elbow room. Most of Yellowstone National Park is located within Wyoming, including the legendary Old Faithful geyser. The state's many other natural attractions include Grand Teton National Park and the Devils Tower National Monument. Wyoming also beckons seniors with affordable living costs, low crime rates and reasonable taxes. Kiplinger calls it one of the most tax-friendly states, and Bankrate ranks it No. 1 for low taxes. The state has no income tax, meaning it won't take a chunk of your Social Security or other retirement income. And, Wyoming's sales tax is just 4%. 6. Idaho Score: 27 Idaho's got a whole lot more going for it than potatoes. Try a livable four-season climate, a low cost of living and tons of outdoor pursuits, thanks to mountainous geography. Bankrate notes that Idaho is the fourth-safest state in the nation, while Kiplinger says the cost of living is 5% lower than the U.S. average. Some of the state's most affordable places are also the loveliest. In Idaho Falls, rent for a one-bedroom apartment averages $600 a month. Twin Falls has comparable housing costs, and you can find as much peace and quiet or adventure as you want. Retiree health care in Idaho is cheaper than average. And, as the cherry on top, Social Security benefits are not taxed here. 5. Virginia Score: 25 Given Virginia's manageable four-season climate, the state's mountains and beaches are best enjoyed during the magical spring and autumn months. If you're into festivals, racing (horse or car, take your pick!), delicious down-home cooking and taste-testing wines from any of more than 230 local vineyards, then you might just enjoy settling here. Tax benefits are a huge plus if you retire in Virginia. Retirees 65 or older are allowed to deduct up to $12,000 worth of income per person, and the state doesn't tax Social Security benefits. And, Bankrate notes that the crime rate is low. Need to save more for retirement? Calculate how much you need to put away each month to reach your savings goal. 4. Utah Score: 18 Thanks to Utah's magnificent mountain ranges, endless natural activities, and amazing local produce and foods, it's no wonder that the state has one of the nation's fastest-growing populations of all ages. The Beehive State is home to 17 national parks, monuments and forests to keep you active, plus it boasts high-quality health care. Having the nationally ranked University of Utah Hospital in town is one of the major benefits of living in Salt Lake City. The state capital also has an affordable cost of living, a walkable downtown and a reliable light-rail system. It's important to note that Social Security and other kinds of retirement income are taxed in Utah. But seniors can claim a tax credit of up to $450 per person, and property and sales taxes are fairly low. 3. New Hampshire Score: 17 Retire in the Granite State, and you'll enjoy low taxes, great health care, gorgeous natural surroundings, peace and quiet, and plenty of ways to get the most out of life. New Hampshire might just be the place if you're looking for a peaceful New England lifestyle at a fraction of Boston's prices. In pretty Portsmouth, on the Atlantic, a one-bedroom apartment rents for an average $1,300   about half what you'd pay in Bean Town. With no sales tax, New Hampshire has the best deal on clothing, alcohol and tobacco in the Northeast. There isn't any state income tax either. But while retirement income isn't taxed, there is a 5% tax on dividends and interest that might snag retirees with investment income . 2. Florida Score: 14 The Sunshine State has been a popular port of call for North American retirees for decades. And it's no wonder. With so much waterfront and beach action, fantastic seafood, and tons of history and culture, what's not to love about Florida? Orlando remains one of the most affordable destinations for transplants of all ages. But if you'd rather not deal with all the tourists drawn to Orlando's theme parks, other great places to settle include quiet and scenic Palm Coast on the Atlantic side, and the canal-filled fishing haven of Cape Coral near the Gulf Coast. Florida also is essentially a tax haven for retirees: It's another of the states with no income tax , plus, there's no estate tax or inheritance tax, and no tax on Social Security or other retirement income. 1. South Dakota Score: 4 Here it is, America's best retirement state hands down . South Dakota earned its remarkably low score out of a possible 150 because Bankrate and Kiplinger both rank the state No. 1 for retirees, and WalletHub puts it second, behind Florida. What South Dakota lacks in year-round tanning weather, it makes up for with some of the best hunting, fishing, hiking and camping around. The small-town life is relaxed and perfect for retirees looking to settle somewhere quiet but active. You'll definitely find a home in your price range in affordable South Dakota. In Sioux Falls, which has ubiquitous natural beauty and a vibrant downtown, a one-bedroom in the center of town goes for $765 a month, on average. Seniors will be happy to note that South Dakota doesn't tax Social Security benefits or pensions, there's no income tax or inheritance tax, and the state sales tax is a modest 4.5%. Follow us on Twitter: @moneywisecom


One of the toughest problems retirees face is making sure their money lasts as long as they do. From the U.S. to Europe, Australia and Japan, retirement account balances aren't increasing fast enough to cover rising life expectancy, the World Economic Forum warns in a report published Thursday. The result could be workers outliving their savings by as much as a decade or more. "The size of the gap is is such that it requires action" from policymakers, employers and individuals, said report co-author Han Yik, head of institutional investors at the World Economic Forum. Unless more is done, older people will either need to get by on less or postpone retirement, he said. "You either spend less or you make more." In the U.S., the forum calculates that 65-year-olds have enough savings to cover just 9.7 years of retirement income. That leaves the average American man with a gap of 8.3 years. Women, who live longer, face a 10.9-year gap. The forum assumed retirees would need enough income to cover 70% of their pre-retirement pay, and didn't include Social Security or other government welfare payments in the total. The retirement savings gap is about 10 years for men in the U.K., Australia, Canada, and the Netherlands, the forum says. Longer-living women in those countries face an extra two to three years of financial uncertainty. Most of the world's retirees are doing well compared with those in Japan, where the retirement savings gap is 15 years for men and almost 20 years for women. While Japanese workers save no less than others, they tend to invest in very safe assets that produce few gains over time, Yik said. As a result, average savings in Japan are only enough to cover 4.5 years of retirement. Meanwhile, life expectancy at birth for Japanese women is 87.1 years -- the highest in the world, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development -- and 81 years for men. Across the world, governments and employers have pushed more responsibility for retirement onto individuals, by shifting from traditional pensions to defined contribution plans, mostly known as 401(k) plans in the U.S. "All the risks that governments and employers used to have, we've shifted that onto workers," Yik said. The size of the world's collective retirement savings gap could exceed $400 trillion by 2050, up from $70 trillion in 2015, according to the report. The U.S.'s savings gap will be the largest at $137 trillion, followed by China at $119 trillion and India at $85 trillion. Among the forum's recommendations are making sure more workers are covered by retirement plans on the job. Employers should be doing more to improve investment options while pushing workers to save a sufficient amount of their income, according to the report. Fewer than half of the 1,900 retirement plans served by Vanguard Group automatically enroll workers, according to the firm's"How America Saves 2019" report released Tuesday. That number has risen quickly, however, doubling to 48% last year from 24% in 2009.


WAUKEGAN, Ill.   A man was pronounced dead after police said he ate an unknown white substance while he was being taken into custody, according to the Waukegan Police Department. Police responded to a residence on the 600 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue around 3 p.m. Thursday for a search warrant for narcotics. Police said while detectives were on the scene, they saw a man in his 30s, who had an active arrest warrant, drive to the residence they were going to. The man exited his car and began to approach the home. Police said as detectives approached him, he fled on foot. Police said as he began to run away, he started to eat an unknown white substance. The man then fell and was placed into custody. Police said while he was being taken into custody, he continued to chew on the substance. Police said the man refused orders to spit it out. He then became physically distressed and detectives called the fire department. The fire department took the man to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. The man had suffered a heart attack. An autopsy is scheduled by the Lake County Illinois Coroner's Office on Friday. Police said the incident is being treated as an "in-custody death" and is being investigated by the Illinois State Police.     ©2019 WGN-TV, Chicago Visit WGN-TV, Chicago at www.wgntv.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.


Jets general manager Joe Douglas is well aware that the pressure is on to win now. Douglas was formally introduced as general manager on Tuesday afternoon after signing a six-year deal last week. Most general managers don't come in with a franchise quarterback already in place, which was a huge selling point to Douglas. With that, Douglas understands that the stakes are a lot higher for the Jets to win now while Sam Darnold is young and on the cheap. "There's a sense of urgency" [to win] right now," Douglas told reporters . Douglas comes from a winning culture after the years he spent in the Ravens and Eagles organizations. He played a pivotal role in building teams that won championships, as both the Eagles and Ravens won Super Bowls while he was there. Douglas is spot on when it comes to winning now while the Jets have a young, up and coming quarterback who is still on his rookie deal. With Darnold in place, Douglas does not have to worry about finding a star signal caller, which will allow him to focus on addressing other positions through trades, free agency and the NFL draft. There are already some key pieces in place for Douglas on the current roster. Now, it's on him to add the finishing touches to make sure the Jets can win with a young, promising quarterback. MORE: Should the USWNT have stopped celebrating goals against Thailand in World Cup blowout? 2019 aggregate mock draft 9.0: First look after withdrawal deadline SS Karl Joseph wants to be a Raider for life Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton May Return to Yankees Next Monday How Kevin Durant's Achilles injury alters Kyrie Irving's free agency


The Tigers announced following Tuesday's game that they've designated right-hander Trevor Rosenthal for assignment and optioned righty Eduardo Paredes to Triple-A Toledo. They'll make a pair of corresponding moves before Wednesday's game. Rosenthal's brief stint with the Tigers went a bit better than his ugly tenure with the Nationals, but a 22.74 ERA and 15 walks in 6 1/3 innings is the lowest of low bars to clear. With the Tigers, Rosenthal yielded seven runs and issued 11 walks against 12 strikeouts. He also hit a batter and uncorked four wild pitches, further exemplifying the disappearance of his ability to locate the ball in his first season back from 2017 Tommy John surgery. With the Tigers, Rosenthal improved his swinging-strike rate and maintained an outstanding 98 mph average fastball velocity. However, his lack of ability to throw strikes on anything resembling a consistent basis handily outweighed his marginal improvements in Detroit. He's only allowed 11 hits in his 15 1/3 innings this season and hasn't surrendered a home run, but Rosenthal's 2019 season is catastrophic on any level. He'll surely clear waivers and become a free agent again, at which point he'll be free to sign on with another organization in hopes of another run at righting the ship.


