By John BurtonRED BANK – Work has begun on the construction of the new West Front Street bridge, connecting the borough and the River Plaza section of Middletown.According to Laura Kirkpatrick, Monmouth County public information director, the contractor has started mobilizing for the project with work proper expected to begin after the Labor Day weekend.“We’re expecting little impact on traffic,” she said.The project calls for erecting a new bridge next to the aging existing one. That will keep the crossing open during most of the more than anticipated 2 ½-year, $12 million project.The only time traffic should be affected is late in the project when the new structure is connected to the roadway. The detour around the site is expected to be about 120 days, Kirkpatrick said.Ongoing construction on Newman Springs Road/Route 520, an alternate east-west route to West Front Street, is expected to be completed by late October, she said.
The bottom of the hill looked more like the area two weeks after closing than opening day. I stepped into my skis with careful route finding through the mud patches arrived at the bottom of the Elk Chair.It was wet. It was sloppy.Almost to the top of the chair, snow started mixing with the rain. The air became distinctly colder. There was hope.Off the Elk, I dropped to skier’s left down the little pitch and picked my way through fist-sized rocks littering the surface. At the Bear and open ditch crossed the run. Most folks managed to pop over. A couple didn’t.Almost immediately on the Bear it switched completely over to snow. By the summit off-load, the hill was full-on winter–a whiteout of swirling snow and fog.As I of-loaded, I realized my annual gradual 200 yard first of the season balancing stretch was not in the cards. The snow was broken and piled high between where skiers passed. The upper layer was distinctly dryer than the lower layers exposed by the traffic. My first few turns were arm fallers.Chill. And speed up.”I loosened a bit, thought about staying centered on my foot, feeling the whole foot. I pushed my knees into the turn and found an even speed that kept my skis out of the glop below the surface.Boom. I was skiing. Turning left and right. All was good.So this year, when you drop of the lift for that first run, think simple. Think bottom of your foot. Ski evenly on your foot, clearly feeling the ball of your foot.Feel your socks.Feel the front of your boot.Point your knees; both of them, into the turns and let your knees guide your skis.And most of all, gain a little speed and power through the clumps of snow. Don’t be afraid of speed. In early season snow. Speed is your friend. Keep turning and keep your speed constant.It’s here. Happy New Year to all.Keith Liggett is a Fernie-based skier and writer. This year the first day of the year appeared brutal. At my house it was raining heavily. Clouds obscured the top of the mountain. And maybe snow showers? It was opening day, and there was nothing to do but try it. The opening weeks of the ski season across our mountains show a smattering of areas opening in early December with this last pulse of moisture and cold bringing snow enabling the lifts to crank up at the few remaining closed. For me the New Year’s Day is that first day on the hill.That event passes on the old and the rings in the new.Over the years I’ve developed a little routine to quickly get me comfortable and centered on my skis. After dropping off the lift, there is always that moment of looking at the mountains around, the valley below and wondering at this absurd sport of sliding down a slick snow covered hill, Then putting doubts aside, I find a moderate slope. Starting with a gliding wedge, the beginner turn, I crank out a few turns. I feel the bottom of the ski. I feel the ball of my foot.I press my shin into my boot just a little bit and point my knee into the turn. Gradually, I speed up the turns and voila, I am skiing.Simple.A few years ago the day turned a little sideways. , I kept trying to ski anyplace before a Whistler trip, but nothing worked out. I was scheduled into heli-skiing the first couple of days at Whistler and my first run that year was off the top of some name-forgotten peak 60 clicks north of the Village.The summit was not much bigger than needed to land the chopper and off load the skier. And the slopes off the summit appeared Chugash-like. I survived, although for the first few turns I seriously wondered, “Do you remember how to turn?”I let it go and all went well.
