WPTV NewsChannel 5 is partnering with the American Red Cross to help people of Hurricane Dorian.They are holding a fundraising event on-air today. WPTV and Red Cross have a phone bank that has been set up, and are taking donations Thursday, 9/5 from 11 am to noon, and 4 pm to 6:30 pm.Call 561-655-5455 to donate! Be sure to specify that you want to donate to victims in the Bahamas.You can also donate to North Carolina, which is the default option.News Talk 850 WFTL along with all Hubbard Radio Stations are contributing to our friends in the Bahamas as well. A donation center option for Palm Beach County is outside our station.Go to 701 Northpoint Parkway, West Palm Beach, FL 33407 on Wednesday, September 4th & Thursday, September 5th between 6 am & 6 pm.If you would like to make a monetary donation,click hereto donate to the American Red Cross, where the funds collected will go directly to those impacted by Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas!Related content:Hurricane Dorian Relief Drive
Crikey! Police apprehended a kangaroo that was on the loose Thursday morning in Fort Lauderdale.Residents living near North Andrews Avenue and 13th Street reported seeing a runaway kangaroo hopping through their neighborhood.Fort Lauderdale police officers arrived and, with the help of wildlife officers, were able to leash the kangaroo and guide the animal into the back of a police cruiser.Police safely captured the kangaroo, but the marsupial avoided a trip to the slammer. Instead, the Australian tourist was taken to the South Florida Wildlife Center.
Four teenagers – including two from the same club – will represent England in the Italian international U16 boys’ championship at Biella Golf Club from September 1-3. They are Jack Ainscough of Hartlepool, Durham; Barclay Brown and Alex Fitzpatrick of Hallamshire, Yorkshire; and Benjamin Jones of Brampton Heath, Northamptonshire. Ainscough, 16, (Image © Leaderboard Photography) has just had two top ten finishes in the English U16 boys’ championship for the McGregor Trophy and in the Scottish U16s. Brown, 14, was fourth in the McGregor and recently became the youngest winner of the Sheffield open amateur – taking the record from Danny Willett. Fitzpatrick, 16, was fifth at the McGregor after equalling the course record at Wallasey in his final round, with six-under 66. He was runner-up in last year’s Italian U16 championship. Jones, 16, tied sixth in the McGregor and shared 26th place in the Carris Trophy, the English U18 boys’ championship. The Italian championship is played over 72 holes, with a cut to the leading 40 players and ties after 36 holes. 6 Aug 2015 Teenagers target Italian title 
The last time I checked, and correct me if I’m wrong, an all-star game usually features the best, at least for that season, performers of a particular sport. In the case of the NFL All-Star game, add to the mix a few well-endowed sisters from our 50th state with the word “aloha” flowing freely from their sensuous mouths in low provocative undertones then presto, success can be almost guaranteed. When I traveled to Honolulu for the 2005 and 2006 Pro Bowl, I considered those “working” vacations as a reward after covering long and grueling seasons. Hey, almost every season is long and taxing because I cover the AFC North and am forced to observe Baltimore linebacker Ray Lewis emerge from the fog of eternity howling at the moon as if he is auditioning to be featured in the sequel of “Twilight.”Speaking of fog, whatever neurosurgeon came up with the idea of holding the Pro Bowl a week prior to the Super Bowl, with the players representing the NFC and AFC champions appearing in street clothes, must have been in possession of a few bowls of their own or at least a hookah filled with the finest marijuana imported straight from the “streets of San Francisco.”Wasn’t the “Streets of San Francisco” a television series starring Michael Douglas before he starred in the weirdo movie, “Fatal Attraction?” Well, if it isn’t, forgive me for having a few bowls of my own medicine. But back to the “problematic” bowl. An all-star game is supposed to be a reward for above average performance. What if the NHL all-star game were held a week before the Stanley Cup finals? Or baseball held their contest a week before the World Series? Would that scenario possibly cause a nightmare or two for the marketing gurus on Madison Ave.?First and foremost, MLB has it right. The all-star game means something. The reward for winning is very important. If the American League wins, then the World Series begins in an AL city. Ditto for the NL team. The Super Bowl is only one game that this is not possible but what if another system was in place?Let’s say whatever conference loses the Pro Bowl the teams in that conference, starting with the playoff qualifying franchises, would have to play the toughest schedule the following season. A format such as that would motivate the owners, coaches and players to get out there and “bust a few grapes” in order to win.Also hold the game after the Super Bowl as before so the athletes chosen to compete could have a brief respite to heal up because as we all know football is a violent game and bodies need to heal because unlike baseball, basketball or hockey, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to play an NFL game on Monday and play another contest on Tuesday.Now let’s get to the game itself. The AFC beat the NFC, 41-34. If you watched the game, you