Rep. Rashida Tlaib has a message for those who would "send her back." "I'm not going anywhere," she promised the NAACP Annual Convention in her home city of Detroit Monday. Tlaib was referring to the president's incendiary comments over the last week targeting her and three other Democratic congresswomen of color. Last Sunday, Mr. Trump suggested in a thread of tweets that congresswomen, known now as "the Squad," should "go back" to their countries of origin. Three of the four women were born in the U.S. All four are U.S. citizens. "I'm not going nowhere, not until I impeach this president," Tlaib told the crowd, and she reminded the crowd and the president that she was "born and raised" in Motor City. The freshman congresswoman, who was elected as part of the most diverse class of representatives to join the House back in 2018, also called for improved efforts to fight discrimination, and she told the crowd that they, too, are "the Squad." "We must get back to the original view of the Civil Rights act and ensure that all marginalized communities have the protection that they need under the law to combat discrimination, both in the private and the public sector," Tlaib said. "We need bold action folks, and I know what's happening out there. You know, there's all these young women, and it's beyond just the four of us, 'the Squad' is all of you. And I can tell you   you are all 'the Squad.'" The Democrat sparked controversy earlier this year when she told a crowd of supporters, "We're going to impeach the motherf****er ", referring to growing calls by Democrats to file articles of impeachment against Mr. Trump. She is unapologetic about the remark. Tlaib r ecently told "CBS This Morning"'s Gayle King that the president's comments were a "distraction" created by a "bully." The House has approved a resolution condemning Mr. Trump's tweets, with four Republicans joining all Democrats in voting to denounce the president's statements. Like Tlaib, the president isn't backing down either. He tweeted Monday morning that the Democratic congresswomen are "a very Racist group of troublemakers who are young, inexperienced, and not very smart. They are pulling the once great Democrat Party far left, and were against humanitarian aid at the Border...And are now against ICE and Homeland Security."


Nine months after announcing his commitment to the University of Kentucky, five-star basketball recruit Kahlil Whitney made the pledge official Friday afternoon. Whitney - a 6-foot-7 wing player - signed with UK during a ceremony at his old grammar school in his hometown of Chicago. It was a plan months in the making, and something Whitney has been looking forward to ever since the arrangements began. Though he wrapped up his high school career in New Jersey, the 18-year-old basketball star wanted to return home to give a message of hope to the kids from his old neighborhood, where gun violence has become a common occurrence. "I'm doing it for the kids," Whitney told the Herald-Leader a few weeks ago. "The kids where I'm from - a lot of kids don't have that hope. I got an opportunity and I grasped it, so I want those kids to know that anything can happen, and you can make it from where I'm from." Whitney is the No. 8 overall prospect in the 247Sports composite rankings for the class of 2019, and he's expected to be one of the Wildcats' top players as a freshman next season. He played in the McDonald's All-American Game earlier this spring and recently earned MVP honors in the Iverson Classic all-star event. College coaches are not permitted to comment on unsigned recruits - even if they're committed to a school - so Friday was the first day that John Calipari could say anything publicly about Whitney. "Kahlil is long and athletic," Calipari said in a statement. "He's in the same mold of some of the best players we've had here in that he has the athleticism to impact the game offensively, yet I believe he can be a difference maker defensively. He's an elite finisher at the rim with the ability to put the ball on the floor and drive it. Kahlil, who is originally from Chicago, has watched this program since Anthony Davis won a title with us and has wanted to be a part of this program for a while. I believe he's only scratched the surface of how good he can be and I can't wait to get to work with him." Whitney averaged 19.4 points and 5.7 rebounds per game as a senior. Kentucky's signing class also includes point guard Tyrese Maxey, wing players Keion Brooks and Dontaie Allen, graduate transfer power forward Nate Sestina, and walk-on Brennan Canada, a 6-7 standout at nearby Clark County. UK is also still recruiting five-star talents RJ Hampton, Johnny Juzang and Jaden McDaniels from the 2019 class, and the Cats are expected to land at least one more player for next season in the coming weeks. Visit the Lexington Herald-Leader (Lexington, Ky.) at www.kentucky.com Related slideshow: 2018-19 college basketball season (provided by imagn)


On June 21, yogis around the globe will celebrate International Day of Yoga by   you guessed it   practicing yoga. Observed since its declaration by the U.N. General Assembly in 2014, it's an informal event held on the summer solstice, with group yoga events in cities around the world. No festivities planned near you? It's easy to mark the occasion by visiting a yoga studio. Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the top yoga studios around Pittsburgh, using both Yelp data and our own methodology to produce a ranked list of the hottest spots to stretch, strengthen, elongate and breathe deep. 1. Yoga Love Pittsburgh Topping the list is Yoga Love Pittsburgh . Located at 134 S. Highland Ave., Floor 2 in East Liberty, the yoga spot is the highest rated yoga spot in Pittsburgh, boasting five stars out of 16 reviews on Yelp. 2. Yoga Hive Next up is Garfield's Yoga Hive , situated at 5491 Penn Ave. With 4.5 stars out of 38 reviews on Yelp, the yoga spot has proven to be a local favorite. 3. Yoga Flow Shadyside's Yoga Flow , located at 5433 Walnut St., is another top choice, with Yelpers giving the yoga spot 4.5 stars out of 33 reviews. 4. Yoga Factory Pittsburgh Yoga Factory Pittsburgh , a yoga spot in Lower Lawrenceville, is another go-to, with four stars out of 88 Yelp reviews. Head over to 3418 Penn Ave. to see for yourself. 5. Amazing Yoga Over in Shadyside, check out Amazing Yoga , which has earned four stars out of 53 reviews on Yelp. You can find the yoga spot at 730 Copeland St. This story was created automatically using local business data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.


Public schools' dependence on local property taxes means some districts get isolated from the financial resources in their communities. The Waterbury School District is quarantined within man-made, invisible walls, partitions that hug it on each side, forming taut, if unnatural, boundaries on the map. The school district, in Waterbury, Connecticut, is touched by eight other districts, each one whiter, more affluent, and receiving more dollars than Waterbury itself. Take the Wolcott School District, for example, where 87 percent of students are white, and which spends $2,000 more per student than Waterbury, which is 82 percent nonwhite; or the Plymouth School District, which has a racial makeup that's comparable Wolcott's, and which spends $3,500 more per student. More wealth, more white students, more resources for those kids. Waterbury is surrounded by what EdBuild, a nonprofit focused on equity in school funding, calls an isolating border; the group defines an isolating border as one that divides one school district from another that is at least 25 percent whiter and receives at least 10 percent more funding per student. What's happening in Waterbury is not unique. Across the United States, in 42 states, there are 969 of these isolating borders, according to EdBuild's recently released report . The average disparity in funding along these borders was roughly $4,000 per student. Waterbury, the group found, is the most isolated school district in the country. Waterbury's predicament points to an unstable aspect of the public education system in the United States: The foundation of its funding comes from local property taxes. As a report from the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy shows, roughly 36 percent of K 12 funding comes from these taxes. That means inequality is often baked into district lines; wealthier communities will have more money to spend on their students. It's an often mentioned but under-discussed problem, particularly among the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates. In May, Senator Kamala Harris of California took aim at the disparity. "It is completely upside down that we currently have a system where the funding of a school district is based on the tax base of that community," she said during a town hall with the American Federation of Teachers. In March, it was Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts who wanted to take a more national approach to fixing it. "We've gotta use our federal-education laws to help supplement [local funding] so we can get real money into our public schools K 12," Warren said. And as part of his Thurgood Marshall Plan for Public Education, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont's campaign writes that he will "rethink the link between property taxes and education funding." Rethinking that link is important, Rebecca Sibilia, the executive director of EdBuild, told me, because micro-districting the term for what is happening in Waterbury and elsewhere handcuffs some of the tools the government might use to desegregate schools. In 1974, in the Supreme Court case Milliken v. Bradley , the justices ruled that desegregation plans could not leapfrog school-district borders. That means the federal government could shuffle children between schools only in the same district in places like Waterbury. Interestingly, even as Democrats argued over the utility of busing as a method of desegregation during the first two rounds of debates, school funding only tangentially came up as a remedy. "We are still upholding a school system that is separate and unequal," Sibilia told me. A browse through other 2020 Democratic contenders' websites does not turn up much when it comes to addressing the link between property taxes and public schools. And when I reached out to several campaigns including those of Harris, Sanders, Warren, former Vice President Joe Biden, Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro, and South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg only Castro's campaign responded with details about how he might address the gap. A spokesman for his campaign told me that his education plan would provide "full Title I funding that would direct federal investment into low-income and high-poverty communities that are often [under-resourced] at the local level, often as a consequence of how property taxes are structured." Several candidates, for their part, have argued for increased funding for Title I, which provides federal grants aimed at helping students in low-income schools. But putting more money into Title I doesn't fundamentally reform the funding disparities; school districts that are able to raise significant money from property taxes could still have an advantage. Sibilia offered a possible solution. States could address the funding disparity by tweaking how property taxes are distributed. Perhaps all property taxes could get pooled within a county and then evenly distributed across districts after all, there are about 4.5 times as many school districts in the country than there are counties. Or maybe the tax dollars could be pooled statewide; then, regardless of where students lived in that state, they would receive the same amount of resources for their education. The federal government, she said, could incentivize states to pursue these tweaks with funding matches. It might be a long shot, but it could work. The Democratic presidential debates, when they have turned to education, have so far focused on busing, college affordability, and school safety. Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado, notably, veered away from busing to talk about modern segregation during the second slate of debates, but only for a moment. But the schools trapped within these isolating, segregating borders will require more sweeping solutions to break free of them.