News from the Good Ship Leaf is not good as the Heritage City franchise continues to fight the injury bug heading into the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League stretch run.“Unfortunately, we’re not getting any healthier,” said Leaf coach Dave McLellan on the eve of Friday’s 7 p.m. home game against the Creston Valley Thunder Cats at the NDCC Arena.“And that hurts has in many areas of our game — power play, penalty killing . . .,” McLellan added.“Hopefully we get them back in a week or two.”What has been frustrating for the Leaf coaching staff is when one player returns, another goes on the injury list.“Our original goal was to be up and running and ready for the playoffs,” McLellan confessed.“But right now it’s hard to assess that when we don’t have our set power play units in place or set concepts because everyone is moving around playing in different roles.”Who’s in and who’s out? Good Question On the positive side, McLellan did see the return of defenceman Patrick Croome and forward Blair Andrews during last weekend’s East Kootenay road trip.However, both players had some considerable rust with their game.“We had (Patrick) Croome back in the lineup, but he played like he’d been out of the lineup for two months,” said McLellan.McLellan said forward Dylan Williamson may see limited action this weekend after recovering from a hand injury as well Michael Crawford, who left the team, is now back with the Leafs.Nelson’s second leading scorer, Matt MacDonald, remains out of the lineup.MacDonald was definitely missed last weekend as Nelson scored one goal in two games.Help from the Kootenay Ice McLellan said defenceman Aigne McGready-Bruce should be in the lineup to bolster the Leafs this weekend as his Ice team is idle in the BC Hockey Major Midget League.McLellan said he also hopes to give Ice netminder Jason Mailhoit some action before the regular season ends.Hawks on horizonNelson, playing in Spokane Saturday, has a mid-week contest next week as Beaver Valley pays a visit to the NDCC Arena.The Hawks, holding a nine-point lead on the third-place Leafs in Murdoch standings, are winners of three straight entering weekend action.
PLETCHER’S UPSTART DAME DOROTHY, WHO IS OWNED BY WORLD-RENOWNED CHEF, BOBBY FLAY, STRETCHES OUT IN SEARCH OF SIXTH WIN FROM SEVEN STARTS ARCADIA, Calif. (March 11, 2015)–Fresh off the biggest win of her career, California-bred Warren’s Veneda heads a field of seven older fillies and mares set to go 1 1/8 miles in the 78th running of the Grade I, $400,000 Santa Margarita Stakes this Saturday at Santa Anita.Conditioned by Craig Lewis, Warren’s Veneda followed up on an off-track win in the 1 1/16 miles Paseana Stakes Jan. 11 with an emphatic 2 ¾ length win at the same distance in the Grade II Santa Maria Stakes on Feb. 14, which was her first graded victory. A 5-year-old mare by Affirmative, out of the Flying Continental mare More Cal Bread, Warren’s Veneda is owned by her breeder, Benjamin Warren.Although Warren’s Veneda will try a mile and one eighth for the first time Saturday, she is at the top of her game and the way she won the Santa Maria would indicate the extra sixteenth of a mile should be well within her grasp. With an overall mark of 21-7-3-5, she has earnings of $587,612.A winner of the Grade III Monmouth Oaks six starts back this past August, trainer Larry Jones’ Cassatt ships west from New Orleans on the heels of three consecutive gate to wire scores at three different tracks, having won the Zia Park Oaks on Nov. 26, the Tiffany Lass at Fairgrounds Dec. 21, and the Houston Ladies Classic on Jan. 24.A 4-year-old Kentucky-bred filly by Tapit, Cassatt appears to be the speed of the Santa Margarita field, although she could get pace pressure from Bob Baffert’s Tiz Midnight. Owned by Fox Hill Farms, Inc., Cassatt is 9-6-1-0 and has earnings of $603,033. Like the favorite, she too will try 1 1/8 miles for the first time.A close second to the mighty Beholder four starts back in Santa Anita’s Grade I Zenyatta Stakes Sept. 27, Tiz Midnight won the Grade II Bayakoa two starts back at Los Alamitos Dec. 6, but bombed on a wet fast surface as the heavy 3-5 favorite in the Paseana Stakes Jan. 11, finishing sixth, beaten 15 ½ lengths by Warren’s Veneda. A 5-year-old mare by Midnight Lute, Tiz Midnight has come back to train well for Baffert and she’ll try to rebound on dry land Saturday.Bred in Kentucky by Karl Watson and Paul Weitman, Tiz Midnight is owned by Watson, Weitman and Mike Pegram and she has an overall mark of 10-4-3-1, with earnings of $334,970.Todd Pletcher’s upstart Dame Dorothy, a 4-year-old Pennsylvania-bred daughter of Bernardini, ships west from South Florida following a two length win in the seven furlong Sunshine Millions Distaff at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 17. Owned by world-renowned chef, Bobby Flay, Dame Dorothy was a Grade III winner going 1 1/16 miles three starts back at Belmont Park Oct. 26 and has won five of her six lifetime starts. Based at Palm Beach