more than likely did not need a sleep aid that night. If the game was still played in Honolulu, before, during or after the game you would not be bored, trust me. What happens in Honolulu stays in Honolulu! The contest was a rainy, drizzly sort of affair that ended up being not too much more than OTAs (organized team activities) or at best, a spirited mini-camp.NFC linebacker Brian Orakpo said, “Everybody came out here trying not to get hurt and give the fans a good show.” Well Brian, as far as defenses representing the AFC and the NFC were concerned, it was not by any stretch of the imagination a “good show.”Thirty-four players chosen missed the game because of injury or because they were getting ready for Super Bowl XLIV.I remember the sunsets on Oahu and Waikiki and the food.The Pro Bowl needs a little re-tooling but not a complete overhaul. Maybe Hawaii was a bit too far to travel for some folks to observe a game that didn’t end up with a Lombardi, but for us guys in the trenches, the Pro Bowl in Hawaii is the Super Bowl.Instead of scrambling to get media to cover the Pro Bowl, maybe the NFL should whisper in the ears of the news organizations that if they don’t cover the Pro Bowl after the season then the distinct possibility might exist that unless the team in their market advances to the Super Bowl, the following year that organization may very well be denied credentials to cover the big game. As far as flights to Honolulu being booked the following year, book ’em, Dano.What the NFL All Star game needs is not a new location. It needs a new meaning.(Aubrey Bruce can be reached at: abruce@newpittsburghcourier.com. Come listen and participate on Press Pass airing on www.blogtalkradio.com beginning Feb. 11.)
BILL NEAL :10 The Masters is Coming, the Masters is Coming, the Masters is Coming…and so is Tiger Woods, and he’s bringing hell with him. (Tombstone…Kurt Russell as Wyatt Earp, after they killed his brother.) Come on people try to keep up.:09 “Champions” High School All-Star Basketball Classic (formerly The Kenny Durrett High School All-Star Basketball Classic) is back on track after a down year last year due to extenuating circumstances beyond our control. But as the saying goes, “Champions Rise to the Occasion…That’s Why They Are Champions.” And rise we did as the 38th annual classic tipped off Sunday, April 7 at the brand spanking new and super magnificent, state of the art Penn Hills High School. Over 1,000 people rolled through on the day to see the middle school girls’ tournament won by Pittsburgh Impact and the boys middle school tournament won by “UMOJA” out of Homewood. The big events on the day saw the WPIAL high school senior girls dominate the Pittsburgh City League girls for the fifth consecutive year with a final score of 58-36. And bringing home the WPIAL sweep, the WPIAL boys won a hard fought contest in a great game over the City League boys, 54-53. The event was a slam-dunk on the day and a “Great” time was had by all. A big thank you goes out to all our sponsors, volunteers, players, coaches, All-Star committee and executive staff, and most especially Chuck Sanders Charities and the Penn Hills Democratic Committee. And a real tip of the hat goes out to Jerry Chippinelli and Phil Scaleri.
Palace Malice , right, ridden by jockey Mike Smith, battles Oxbow, with jockey Gary Stevens up, around the fourth turn in the Belmont Stakes horse race in Elmont, N.Y., Saturday, June 8, 2013. Palace Malice won the race, Oxbow finished second. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan)NEW YORK (AP) — Palace Malice took charge on the turn for home and won the Belmont Stakes on Saturday, holding off Preakness winner Oxbow and Kentucky Derby winner Orb.The win gave Todd Pletcher his second Belmont winner in six years, and vindicated the trainer’s support of a 3-year-old who came into the final leg of the Triple Crown with only one win.Palace Malice, who finished 12th in the Derby and skipped the Preakness, covered the 1½ miles in a slow 2:30.70 on a fast track following a 24-hour downpour. The colt owned by Cot Campbell’s Dogwood Stable won by 3¼ lengths after passing pacesetter Oxbow. Orb made a late move but came up far short and finished third.Palace Malice, ridden by Mike Smith and sent off at odds of 13-1, returned $29.60, $11.20 and $6.70. The colt was one of a record five entries by Pletcher.Incognito was fourth, followed by Revolutionary, the filly Unlimited Budget, Overanalyze, Vyjack, Golden Soul, Will Take Charge, Giant Finish, Midnight Taboo, Freedom Child and Frac Daddy.Oxbow, trained by D. Wayne Lukas, returned $9.90 and $6.10, and Orb, trained by Shug McGaughey, paid $3.30.When Palace Malice moved past Oxbow, Smith said fellow Hall of Famer Stevens looked over at him “like a big brother telling his little brother. ‘You go on with it big boy, you’re moving better than me.’”Last Sunday, Palace Malice put in his final workout before the Belmont, blazing 4 furlongs in 47.40. Pletcher called it one of the most impressive works he’d ever seen. And Palace Malice came through in a big way, earning $600,000 of the $1 million purse and giving Pletcher his third win in a Triple Crown race.The nation’s leading trainer won the 2007 Belmont with the filly Rags to Riches and the 2010 Derby with Super Saver. Smith won his second Belmont, having won aboard Drosselmeyer in 2010.Pletcher’s other four Belmont runners were Revolutionary, Unlimited Budget, Overanalyze and Midnight Taboo.