SEATTLE, WA   WSDOT is advising Puget Sound drivers to prepare for delays during the 2019 Kaiser Permanente Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic, which begins Saturday at the University of Washington in Seattle. Some 8,000 bicyclists will take part in the two-day STP ride. The route passes through the heart of the region, beginning along the shores of Lake Washington before heading south through Renton, Kent, and Puyallup along various state highways. In our region, the biggest impact will be seen along Lake Washington Boulevard and Rainier Avenue South, SR 181 through Renton and Kent, and SR 7 in Pierce County. Bicyclists will be passing through those areas in the morning hours on Saturday and into the afternoon. The ride continues on Sunday across the southeast part of the state along SR 507, SR 506, SR 411, and along local streets near Centralia and Chehalis. Since cars and bikers will be sharing the road, WSDOT is asking drivers to brush up on state laws, including some new ones for 2019. The full STP route map is available now, but is subject to change. The 202-mile STP ride has been happening since 1979, and serves as a fundraiser for the nonprofits Cascade Bicycle Club and Washington Bikes.


Mike Maccagnan's time with the New York Jets officially came to a close this week. Maccagnan was brought in by the Jets in 2015 to be their new general manager after they let go of John Idzik. While Idzik was good with money, Maccagnan was supposed to be good at finding talent. Given his résumé as an NFL scout, many thought he was the right guy for the job. It didn't work out that way, though. Maccagnan drafted some high-profile names (Sam Darnold, Marcus Maye, Jamal Adams and Leonard Williams) and found some steals (Chris Herndon, Robby Anderson and Jordan Jenkins). But there were a whole lot of misses in the draft, including Christian Hackenberg, Devin Smith and Lorenzo Mauldin. Maccagnan had some whiffs in free agency, too. He signed Darrelle Revis, Trumaine Johnson, Terrelle Pryor, Spencer Long and Isaiah Crowell. All are gone with the exception of Johnson, who is coming off a disappointing first season in New York. Now the Jets will look for a general manager who can consistently find talent at all levels. With that search underway, here are six not-so-fun facts about Maccagnan's time with the Jets. Just as bad as Idzik Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports Idzik was portrayed as one of the worst general managers the Jets have ever had, yet Maccagnan finished with the exact same .375 winning percentage. Idzik was with the Jets for two seasons and went 8-8 in his first season and 4-12 in his last. As for Maccagnan, he had four seasons to work with. He went 10-6, 5-11, 5-11 and 4-12. Departed draft picks Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports Given his background as a scout, Maccagnan's specialty was supposed to be the draft, but he didn't draft well at all. After Darron Lee was dealt to the Chiefs the same day Maccagnan was fired, only 11 of the 22 players that Maccagnan drafted in his first three seasons are still on the Jets: Leonard Williams, Jordan Jenkins, Brandon Shell, Lachlan Edwards, Charone Peake, Jamal Adams, Marcus Maye, Jordan Leggett, Elijah McGuire, Jeremy Clark and Derrick Jones. That's half of the players Maccagnan drafted in his first three seasons. The draft is a crapshoot sometimes, but you can't miss on that many players in just three drafts. Exiled draft picks Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports Not only are half of Maccagnan's draft picks no longer with the Jets, but many are no longer in the league. Maccagnan drafted seven players that are not in the NFL anymore. He had three in the 2015 draft: Devin Smith, Lorenzo Mauldin and Bryce Petty. In 2016, there was Christian Hackenberg. He has another three from the 2017 draft: ArDarius Stewart, Dylan Donahue and Chad Hansen. Fired award winner Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports After leading the Jets to a 10-6 record in his first season as general manager, Maccagnan was named Executive of the Year in 2015. Unfortunately, there's a long trend of Executive of the Years to be fired. There were six winners of the award from 2009-2016 to later be fired: Bill Polian, Scott Pioli, Trent Baalke, Ryan Grigson, John Dorsey and Reggie McKenzie. Maccagnan makes seven. Patriot woes Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports Not many Jets teams have had much success against the Patriots, but Maccagnan's teams were horrendous. In four seasons under Maccagnan, the Jets played the Patriots eight times and only defeated them once. That came back in 2015 when the Jets took down the Patriots, 26-20, in overtime. It also set the Jets up to get into the playoffs, but they fell to the Bills the following week. It was the closest Maccagnan's Jets ever got to the playoffs. 8 Pro Bowlers AP Photo/Phelan Ebenhack In the four years that Maccagnan was with the Jets, there wasn't a ton of Pro Bowlers. New York had four in 2015: Darrelle Revis, Nick Mangold, Brandon Marshall and Chris Ivory. The following year, Leonard Williams was the only Pro Bowler. They didn't have any in 2017, but Jamal Adams, Andre Roberts and Jason Myers all made it in 2018. To have success in the NFL, you need stars. Maccagnan didn't have many of them. MORE: Jimmy Butler's vague Instagram post had Sixers fans freaking out Five potential Jimmy Butler landing spots in free agency Report: Browns rookie RB LJ Scott decides to quit NFL after just 2 days Redskins' Josh Norman rips Giants GM Dave Gettleman yet again Jaylon Smith walks, Moose gets Dallas front office gig, and the next Romo?


US President Barack Obama shared his bleak outlook on the possibility for Palestinian statehood in an interview with Israeli TV on Tuesday, saying that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had lost international credibility as a potential peacemaker. Obama further suggested that the continuation of America's diplomatic defense for Israel at the United Nations could be reviewed, though he made it clear that US support for Israeli security was not in question. "Already, the international community does not believe that Israel is serious about a two-state solution. The statement the prime minister made compounded the belief that there's not a commitment there," Obama told Channel 2 TV, referring to comments made by Netanyahu ahead of Israel's general election in March. In a last ditch attempt to rally voters, Netanyahu backtracked on previous statements that he supported an eventual brokering of peace by allowing Palestine to form its own state. He has since apologized, but that has done little to thaw his icy relationship with Obama. The two have also long been divided over how to handle curbing Iran's nuclear program. "I think that Prime Minister Netanyahu is somebody who's predisposed to think of security first; to think perhaps that peace is naïve; to see the worst possibilities as opposed to the best possibilities in Arab partners or Palestinian partners," Obama continued. Obama called on Israelis to support only diplomatic, non-military options for ensuring that Iran does not achieve the capability to produce nuclear weapons. Skepticism over framework agreement Obama also voiced his skepticism that negotiations on Palestinian statehood could move forward in his remaining year-and-a-half in office, saying "I don't see the likelihood of a framework agreement." His reasoning was that "if nobody believes there is a peace process," it becomes increasingly difficult to get those who are upset to rein in the anger for the sake of negotiating with the other side. Washington has long blocked pro-Palestinian resolutions at the UN in hopes of encouraging direct diplomacy between the two sides, Obama said. But he told the interviewer that now was the time to re-evaluate "how we approach defending Israel on the international stage around the Palestinian issue."


Houston should be fairly dry this coming week, according to drone-powered weather forecasting service Saildrone . The highest chance of rain is expected on Tuesday at 65%, with the potential for light rainfall of 0.29 inches. The coming days will also bring hot temperatures, forecast to persist through Tuesday. Temperatures will reach a high of 94 degrees on Monday. Skies will be partly cloudy today and mostly cloudy Thursday through Friday. Winds will remain fairly calm through the week, with the highest speeds on Thursday at only 11 mph. This story was created automatically using Saildrone's local weather forecast data, then reviewed by an editor. We also incorporate historic weather data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.


Better act fast on this Fastback deal. Vintage Car Collector is pleased to announce this stunning 1966 Ford Mustang Fastback for sale. It will set you back about $44,000, but it's worth it for such a rare and sought-after classic that will only go up in value from here. This silver-on-black '66 Mustang Fastback has under 50,000 miles on the dash and its whole life ahead of it. You will get many smiles to the gallon for years to come, as well as heads turning no matter where you take it. Generally speaking, silver is (arguably) not the most attractive color nor the most popular. Many times, silver cars seem to fade from the spotlight behind all the murdered-out black cars and bright neon/metallic hues. However, this Mustang in Ford's Silver Frost hue with black stripes is breathtakingly beautiful and a spotlight stealer. It shines are every angle, highlighting its impeccable metal body and pristine paint job. This car is, without a doubt, in excellent condition and was very well taken care of by the previous owner(s). The black interior features chrome accents on the dash, doors, and steering wheel. The cabin appears to be in great condition as well, without any unusual wear. The seats and carpet are clean and devoid of any tears or slits. According to the VIN number (6F09C2), this 1966 Ford Mustang Fastback was assembled at the Dearborn, Michigan manufacturing plant. It is powered by a 289 cubic-inch V8 engine with 9.3:1 compression and a two-barrel carburetor setup that produces 200 horsepower. All in all, it's not hard to see why the 1966 Ford Mustang is one of the most popular years to date. 1966 also marked the year in which Ford Motor Company celebrated the production of its one-millionth Mustang, a white convertible. Don't miss your chance to own an iconic piece of American automotive history and a legendary muscle car all the same. Call today! Read more... This Dark Ivy Green 1970 Ford Mustang Fastback Arouses Envy 1967 Ford Mustang Fastback Restoration Is A Work Of Art