Downs training center, she has earnings of $357,460.Off at odds of 52-1, trainer Keith Desormeaux’s California-bred Uzziel was second, beaten 2 ¾ lengths by Warren’s Veneda in the Santa Maria. Well beaten two starts back in the Grade I, seven furlong La Brea Stakes Dec. 26, Uzziel has sprinter-type speed and could be dangerous contesting the early lead along with Cassatt and Tiz Midnight.A 4-year-old filly by Harlington, Uzziel is owned by her breeders, James and Tammy McKenney and will make her second start in the care of Desormeaux. She is 12-4-1-2 overall with earnings of $199,138.The complete field for the Grade I Santa Margarita Stakes, to be run as the eighth race on a nine-race card Saturday, all horses assigned 118 pounds, with jockeys in post position order: Legacy, Joe Talamo; Cassatt, Kerwin Clark; Dame Dorothy, Rafael Bejarano; Thegirlinthatsong, Mike Smith; Tiz Midnight, Martin Garcia; Uzziel, Kent Desormeaux, and Warren’s Veneda, Tyler Baze.First post time on Saturday is at 12:30 p.m. Admission gates open at 10:30 a.m.
There are few thrills as exhilarating as the rush of a winning bet at The Great Race Place, and now Santa Anita wants to reward you for sharing your winning ways with us.Introducing #SAWinningBet, a fun new social media contest that pays!For every Saturday of the Autumn meet (October 1st – October 29th), share your winning ticket via Twitter or Instagram and you could be chosen to win an additional $100 from Santa Anita Park. Win, then just keep on winning with #SAWinningBet!It’s as easy as 1-2-3:Each Saturday, take a picture of you with your winning ticket. Get creative and make it stand out!Post your picture on social media and use the hashtags #SAWinningBet and #SantaAnitaPark to be automatically entered to win a $100.A winner will be randomly selected and contacted via their social media handle* to receive the voucher.And that’s it! The Santa Anita Autumn Meet is right around the corner, so get ready to share your first #SAWinningBet with us on October 1st.*Santa Anita Park reserves the right to cancel #SAWinningBet contest at any time. Winners must respond in a timely fashion in order to receive prize.
Final Results | PhotosMcKINNEY, Texas – For the second consecutive year, Sam Houston State has claimed the Southland Conference title after closing out the 2019 Southland Conference Championship shooting an 889 on the Dye Course at Stonebridge Ranch Country Club in McKinney, Texas. The Bearkats also claimed the individual title as Noah Steele concluded the tournament three under par for a 213, beating the second-place finisher by three strokes.After finishing the opening round tied for second place, SHSU employed a consistent game plan during day two that resulted in a 293 and a 291 in the second and third rounds, respectively. Steele vaulted the Bearkats to the top of the standings with a 68 in round two. Sam Houston State rallied once more over the final 18 holes and combined for a 291, the team’s best round of the tournament. Of the team’s tournament-leading 50 birdies, 17 came in the final round. Luis Carrera knocked down six birdies by himself over the final 18 holes, cementing the Bearkats’ second-straight title bid.Lamar pushed Sam Houston State to the brink with a team score of 290 in the third round. Kevin Lee and Sam Dumez led the Cardinals and tied for fifth place overall, each notching a 222 for the tournament. LU remained poised across all three rounds, tying Southeastern Louisiana for pars made throughout the tournament (152). The late LU surge was highlighted by the team’s tournament-best 4.20 par-four scoring average. The Cardinals earned runner-up honors after shooting 896, 32 strokes above par.Stephen F. Austin employed the largest comeback bid of the championship after improving four spots in the standings following a seventh-place opening day conclusion. The Lumberjacks were led by Jake Hendrix who finished third in the individual standings with a 220 (+4). Angelo Leyvani concluded play tied for 15th overall, while Johannes Gudmundsson registered an impressive final round of 69 (-3) to tie for 18th in the individual standings. SFA shot one under in the final round to snag a third-place finish with a score of 909 (+45).Southeastern Louisiana finished in fourth place, shooting 911 for the tournament. The Lions were led by Joris Etlin and Logan Kuehn who each tied for eighth-place after carding 224. Etlin led the tournament with a pair of eagles that came in the final two rounds.Abilene Christian shot 912 across three rounds to finish in fifth place, while McNeese claimed sixth-place honors with a 916. Incarnate Word registered a 924 for seventh place and Houston Baptist finished in eighth place with 929.Nicholls took ninth place (947), New Orleans finished in 10th place (949) and Central Arkansas was 11th in the final team standings (959).Sam Houston State will now head to the NCAA Division I Regional Championship at a site yet to be determined. The regional tournament is set to take place May 13-15.