This is the busy season for former Bruins center Adam Oates , darting across North America for the better part of 90 days, June through August, to work one-on-one with his 50-plus NHL player/clients as the game's consummate Mr. Fix It. Oates, 56, hung out his shingle four years ago as sole proprietor of Oates Sports Group, dedicated to enhancing his clients' skill level, particularly their offensive production. Results have been strong. According to Oates, 37 of his players reached career-high point totals last season, including Ryan O'Reilly . The Blues pivot posted personal bests in assists and points, then opened a postseason hardware store by winning the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP for the Cup-winning Blues and added the Selke as the NHL's top defensive forward. "I love the life," said Oates, inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2012, and today ranking 18th all time in NHL scoring (1,420 points). "I love working with the guys." There is, as Oates calls it, a "secret sauce" to what he teaches, and it's no surprise he protects the recipe. "You go to McDonald's for a Big Mac . . . you pay for it, they hand you one, right?" he mused recently when reached on the road in Minnesota. "They don't tell you what goes into the sauce." It has long been a mystery here why NHL teams, for all the training and coaching methods they've devised and embraced over the last 30 years, haven't carved out space for a scoring coach the way, say, baseball teams have added hitting coaches. What's more important to a team's success than putting the puck in the net? A case could be made for goaltending, of course, which in itself underscores that wins and losses come down to how much vulcanized rubber makes it over the goal line each night. Like money, scoring may not be everything, but it makes life infinitely easier. "I see a need for it, no doubt," said Oates, pondering whether coaching staffs should devote more time and resources to the art of scoring. "I just don't think there are guys out there that know how to teach it." Surely there are some guys up to the task? "Yeah, me," said the ever-glib Oates, whose 1,079 assists rank No. 7 all time in the NHL. OK, surely there must be more than a committee of one? "Oh, I don't know," said Oates, a fit of laughter finally assuring he was kidding, presumably. "I would say teams are now going to add that [coaching] element, yes . . . it's too vital a statistic." Ex-Bruin Blake Wheeler has been an Oates client for the past couple of seasons. The 6-foot-5-inch right winger has responded with back-to-back campaigns of 91 points, career bests, after averaging 76 points the two prior seasons. "That's 15 points, and I can tell you, Blake loves him," said Matt Keator , Wheeler's Boston-based agent. "He's helped build an extra dimension into his game   small things that make a big difference, the use of time and space out there, more spatial awareness." Two of his best teachers in the scoring art, noted Oates, were ex-teammates Steve Yzerman in Detroit and Brett Hull , his former wingman in St. Louis. Oates's days in Boston also had him on the ice for thousands of shifts with Cam Neely and Ray Bourque , another pair of Hall of Famers, with a combined 2,273 career points. "I remember early in my time in Detroit with Stevie [Yzerman]," recalled Oates, who joined the Wings as a free agent signee out of RPI. "And my dad said, 'You know, he's better than you.' I'm like, 'C'mon, geez, I know that!' "If you're a student of the game, and motivated to get better, you can see the things those guys do, what made them so good." In his current gig, noted Oates, it's his ability to size up a player's game and detect oft-subtle weaknesses that is the foundation of his business. In the Oates world of better scoring, production begins with the stick (proper fit essential) and puck handling. Too many players, by his eye, overtrain on both shooting and conditioning. To wit, the Oates take on each: ■ "Shooting is the most overrated thing to work on in the world. Because, think about it, some guys get one shot every two games and it's a rebound, a tip, a breakaway. Your job is to be in the right spot at the right time. That's it. Get there. Execute that. If you do that, you'll get more shots. If you get to that point, and you're still not scoring, then we'll talk about shot." ■ "When you allocate your time in the summer, what really matters? What really matters? You know, we've got into this craze of the strength coaches, right? OK, you gotta be in shape, I get that, you have to be strong. But for hockey, if you are spending more time being in the gym than working on your hands, you're an idiot. You look at the world's strongest man vs. the world's martial arts champion, who is going to win? No-brainer: The martial arts guy. They just don't look good, but they're the killers. End of the day, if you are strong, in shape, then get on the ice." Just days ago, Oates took on what may be the greatest challenge of his four years in the skills biz, adding former Bruin Milan Lucic to his client list. The 31-year-old "Looch," who was recently flipped from Edmonton to Calgary, is in dire need of offensive help and overall career recovery. Once a 30-goal scorer with the Bruins, he potted only 16 goals in his 161 games with the Oilers the past two seasons. Prior to getting dished to the Flames for an underperforming James Neal , rumors were rampant that he could be bought out (four years remaining with a $6 million cap hit). Oates would not go into detail regarding what prescriptive fix he had for Lucic, but sounded assured he can help a guy he sees as motivated to reclaim his stature as a player with brute force who can add some offensive pop. He'll have to help Lucic get off the mark faster, and enhance his puckhandling, which is Page 1 on the Oates primer. "It's not a magic wand," said Oates, not speaking specifically to Lucic. "It takes some time and thinking and whatever. But at the end of the day, when I watch a player, I watch his game as if I'm his dad, as if I'm him, as if I'm his coach, as if I'm his GM. "I know what everyone wants. I can tell you what makes a guy a success or a failure. "That's what I'm good at." FOLLOWING FENTON Directions few in running Wild A source familiar with the ongoing GM search by the Wild, who recently turfed Paul Fenton after one season, figures both ex-Bruins Bill Guerin and Tom Fitzgerald went into the weekend as the front-runners for the coveted spot. Guerin is currently Jim Rutherford's top lieutenant in Pittsburgh and Fitzgerald the same for Ray Shero in New Jersey. Neither of the former forwards has ever held a GM role, which is not necessarily a disqualifier. But owner Craig Leipold could seek a more experienced hand after being disappointed by Fenton, promoted after some 15 years as David Poile's second in Nashville. Fenton, 59, has yet to speak publicly since his abrupt dismissal. "Death by a thousand cuts," as the cashiering was described by Athletic scribe Mike Russo . Leipold was uncharacteristically blunt about his disappointment in Fenton the day of his news conference, noting that the Wild "culture wasn't the same" and "it was just a feeling that we didn't have the right leader for the organization. "We're kind of in an area of not really knowing where we're going to go," Leipold added. Fenton, a Boston University product (Class of 1982), was considered a strong talent evaluator in his Nashville days. He no doubt made mistakes. Among the biggest: flipping an effective and pricey Nino Niederreiter to Carolina for a pricey nothingburger in Victor Rask . The change worked wonders for the Hurricanes, who made it to the Eastern Conference finals, and the Wild ended up a playoff DNQ for the first time in seven seasons. That's not all because of one deal, but it sticks out boldly on Fenton's folly list. Keep in mind, though, the Wild have been just this or that side of mediocre for a very long time, boring and hamstrung by the megadeals Leipold encouraged to be written for Zach Parise and Ryan Suter . Fenton was hired to shake the mediocrity, which virtually guaranteed the culture wouldn't be the same and that egos throughout the organization would be bruised. That's how it typically works in the business world. Leipold often stresses that he wants a family atmosphere throughout his organization, which in itself is admirable, but it also brings into question whether the object is to develop a winning hockey team or a good, rousing rendition of "Hakuna Matata". It's quite possible Fenton was the wrong man for the job, but his tenure was so brief (14 months) and his dismissal so abrupt, it makes Leipold look equally incompetent, as well as impulsive. He sounds like a guy who felt the culture needed to change   presumably why he didn't keep Chuck Fletcher on the job   then became spooked, or miffed, when, lo and behold, the culture changed with Fenton on the job. ETC. A big step up in this Junior class John Beecher , the Bruins' top pick (No. 30) in the June draft, drew a lot of attention in the recent Team USA camp that brought 44 of Uncle Sam's best to Plymouth, Mich., to audition for the 2020 World Junior tourney that begins Dec. 26 in Czechia. Beecher showed some unexpected scoring pop and was "hands down" the best player in camp, according to NHL.com's Mike Morreale . All good, and Beecher one day could prove to be a "find" at No. 30, but it's often a mistake to get carried away when assessing how 18- and 19-year-olds mix in the same gene pool, particularly when it's summer hockey. Beecher is big (6 feet 3 inches, 210 pounds) and he is fast, but from a pro perspective, his game really needs to fill out   precisely why he is headed to the University of Michigan, where he is expected in the Oct. 11 opening lineup vs. Clarkson. It's a good bet he'll be in Ann Arbor for at least two seasons, and not out of the question he'll stay through the spring of 2023, although his raw size inevitably will influence his decision-making when weighing when to turn pro. Now, as for the World Junior tourney (with games in Ostrava and Trinec, near the Polish border), Beecher's performance in Plymouth likely secured him a spot on the 23-man squad that will open play Dec. 26. Despite his show of offense in camp, he still projects as a third- or fourth-liner, possibly at left wing on a trio with Jonathan Gruden (son of former Bruin short-timer John Gruden ) and Trevor Janicke . Gruden is an Ottawa pick out of Miami, and Janicke an Anaheim selection with Notre Dame. Also pegged to play for the Yanks: ex-BC forward (and Bay State boy) Oliver Wahlstrom , who departed the Heights after one season and signed with the Islanders (three years/$925,000 cap hit if he makes the varsity) in late March. Wahlstrom, who played 10 games for AHL Bridgeport after flying the Eagle coop   five in the regular season, five in the playoffs   has his eye first and foremost on landing a roster spot with the Islanders. He trained much of the summer in Sweden, his dad's homeland, with Vastra Frolunda, and played well enough in the AHL that he'll merit at least as initial look from Islanders coach Barry Trotz . Loose pucks Ex-BU defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk , surprisingly bought out by the Rangers, will recoup $1.75 million in lost wages with his one-year deal in Tampa. The Bolts tried to acquire him from the Blues at the 2017 trade deadline, but Shattenkirk was wheeled to the Capitals and then hit it rich (four years at $6.65 million) as expected as a UFA with the Blueshirts. He was ditched, in part, after the Rangers recently paid Jacob Trouba a whack of money ($56 million/seven years), but also because his processing speed too often was a tick off when placed on the No. 1 pairing and power-play point duty. In Tampa, he'll have the luxury of playing fewer minutes, and lower in the order, and coach Jon Cooper can spot him as needed rather than rely on him for nightly heavy-duty lifting . . . Ex-BU forward Chris Drury , second to Rangers GM Jeff Gorton , was denied permission to talk to the Wild about the open GM spot in St. Paul. A year ago, the Rangers reportedly blocked the Sabres from talking to him about the opening that went to Jason Botterill . Keep in mind: clubs sometimes impose the "block" when the employee in question privately expresses that he has no interest in leaving the gig. Drury grew up in Connecticut, is well compensated as the Blueshirt assistant GM, and life is just ducky along Broadway. From that perspective, Buffalo or St. Paul likely did not seem attractive . . . By the way, going rate for an assistant GM is roughly $500,000 per annum. The GM pay scale begins around $1.5 million and tops out around at $5 million . . . By this time next month, the Bruins will be in the thick of their rookie camp (Sept. 6-9) in Buffalo, opposing fellow frosh among the Sabres, Devils, and Penguins. It will be interesting to see how 2018 draft pick Jakub Lauko has grown his game after his year in Rouyn-Noranda, where the winger scored 54 points in 63 games, including playoffs. Lauko has some feistiness to his game and a scorer's ego . . . Headed into the weekend, one-time primo pick Jesse Puljujarvi (No. 4 overall in 2016) was still expressing no interest in returning to the Oilers. Meanwhile, he also didn't have a job back in Finland or elsewhere. He just may have to come back hat in hand to new Oilers GM Ken Holland . Remember when the Blue Jackets were skewered for not taking him at No. 3 and instead opted for Pierre-Luc Dubois ? After three seasons, Puljujarvi has a meager 37 points, while Dubois ranks sixth in the '16 draft class with 109 points . . . Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon encouraged his GM, Don Waddell , to pursue the open GM job with the Wild. Dundon later said he's eager to keep Waddell on the job, albeit without a contract. Which is another way of saying   despite Dundon's bon mots   that Waddell can walk any time and he'll just find another guy to fill the desk. Like, say, Bob from GM temps. Can the job really be that easy? Uh, no. Kevin Paul Dupont can be reached at dupont@globe.com . Follow him on Twitter @GlobeKPD . Material from interviews, wire services, other beat writers, and league and team sources was used in this report.


A shallow magnitude-3.7 earthquake was reported Tuesday morning five miles from Cobb, Calif., according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The temblor occurred at 12:46 a.m. PDT at a depth of 0.6 miles. According to the USGS, the epicenter was 14 miles from Healdsburg and 18 miles from Windsor. In the last 10 days, there has been one earthquake of magnitude 3.0 or greater centered nearby. This information comes from the USGS Earthquake Notification Service and this post was created by an algorithm. Read more about Southern California earthquakes .


Can you imagine getting $1 million for your birthday? That's how an Upstate lottery player is celebrating his after cashing in a scratcher from the South Carolina Education Lottery. Dennis Ressler, of Boiling Springs, won the prize on a Carolina Millions scratch-off ticket he purchased at the Breakers Inman convenience store on the Asheville Highway, officials said. "This is life-changing," he said grinning, when he cashed in the winning ticket Tuesday at the Lottery's Columbia Claims Center. Ressler said he's planning to retire in a few years, and this win seals it for him. "Unbelievable," he said. "I'm going to win Powerball next," he said. Ressler won the last top prize in the $10 Carolina Millions game at odds of 1 in 1.8 million, officials said. The store that sold the winning ticket is celebrating, too. Breakers Inman received a commission of $10,000 for selling the claimed ticket. Players who didn't win can turn their Carolina Millions tickets in for a second-chance drawing for a shot at an additional $1 million prize. For details, visit sceducationlottery.com . To date, the South Carolina Education Lottery has created 186 millionaires. READ MORE: Upstate man gets $1 million birthday prize after winning lottery CHECK OUT WYFF: Get the latest Greenville news and weather. For live, local, late-breaking Greenville, SC, news coverage, WYFF is the place to be.


This is a special year of sorts for John Elway. A milestone season. He spent 16 years as the team's quarterback. This is his 9th season as the Broncos' general manager. Happy 25 years with the Broncos, John Elway. "I know, it's hard to believe," Elway said in a sit-down interview with 9News in the Pat Bowlen Fieldhouse on the eve of training camp Wednesday. "It doesn't feel that long, actually. It does add up." When it comes to building a successful NFL franchise, what has Elway learned as a GM that he didn't realize as a player? "I think dealing with the monetary side, especially with where the money is today compared to where the money was back when I was playing," he said. "There's a lot more outside things going on for players now. There were still a lot of things going on for us when I was playing but the game has gotten so much bigger. "And there are so many different things going on that to try and keep the attention and keep the focus and trying to find the right guys who want to be great playing football. Not necessarily great off the field. People who aren't satisfied after they've been paid. Looking for those people gives you a chance to be successful." RELATED | Phillip Lindsay ready for camp providing bosses clear him Elway has always understood whether from the vantage point of a player or a GM, success or failure of an NFL team comes down to two things: One is the head coach. The other is the quarterback. Elway the GM made changes at both positions this offseason and that's why there's reason for optimism with the 2019 Broncos despite the team coming off back-to-back losing seasons. Vic Fangio is commanding respect as a head coach. And Joe Flacco, an 11-year starter for some real good Baltimore Ravens teams, is the new quarterback. "And I'm excited about both of them," Elway said. "The six months I've had to work with Vic so far have been great. He's great to work with. Obviously he's very straightforward. You know where he's coming from. He's very bright when it comes to football. He knows what he wants. And he has a tremendous amount of experience. I think it was a great opportunity that we got Vic at the right time. "And then combined with Joe at the quarterback position, his veteran leadership there. Now that we have a guy that has been there, he's won a championship. He knows what it takes and I think it helps our whole football team, looking at a guy like Joe. So we're off to a good start. We've got a lot of work to do." RELATED | Broncos sign Risner; Lock remains unsigned ahead of training camp So after 25 years, how many more years does Elway have as a Broncos employee? "I've still got three seasons left with the team," he said referring to what's left on the five-year contract extension he received after the 2016 season. "There's plenty of time for me. I'm excited about the fact of being able to get this turned around. "Obviously, the last two years have been a very long two years. And not enjoyable at all. This year allows for some excitement. I think with the staff that Vic's put together and the players we got through free agency and the draft that we have a chance to put that behind us and get back to where people expect us to be." Win or lose   mostly win until lately   the Broncos have pretty much come down to Elway. RELATED | Broncos roster preview: Can Miller and Chubb reach a combined 30 sacks? SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Sports


As the Red Sox continue their search for bullpen help and the Mets continue to puzzle onlookers, the two teams have been in touch about a potential Edwin Diaz deal. ESPN's Buster Olney tweeted early this morning that third base prospect Bobby Dalbec or corner infielder Triston Casas would likely be targeted as the centerpiece of any deal by the Mets. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com tweets that Boston has indeed discussed a possible Diaz swap with the Mets, though, adding that the Red Sox are likely to add at least one, if not two relievers in the coming days. SNY's Andy Martino tweets that there's "nothing hot" between the two sides at the moment, however. It's shaping up to be quite the deadline for the Mets, who shipped their two best pitching prospects to the Blue Jays yesterday in a trade that netted them Marcus Stroman . At the same time, the Mets appear poised to trade away some combination of Noah Syndergaard , Zack Wheeler , Jason Vargas , Todd Frazier and Diaz   the latter of whom was portrayed as a signature offseason acquisition in what proved a near-immediately regrettable trade with the Mariners. Instead of anchoring the bullpen and reprising his role as one of the game's premier relievers, Diaz has taken a step back in nearly every category this season. The 25-year-old has seen virtually every one of his rate stats   strikeout, walk, home-run, ground-ball, swinging-strike, hard-hit and opponent chase   trend in the wrong direction. His premium velocity has held strong, as he's averaged 97.2 mph on his heater, but the across-the-board results for Diaz have been ugly. It doesn't help him that the Mets' defense is awful, but he's sitting on a bloated 4.95 ERA and has already allowed more runs, hits and homers in 40 innings this season than he did in 72 1/3 frames last year. A 3.24 xFIP and 2.87 SIERA each portend better days, but it's tough to understate what a disappointing season it's been for Diaz so far. All of that said, Diaz appears healthy and still possesses an elite arsenal of pitches. Paired with the fact that he's not eligible for arbitration until this winter and can be controlled through the 2022 season, Diaz's plus raw stuff surely gives other clubs confidence that he can be fixed (be it through pitch selection, a mechanical adjustment, improved defense behind him, etc.). The Boston bullpen has lacked established talent all season, and the relief corps has been particularly problematic this summer. As for the Mets, they seemingly hope to structure their 2020 rotation around 2018 Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom and Stroman   a fine one-two combination, to be sure   and believe they'll get more in trading away others than they surrendered to acquire Stroman. While they can't unscramble the egg, so to speak, and recoup the value they lost in dealing Jarred Kelenic , Justin Dunn and Gerson Bautista to the Mariners (while taking on half the remaining money on Robinson Cano 's deal), the apparently forthcoming slate of trades should indeed replenish their farm to an extent. Syndergaard has more trade value than Stroman did, and Diaz should fetch some quality young talent if he is indeed shipped off. Nonetheless, it'd be a dizzying sequence of moves that wouldn't clearly leave the Mets better off than they started. While it's commendable, on the one hand, that the team continues to eye contention in the short-term rather than acquiesce to the growing trend of large-scale rebuilds, the tightrope act the Mets look to be attempting is rife with risk. Perhaps moving Diaz and Syndergaard can each net a near-MLB-ready asset or two, but it's not at all clear that they'd be in a better position with Stroman and those theoretical young assets. Stroman himself isn't a particularly controllable player, after all, as he'll be a free agent in the 2020-21 offseason. If things go south again next year, he'd likely be traded as a rental for less than the Mets paid to acquire him. And, in moving Diaz by Wednesday, they'd open a need for further late-inning bullpen help in the offseason   the very same need that led to this situation.