FRISCO, Texas – Abilene Christian catcher Luis Trevino is the Southland Conference Hitter of the Week and New Orleans hurler Brandon Mitchell is the Pitcher of the Week, the league announced Monday. Southland Conference Players of the Week are presented by MidSouth Bank. Hitter of the Week – Luis Trevino, Abilene Christian – Senior – Catcher – Mission, TexasTrevino started the week with a 2-for-3 performance against TCU with a run driven in and a run scored. He followed it up with another two-hit outing in the series opener against UNO, homering off Mitchell for ACU’s first run of the ballgame. Trevino hit .643 (9-for-16) from the plate, reaching base at a .700 clip and slugging 1.571 over four games last week. He set a Division I era school record with three home runs in a 7-3 win over New Orleans on Saturday. The senior catcher and designated hitter drove in six runs, scored six on his own and drew five walks. Pitcher of the Week – Brandon Mitchell, New Orleans – Freshman – Pitcher – Houston, TexasMitchell scattered five hits and punched out seven Wildcats over five scoreless innings before ACU got on the board with a Trevino home run. The Houston, Texas, native responded by retiring six-straight batters and finished his day with just one walk, opposite of 10 strikeouts. Honorable Mention: Colton Cowser, Sam Houston State; Shea Gutierrez, Incarnate Word; Salo Iza, New Orleans; Clayton Rasbeary, McNeese; Chase Talbot, Houston Baptist. The Wildcats (23-23, 10-14 Southland) take on Central Arkansas in a three-game weekend series, beginning at 6 p.m. CT on Friday in Conway, Ark. With a sweep, ACU would match its program record for Southland Conference wins after posting 13 in 2015. Mitchell posted career-high numbers in innings pitched (8.0) and strikeouts (10) in the series opener against ACU last Friday, improving to 3-3 in his first year. His eight innings tied the most by a Privateers starter this season and his 10 strikeouts marked the second-most by a UNO hurler. Honorable Mention: Jared Biddy, Southeastern Louisiana; Jason Blanchard, Lamar; Zach Carter, Houston Baptist; Rhett Deaton, McNeese; David Hodo, Northwestern State. In his first two at-bats of Saturday’s contest, Trevino rounded the bases and added a third for good measure in the seventh to finish 4-for-4. The Mission, Texas, native led off the sixth inning with a base knock and scored on a sac fly for the eventual gamewinning run. Pitchers’ reluctancy to face the slugger showed in the series finale as Trevino drew four free passes, including three intentional walks. The Privateers (24-24, 9-15 Southland) wrap up a seven-game homestand against Southern at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday before hosting Houston Baptist for a three-game weekend slate, beginning with a 6:30 p.m. first pitch on Friday. Southland weekly award winners are nominated and voted upon by each school’s sports information director. Voting for one’s own athlete is not permitted. To earn honorable mention, a student-athlete must appear on 25 percent of ballots.