The York County District Attorney's Office has dropped all charges against a man who'd been accused of raping a York College student inside her dorm room in 2017 , stating that prosecutors could no longer prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt. In court documents, Deputy Prosecutor Teresa Jauregui wrote that the decision was made after "additional forensic testing and further investigation of witnesses known to the Commonwealth." Nathan Yankelov, 20, of Hopewell Township, had been charged with rape, sexual assault and related offenses. Common Pleas Judge Craig T. Trebilcock signed an order on Thursday to dismiss the case. READ: 'Cruelty on a breathtaking scale:' Ex-York College student sentenced for rape "Nathan Yankelov is as innocent today as he has been since November 18, 2017," said Mike Fenton and Ed Paskey, Yankelov's attorneys, in a statement. "We have always believed in his innocence." The allegations in the case, they said, never squared with the physical and scientific evidence as well as the statements of several witnesses. "Sometimes, the most difficult decision a prosecutor can make doesn't involve filing charges; instead, it involves having the wisdom and courage to not proceed with a case," they said. "Now that all the charges have been dismissed, we hope Nathan and his family can find peace and closure." MORE: Kids, 10 to 12 years old, rob York College student at gunpoint A woman, 18, reported that he sexually assaulted her on Nov. 18, 2017. Meanwhile, Yankelov maintained that the encounter was consensual, York City Police said. They knew each other. Mary Dolheimer, a spokeswoman for York College, has said Yankelov was not a student. ALSO OF INTEREST: York College student shot in leg during home invasion, police say Kyle King, a spokesman for the York County District Attorney's Office, said, "We won't be commenting beyond what is in the official court document." Contact Dylan Segelbaum at 717-771-2102. This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: DA drops case against man who'd been accused of rape at York College


Back in 1995, Michael Jordan spent a summer filming Space Jam , but he kept his hoops skills sharp after returning to the NBA earlier that year by playing in what was called the "Jordan Dome." It was a court that housed some epic pick-up games while Jordan was shooting the flick that co-starred Looney Tunes characters. It seems like there are still legendary stories coming out of that summer from that court. This summer, with the sequel starring and produced by LeBron James being filmed, the Los Angeles Lakers forward now has his version of the Jordan Dome … and it's gorgeous. NBA superfan Jimmy Goldstein - known for his eclectic attire while sitting courtside at games - has the Space Jam 2 court and the views are jaw-dropping: The Space Jam 2 workout court for players is set up at NBA superfan Jimmy Goldstein's house in LA, featuring LeBron James' logo. pic.twitter.com/zmkNYoahoh - Nick DePaula (@NickDePaula) June 23, 2019 Seriously, though: Can we have a 24/7 camera set up there? There's a little footage from the Jordan Dome that's grainy, but imagine what we'd get to see with some HD footage from those pickup games. Amazing trash talk! Actors getting dunked on! Players making friendships so they can play with each other when they're free agents! Someone at least make a documentary! MORE: NBA Free Agency 2019: The top players USWNT hangs on to defeat Spain 2-1: See all the goals and highlights Robert Quinn explains why he picked Cowboys over Saints USWNT Benefits From Bad Call to Take Lead Against Spain in Women's World Cup D'Angelo Russell open to Lakers return with Magic Johnson gone


PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland   The success of Irish golf over the past decade wasn't always necessarily kind to Shane Lowry. Padraig Harrington. Darren Clarke. Graeme McDowell. Rory McIlroy. All major winners. Yet, Lowry, trying his best, was left to answer questions. "I used to curse them an awful lot in the past because that's all anybody wanted to know about in Ireland because they were winning so many majors," Lowry said late Sunday at Royal Portrush, claret jug in hand. "'When are you going to win one?' Winning regular events wasn't good enough for anyone." Lowry, of course, was only partly joking. The success of the aforementioned men spurred Lowry on to continuously try to push himself to the next level. Full-field scores from the 148th Open Championship Full coverage of the 148th Open Championship Prior to The Open, he had won four times on the European Tour, including the 2009 Irish Open as an amateur. He won the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational four years ago, which was his biggest victory before the breakthrough Sunday at Royal Portrush. "We've very lucky Irish golfers," Lowry said. "People might say there's not enough Irish golfers on Tour. But look at the standard of Irish golfers we have." Because Lowry grew up in Ireland and because so many Irish players have had success at The Open, this was the one major he always wanted to win. "I grew up holing putts back home to win The Open. It was always The Open," he said. "I watched Paddy win his two Opens. I didn't even know him back then. I'm obviously very good friends with him. "You go into Paddy's house and the claret jug is sitting on the kitchen table, and I'm going to have one on my kitchen table now as well. ... That's going to be quite nice."


In search of a new favorite Cajun/Creole spot? Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the top Cajun/Creole spots around Long Beach, using both Yelp data and our own secret sauce to produce a ranked list of where to fill the bill. 1. The Attic Topping the list is The Attic . Located at 3441 E. Broadway in Long Beach, the Cajun/Creole and Southern spot is the most popular Cajun/Creole restaurant in Long Beach, boasting four stars out of 5,127 reviews on Yelp. 2. Big Catch Seafood House Long Beach's Big Catch Seafood House , located at 150 E. Broadway St., is another top choice, with Yelpers giving the Cajun/Creole and live/raw food spot, which offers seafood and more, four stars out of 1,082 reviews. 3. Sal's Gumbo Shack Last but not least, Sal's Gumbo Shack , a Cajun/Creole spot that offers seafood, comfort food and more in Long Beach, is another go-to, with four stars out of 410 Yelp reviews. Head over to 6148 Long Beach Blvd. to see for yourself. This story was created automatically using local business data, then reviewed and augmented by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.


Brighton are believed to be close to completing what is expected to be a club record signing of Belgian winger Leandro Trossard after reports of an agreement being struck with Genk and comments tantamount to confirmation from Genk chief executive Erik Gerits. The transfer looks to be a big statement of intent from the Seagulls as they prepare for a third successive season in the Premier League after narrowly escaping relegation in 2018/19. The record arrival of Trossard will be the second signing for new manager Graham Potter after the recent capture of 22-year-old defender Matt Clarke from Portsmouth . According to information from Belgian outlet HLN Sport , the fee Brighton have agree with Genk for Trossard is around £18m. It will therefore surpass the reported £17m previous record fee that was paid for flop signing Alireza Jahanbakhsh just 11 months ago. Leandro Trossard is on his way to Brighton and Hove Albion. KRC Genk and Brighton have reached an agreement over a fee of around £18m. The player's agent has already travelled to England. #bhafc (with @KjellDoms / @hlnsport ) pic.twitter.com/ALhAbqgm7p   Kristof Terreur  (@HLNinEngeland) June 23, 2019 A report from the Daily Mail carrying quotes from Genk chief executive Erik Gerits notes that agreeing personal terms with Trossard is expected to now be a 'formality'. "Everything took place in a correct and constructive atmosphere, with a lot of mutual respect. In fact, discussions about a transfer should always be this way. Now Leandro has to decide for himself," Gerits said of the amicable negotiations with Brighton . Trossard, 24, is a product of the Genk youth academy and spent time on loan at a handful of other Belgian clubs before breaking into the first team in 2016. Following an injury hit campaign in 2017/18, Trossard enjoyed his best season yet in 2018/19, finishing with 33 combined goals and assists in all competitions and emerging as captain. Genk have a fine reputation for developing talented players, whether home grown or otherwise, with Kevin de Bruyne , Thibaut Courtois, Kalidou Koulibaly, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Wilfred Ndidi, Christian Benteke and Christian Kabasele among those to have passed through.