JOSE MOURINHO is looking to make it three from three as Bournemouth visit the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.The Special One couldn’t have asked for a better start following victories over West Ham and Olympiacos.And Spurs have the number over the Cherries in this H2H, having won all four of their meetings in North London without conceding.Follow live updates from Jose’s latest game below…Start time: 3pmVenue: Tottenham Hotspur StadiumTV/Live stream: Not on TV in the UK
JURGEN KLOPP is set to be ignored as Premier League clubs embrace plans to extend the Champions League.As SunSport reported earlier this month, support is growing among Europe’s elite clubs for a revised format involving more games from 2024.2 Jurgen Klopp led Liverpool to Champions League final glory against Spurs on June 1 but is a fierce critic of expanding the competition2 The Premier League’s biggest clubs were determined to resist the plans of Juventus president Andrea AgnelliCredit: Getty Images – GettyLiverpool boss Klopp slammed the plans after his side’s 2-0 win over Watford in the Premier League on Saturday.The straight-talking German, who tasted Champions League glory last season, branded the proposals “absolute b******s”.But as SunSport has previously revealed, Liverpool — along with other members of the Big Six — have been part of extensive negotiations led by Uefa and the European Club Association.And this should lead to clubs agreeing to a redesigned competition.The Prem six were determined not to accept initial plans, drafted by Juventus President Andrea Agnelli.This would have seen 12 games in the initial phase and a ring-fenced structure involving promotion and relegation for the initial elite.CONSENSUS REACHEDBut clubs from across Europe were equally adamant Agnelli’s vision would not fly. Now, though, consensus has been reached over the format meaning ten games in the first phase.There are two models currently being discussed.The first is the so-called “Swiss system”, based on a competition first designed for a chess tournament in Zurich in 1895.That would see 32 teams in one league, but in a series of seeded bands and playing just ten opponents from different seeding groups.The top eight teams in the table after ten games would automatically go to the knockout stage, with the sides ranked 9-24 playing off to join them.ACCA WITH LADBROKES Pick up a whole load of acca features to help you land the big oneIt is envisaged that the top eight would also automatically qualify for the next season’s competition.Although there might be a cap of three guaranteed spots per country to still allow clubs to qualify through their domestic league.The other option under consideration is an extension to 36 teams in the group phase — allowing more nations to take part — with the teams split into six groups of six.The top two in each group would go through, with either a play-off system or the best third place teams determining the final four slots.Whatever the precise shape of the plans, it will require eight European games before Christmas and minimum 17 games to win the competition — four more than now.most read in footballTHROUGH ITRobbie Keane reveals Claudine’s father was ’50-50′ in coronavirus battleTOP SELLERGavin Whelan has gone from League of Ireland to David Beckham’s InstagramPicturedAN EYEFULMeet Playboy model and football agent Anamaria Prodan bidding to buy her own clubExclusiveRIYAD RAIDMan City’s Riyad Mahrez has three luxury watches stolen in £500,000 raidI SAW ROORodallega saw Rooney ‘drinking like madman’ & Gerrard ‘on bar dancing shirtless’NEXT STEPJonny Hayes set to move to English Championship having been let go by CelticThat creates a genuine threat to the long-term future of the League Cup as England will be the only one of the Big Five nations with a second domestic cup from next season.It could also spell the end of FA Cup replays — already scrapped after the fourth-round stage — to free up more space in the fixtures calendar.Discussions will be ramped up in the New Year with an expectation that a final proposal can be voted on at the annual congress of Uefa’s member nations in Amsterdam in early March.Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is happy to stay at the club as he signs new five-year contract
The PNG international joined the Cowboys from the Dragons on a three-year-deal starting in 2019 but played just five games for the club before having his season ended by a horrific ankle injury.In a statement, the Cowboys said the release was granted by mutual agreement, “with the club, Nene and his management deciding Nene needs some time away from the game”.The club said it would provide Macdonald with ongoing support.The announcement comes less than a month after Macdonald was involved in a traffic incident on Magnetic Island.A hire car leased in Macdonald’s name was found abandoned and damaged on June 20. In a statement at the time, the club said it was aware of the incident and would be making no further comment. The matter remains under investigation.(Picture: NRL.com)