They don't make em' like Frank Gore anymore. Truthfully, there might have never been, nor ever will there again be, a running back like Gore. The Buffalo Bills' 36-year-old back is a relic. His age alone is incredible. NFL running backs rarely last much longer than age 30. Gore's way past that. But that's only scratching the surface. Not only is Gore a 14-year vet, he's still a good player and a contributor. Last season alone he had 722 rushing yards in 14 games. As a rookie, where one would imagine he had a lot more left in the tank, he only had 608. Plus, Gore was injured down the stretch and could've added more stats with the Dolphins in 2018. But with that in mind, Gore's final season has to be with Buffalo, right? Well, think again. For now, at least. Speaking with the Sun-Sentinel in Florida over the weekend at his football camp in Coconut Grove, Gore didn't say 2019 will be his last. "I just go how I feel. If I feel I can't do it no more, than I call it," Gore said. During his interview, Gore also revealed that the Bills have been chasing his services for awhile now. "It was the second year where they came after me," Gore said. "They showed that they wanted me again. In this league, especially at my age, you want to be wanted. That's a factor that [went into the decision], especially coming off an injury." The Bills and Gore came to an agreement on a one-year, $2 million deal this offseason. It was a surprise move for the Bills, especially since their first reported free agent signing when free agency opened was Gore. Most expected a wideout. Or offensive lineman. Or really anything other than a running back. But digging deeper, Gore to the Bills comes as little surprise. Over the years, his relationship with teammate LeSean McCoy is well documented. The two workout together during the offseason. Plus, Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott covets leadership. Who better than Gore in that department? "I just think what better way to challenge one another with a guy for LeSean that's been there and done that and done a lot of the things LeSean's done at a high level. I think iron's gonna sharpen iron in that situation," McDermott said earlier this offseason. The Bills' running back room will be a storyline to follow when the team starts training camp on July 25. There's McCoy and Gore, but also rookie Devin Singletary and TJ Yeldon. Plenty of hands that will want the ball. MORE: 10 crazy Russell Westbrook trades, according to Trade Machine Five potential Russell Westbrook trade destinations WATCH: Jorge Masvidal Knocks Out Ben Askren in Five Seconds Baker Mayfield and Emily Wilkinson tie the knot 3 remaining free agents who could help Patriots


HARTFORD, CT   The state Department of Transportation has provided a more detailed breakdown on how much trucks and cars both in and out-of-state would pay for tolls under a recent proposal. The fate of tolls in Connecticut remains up in the air. It would require a special session vote later this year. Republican legislators have remained steadfastly opposed to any tolls in the state, citing distrust of how the money would be spent. Gov. Ned Lamont has said that the state's constitutional transportation lockbox and federal rules would prevent money from going to non-transportation costs. He recently offered a proposal to cut the income tax in order to take some of the sting out of toll costs for state residents. Lamont's administration also laid out a potentially dire situation where the federal government could get to call more shots about how money is spent if federal highways get in worse shape. The goal is to get $800 million in toll revenue annually. The latest proposals call for about 50 toll gantries total on I-95, I-84, I-91 and route 15. A large number is required due to the state having many exits. I-95 between New York and New Haven has 47 exits for 47 miles of road compared to the Mass Pike which has 21 exits on 133 miles of road. Related: New Tolls Proposal Pitched By Lamont The rate for heavy trucks would be four times the car rate and the peak period would be 25 percent more than off-peak. The maximum discount would include 30 percent for a Connecticut EZPass and 20 percent for a frequent commuter. The lowest rate would be those discounts off-peak at 3.5 cents per mile. The peak rate would be 4.4 cents per mile. Toll rates with discounts would be less than half for the New Jersey Turnpike and be in line with Mass Turnpike rates, which don't have congestion pricing. In-state cars would contribute about 41.2 percent of the revenue while in-state trucks would contribute 16.2 percent, out-of-state trucks 15 percent and out-of-state cars 27.6 percent. Toll money has to go to the highway where it was collected under federal rules. So money collected on I-95 would have to be used for improvements on I-95. Only once the highway is fully in a good state of repair could extra money go to other highway projects, but that would be far down the line. The DOT is pitching several projects that could benefit from increased transportation revenue. A slew of I-95 congestion and reconstruction projects have been pitched including adding a second northbound lane at exit 27A to Route 8 and a six-mile northbound lane between exit 19 and 27A. Removing the Bridgeport bottleneck could save northbound commuters 22 minutes between the state line and Bridgeport, according to DOT estimates. Another proposal is to add another southbound lane from exit 7 to the New York State line in Greenwich. A number of Route 15 proposals have also been made including reconstructing or replacing Heroes Tunnel near the New Haven/Hamden line and improving the interchange in Norwalk with Route 7. In eastern Connecticut proposals call for reconstructing the Goldstar Bridge in New London among others. I-84 proposals include fixing the Waterbury Mixmaster and the Hartford viaduct replacement. Improvements on I-91 include a new interchange at exit 29 to Charter Oak Bridge and a new I-84/I-91 interchange over the Connecticut River.


ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP)   Gov. Tim Walz and top legislative leaders have now reached agreement on all nine of their major budget bills, and lawmakers are now waiting on the governor to call a special session so they can finish their work for the year. Aides say the last piece of the two-year budget fell into place early Thursday when the governor and leaders of the Senate Republican and House Democratic majorities agreed on a health and human services funding bill, which is one of the biggest parts of the budget. The three leaders agreed Wednesday night on bills to finance state government and a jobs-and-energy budget bill. The state government bill includes authority for spending $6.6 million in federal election security funding and money to help prepare Minnesota for the 2020 census. (© Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


After a bizarre, abrupt finish to Friday's Stage 19, young Colombian rider Egan Bernal left little doubt about his status as the best rider in the 2019 Tour de France, finishing alongside the other viable contenders in Saturday's shortened stage to remain in the lead with only Sunday's largely ceremonial stage remaining. Italian Vincenzo Nibali , the 2014 Tour de France champion but not involved in the race for yellow this year, flew away for the stage win. Another Tour veteran, Alejandro Valverde , was 10 seconds back. The chasing group behind them included defending champion Geraint Thomas and Dutch rider Steven Kruijswijk , who will take the other spots on the podium alongside Bernal, barring disaster on the way to Paris. The freak weather that forced the last descent and climb of Friday's stage to be erased also affected the route of Saturday's decisive stage, taking out more than half of the distance and two of the three climbs. But it was still one climb too many for France's Julien Alaphilippe , who took and then reclaimed the yellow jersey in the first half of the three-week race. He was not expected to keep the yellow jersey in the mountains, but he climbed well and descended brilliantly to keep the overall lead until Friday, when Bernal and other contenders beat him to the summit of the second-to-last climb and race organizers waved off the race in the midst of another furious Alaphilippe descent. Alaphilippe remained in second place heading into Saturday's stage but was left behind on the beyond-category climb to Val Thorens. He finished 3:01 behind Bernal, who already led him by 45 seconds, and dropped to fifth place overall. Bernal, not yet 23 years old, wore the white jersey as the leader in the young rider category through most of the race and will also be the official winner of that competition. Cycling🚴♂   Bernal will be 22 years and 196 days on 28 July. Youngest riders to win @LeTour 19-355   Cornet🇫🇷   1904 22-187   Faber🇱🇺   1909 22-280   Lapize🇫🇷   1910 22-288   Gimondi🇮🇹   1965 22-292   Thys🇧🇪   1913 22-346   Fignon🇫🇷   1983 22-352   R. Maes🇧🇪   1935 #TDF2019   Gracenote Olympic (@GracenoteGold) July 26, 2019 OlympicTalk is on Apple News . Favorite us! TOUR DE FRANCE: TV Schedule | Full Standings Follow @nbcolympictalk


Max Homa shot 4-under 67 and held up under pressure all afternoon to score his first career win on Tour. The 28-year-old began the week ranked No. 417 in the official world golf rankings and nearly doubled his career earnings with the $1.4 million prize purse. We tracked all the final-round action from Charlotte. Follow along below. LEADERBOARD: Live scoring updates UPDATED: Golfweek/Sagarin rankings Final Round Live Updates A Twitter List by golfweek Here are the tee times and TV info for the final round of Wells Fargo Championship: Final Round Tee Times 1st Tee Tee Time Pairing 8:06 a.m. Beau Hossler, Fabián Gómez 8:15 a.m. Matthew Short, Brendan Steele 8:24 a.m. Zack Sucher, Hank Lebioda 8:33 a.m. Wes Roach, Tom Hoge 8:42 a.m. Adam Long, Jason Kokrak 8:51 a.m. Harris English, Trey Mullinax 9:00 a.m. J.J. Henry, Nick Watney 9:09 a.m. Nick Taylor, Luke List 9:18 a.m. Jimmy Walker, Tony Finau 9:27 a.m. Byeong Hun An, Kramer Hickok 9:36 a.m. Brandon Harkins, Roberto Díaz 9:45 a.m. Julián Etulain, Hideki Matsuyama 9:54 a.m. Matt Jones, Richy Werenski 10:03 a.m. Bill Haas, Alex Prugh 10:12 a.m. Daniel Berger, Kyoung-Hoon Lee 10:21 a.m. Joaquin Niemann, Brian Harman 10:30 a.m. Jason Day, Chase Wright 10:39 a.m. Sebastián Muñoz, Brendon Todd 10:48 a.m. Chez Reavie, Lucas Glover 10:57 a.m. Dylan Frittelli, Henrik Stenson 11:06 a.m. Brice Garnett, Shawn Stefani 11:15 a.m. Ryan Blaum, Webb Simpson 11:25 a.m. Bud Cauley, Ollie Schniederjans 11:35 a.m. Sungjae Im, Cody Gribble 11:45 a.m. Jim Knous, Kevin Streelman 11:55 a.m. Nate Lashley, John Senden 12:05 p.m. Martin Laird, Adam Hadwin 12:15 p.m. Rory SabbatiniKyle Stanley 12:25 p.m. Jhonattan Vegas, Aaron Wise 12:35 p.m. Colt Knost, Adam Schenk 12:45 p.m. Patrick Reed, Keith Mitchell 12:55 p.m.. Doc Redman, Vaughn Taylor 1:05 p.m. Sergio Garcia, Rickie Fowler 1:15 p.m. Paul Casey, Seamus Power 1:25 p.m. Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose 1:35 p.m. Joel Dahmen, Pat Perez 1:45 p.m. Max Homa, Jason Dufner TV Info Sunday Golf Channel: 1-2:45 p.m. NBC: 3-6 p.m. PGA Tour Live: 8:30 a.m. - 6 p.m. PGA Tour Radio: 1-6 p.m. (Sirius 208/XM 92) View embedded content MORE: How to tell if a coach is interested in you as a recruit Boxing fans had so many complaints about DAZN during Canelo Alvarez-Daniel Jacobs fight Giants sign two tryout players to contracts Freddie Kitchens has a simple philosophy for pass coverage Raiders RB Chris Warren up to 260 pounds, Gruden 'anxious' to check his progress


As the Boston Celtics scramble to fill in the gap between themselves and elite Eastern Conference teams like Milwaukee and Toronto, they are reportedly zeroing in on big man Clint Capela. Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders reports the Celtics have been "engaged pretty seriously" in trade talks for Capela. The Celtics from what I have heard engaged pretty seriously on Clint Capella… have had some level of talks with Terry Rozier on a new deal. Everything is very fluid at this stage in the draft/trade process. It's finding out what you can do. https://t.co/7kHmEWP6X1   Steve Kyler (@stevekylerNBA) June 9, 2019 Capela just played out the first season of his five-year, $90 million deal with the Houston Rockets. He had a fantastic campaign, averaging 16.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game last season However, Houston has reportedly been dangling him on the trade market, along with pretty much everyone else on the roster . Of course, the big man who has been atop every team's wish list is Anthony Davis. And Boston has certainly been linked to him since the New Orleans center requested a trade last season. Depending on what Kyrie Irving decides to do this summer, going after Capela might be a more feasible plan long term than Davis.


This week, a summer-inspired pasta, grilled steak and tacos are on the dinner menu. Here's everything you need to make it happen. Grocery List: 2 cups rotisserie chicken or other shredded chicken 3 pounds chicken thighs 1½ pounds steak of choice, such as ribeye 16 ounces monkfish 1 pound asparagus 1 yellow onion 7 medium shallots 2 scallions 3 cups spinach 2 jalapeños 5 tomatillos 5 ears of corn 22 garlic cloves 4 sprigs fresh rosemary 5 sprigs fresh thyme 2 bunches fresh cilantro 3 pints cherry tomatoes ⅓ cup radishes 1 red beet 1 Chioggia beet 1 bunch yellow beets 1 large leek 3 limes 2 lemons 1 jar mixed pitted olives ½ cup raw cashews 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend 12 ounces fresh goat cheese 1 can coconut milk 8 slices rye bread 20 corn tortillas 12 ounces pappardelle ⅔ cup dry white wine Hard taco shells Shredded lettuce Diced tomatoes Guacamole Salsa or pico de gallo Crumbled queso fresco Sour cream Pantry Ingredients: Olive oil, unsalted butter, balsamic vinegar, distilled white vinegar, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, ground chili powder, ground cumin, paprika, cayenne, crushed red pepper flakes, dried oregano, dijon mustard, sugar and taco seasoning. Monday: Baked Chicken Taquitos First day back after the holiday weekend? This calls for something quick, easy and tasty. Coterie member Maria Lichty's easy chicken taquitos are just the ticket. Get the recipe Tuesday: Creamy Sweet Corn Pappardelle Mark our words: When this delightful summery dish is on the menu, your fam will want to make every night pasta night. Get the recipe Wednesday: Grilled Tuscan Steak Recipe Grilling steak on a weeknight? It's not just possible it's a breeze. Get the recipe Thursday: Baked Chicken Thighs with Asparagus This one-pan dinner is a total time-saver. Less time in the kitchen means more time getting pumped for the weekend. Get the recipe Friday: Leftover Steak Salsa Verde Tacos Remember that leftover steak from earlier in the week? It's the star of tonight's dinner spend your newfound free time shaking margaritas. Get the recipe Saturday: Grilled Goat Cheese Sandwiches with Balsamic Beets No, making grilled cheese on Saturday is not a cop-out. Take one bite of this decadent grilled goat cheese sandwich stuffed with colorful beets and you'll know why. Get the recipe Sunday: Spicy Coconut Lime Fish Stew Hot, spicy soup in the summer? Hear us out. Spicy food is scientifically proven to help you keep cool in ridiculously hot temperatures. (Thanks for the reco, Jodi Moreno .) Get the recipe RELATED: 52 Easy Summer Seafood Recipes You Can Whip Up in 20 Minutes


Supercars has opened a tender for a sealed, control damper that could be introduced as soon as next season. The series' official website has published an Invitation to Tender for a single damper supplier for 2020-2024. According to the document, "the governing body of Supercars Australia is looking to introduce a control damper from a single supplier as soon as the start of the 2020 season that will achieve higher mileage than current units and be sealed." It also reveals that both two and four-way adjustable dampers will be considered, that the service life is more than 7500 kilometres, and that the supplier will need to be able to provide support at events. The tender closes on June 5. There's no guarantee that a control unit will be introduced, however, with the tender document adding "the selection of the winning bidder will be at Supercars' complete discretion. Additionally, there is no guarantee that a bidder will be successful." . That's been largely attributed to the struggles that powerhouse team Triple Eight has endured in the early part of the season.


KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) The Kansas City Royals don't know why they've been able have success against Jake Odorizzi. Alex Gordon had a two-run double and Lucas Duda added an RBI single as the Royals jumped on Odorizzi in the first inning and beat the Minnesota Twins 4-1 Thursday night. Odorizzi has given up eight runs in two starts against Kansas City while allowing 15 runs in 13 starts against other teams. ''It's hard to give you an explanation why,'' Royals manager Ned Yost said. ''We just swing the bats well off him.'' Odorizzi (10-3) came in tied with Chicago White Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito for the major league lead in wins, but lasted just four innings. He gave up four runs and eight hits with one walk and two strikeouts. ''I think he had trouble getting comfortable in a couple of different ways,'' Rays manager Rocco Baldelli said. ''He usually pitches pretty well with his fastball ... When he couldn't go to that to get the swings and misses, and really set up the rest of the at-bat, it became an issue. ''But he's been so good for us and throwing the ball so well for so long, that you know that at some point there's going to be a start or two like this along the way.'' Glenn Sparkman (2-3) gave up just one run and five hits in a season high-tying seven innings, and Duda had two hits and scored a run to help the Royals win for the fourth time in five games. ''I just stayed with the plan, to stay low in the zone and attack those guys,'' Sparkman said. ''I felt pretty strong (after seven innings). As long as I'm pushing the team pretty far I'm happy.'' Jake Diekman pitched a perfect eighth and Ian Kennedy got the last three outs for his ninth save in 11 opportunities. Jorge Polanco homered with one out in the first to put Minnesota ahead. However, the Royals came right back in the bottom of the inning to take the lead. Whit Merrifield doubled and advanced to third on Nicky Lopez's single to left-center. Gordon then doubled to deep right-center to drive both runners in. ''(Odorizzi) kinda has that sneaky fastball (and) likes to throw it up in the zone,'' Gordon said. ''He kinda blew it by me last game, so I just wanted to make sure I was on top of the fastball. ... I was able to fight off a couple good pitches and finally got one that I was able to hit and put a good swing on it.'' With one out, Cheslor Cuthbert grounded to Odorizzi, who threw to third to get Gordon, but Willians Astudillo's errant throw to first allowed Cuthbert to advance to third. Cuthbert then scored on Duda's single to right that ended his 0-for-20 slump. The Royals added another run in the fourth. Duda got his second single and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Humberto Arteaga, who made his major league debut Thursday. Duda scored on a double by Martin Maldonado. Odorizzi credited the Royals with a good game plan. ''They were aggressive,'' he said. ''Put the balls in play, kind of the same as the last game. The balls that were put on the ground were kind of in that good spot. They were hitting the ball back up the middle, they weren't trying to do too much with it. ... They got on top of fastballs. They did what they needed to do.'' TRAINER'S ROOM Twins C Mitch Garver started Thursday's game but left after the seventh inning with left heel soreness. ... OF Byron Buxton is traveling with the club, though he's not eligible to return from the 10-day injured list until Tuesday. He went on the IL on Tuesday, retroactive to last Saturday, with a right wrist contusion. Royals 3B Hunter Dozier finished a three-day rehab in Double-A Northwest Arkansas on Wednesday. He's been on the 10-day injured list since June 3 (retroactive to May 31) with a right oblique strain. He was expected to return to Kansas City on Thursday for the birth of his child. He's expected to head to Triple-A Omaha to continue the rehab through the weekend. Yost did not have an update on Dozier's status. ROSTER MOVES Twins recalled RHP Kohl Stewart from Triple-A Rochester and optioned RHP Sean Poppen to Rochester. The Twins played 17 innings against Boston on Tuesday. The Twins are near the end of a 13-day stretch without a day off. They'll be off June 24 following this four-game series. Royals SS Adalberto Mondesi was placed on the 10-day IL with what Yost called a ''very minor'' right groin strain. Yost said it was more precautionary than anything. He was replaced on the roster by SS Arteaga from Triple-A Omaha. Arteaga, 25, is in his ninth season in the Royals' system since being signed as a 16-year-old non-drafted free agent in 2010. UP NEXT LHP Martin Perez (7-3, 4.09 ERA) will get the start for Minnesota. He'll face Royals RHP Jakob Junis (4-6, 5.33 ERA) in the second game of the four-game series. --- More AP baseball coverage: www.apnews.com/MLB and www.twitter.com/AP-Sports