BILL FLETCHER JR.(NNPA)—The recent news about NFL Hall of Famer Tony Dorsett was more than unsettling. Having been diagnosed with the early stages of chronic encephalopathy, an illness directly related to head traumas, he feels his life slipping away from him. At the age of 59 he faces an uncertain future, yet it is a future that has confronted many football players, past and present.Dorsett was part of the group of former football players who settled with the NFL recently for $765 million in connection with conditions such as CTE that have resulted from their football years. The settlement itself was highly controversial since it underestimates the extent of damage done to football players and, in effect, let’s the NFL off the hook. Nevertheless, many former players were desperate for a settlement in order to address their on-going medical problems.Dorsett was a star among stars, someone who seemed nearly invincible in his greatness. Nevertheless, careers end and the physical damage inflicted on the players over the years takes its toll, resulting in conditions such as CTE and a shortened life-span for these modern-day gladiators.When we hear the news about former players, such as Dorsett, most of us shake our heads in both sadness and frustration…and then we turn on the next football game. We create a peculiar sort of disconnect between the reality of the injuries faced by these players, and the activity that so many of us watch on any given Sunday. We do not stop and think about the sorts of demands that we, the fans of professional football, need to place on the football industry in its entirety.The issue of safety is not one exclusive to the NFL. It really is a matter that must be addressed when high schoolers start playing and then when they work their way to college. The injuries start early and there is no scientific certainty as to how many injuries ultimately result in conditions such as CTE, not to mention countless other challenges, such as injuries to bones and joints.There comes a time when shaking our heads, as those watching the gladiators competing on Sundays, makes us complicit in the misery that many of these players face upon the end of their careers. Perhaps it is time to join with the NFL Players Association in demanding greater steps to address safety, but also appropriate medical care and long-term assistance for the players when they have moved on. To do otherwise feels no different than the equivalent of watching the gladiators do battle in the ancient Roman coliseums. The only difference seems to be that death was quicker in the coliseum. Today, we allow our modern day gladiators to end their lives slowly in misery and absent dignity.(Bill Fletcher Jr. is a senior scholar with the Institute for Policy Studies, the immediate past president of TransAfrica Forum, and the author of “They’re Bankrupting Us”—And Twenty Other Myths about Unions. Follow him on Facebook and at www.billfletcherjr.com.)Follow @NewPghCourier on Twitter https://twitter.com/NewPghCourierLike us at https://www.facebook.com/pages/New-Pittsburgh-Courier/143866755628836?ref=hlDownload our mobile app at http://www.appshopper.com/news/new-pittsburgh-courier
In this April 15, 2013, file photo, Shalane Flanagan approaches the finish line to finish fourth in the women’s division of the Boston Marathon in Boston. Flanagan is more determined than ever to win the race for her battered hometown. The Marblehead, Mass., native would be the first American winner since 1985. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)BOSTON (AP) — Shalane Flanagan grew up in nearby Marblehead with a reverence for the Boston Marathon and dreamed, like many locals and foreign runners alike, that she would win the race someday.Her goal has changed now.But only a little.“If I could have one wish, it would be to win this specific race on this specific day,” she said this week. “It basically would be the highlight of my career, for sure. If I could win this specific Boston: It has the most power, the most meaning behind it, of all the Boston Marathons that would be run.”A year after two bombs at the finish line killed three and wounded 264 others, the 118th edition of the Boston Marathon has become a symbol of resilience for the running community, the city and a nation shocked by an attack on one of its beloved traditions. And Flanagan, a three-time Olympian who finished fourth in her Boston debut last year, is hoping an American victory in her hometown race will help heal the wounds caused by last year’s bombings.“I think something magical can happen for us,” she said. “It means so much to me, so much to my community and my family. I almost have to pretend that it’s just another race, when deep down I know it isn’t.”No American runner has won the Boston Marathon since Lisa Larsen-Weidenbach took the women’s title in 1985, two years after Greg Meyer’s victory that is the last American win in the men’s division. Since then, the top U.S. contender has trekked to Hopkinton each year hoping that an end to the slump will trigger a resurgence in American distance running.But a year after the bombing on Boylston Street provoked a national outpouring of sympathy for Boston and its signature sporting event, Americans are staking even more on a victory in 2014.“There are so many more eyes on the race this year,” said Desiree Linden, who finished second by 2 seconds in 2011 and was the last American runner to reach the Boston podium. “I think it would be really special to the people of Boston.”Linden, of Chula Vista, Calif., finished second when Flanagan won the 2012 Olympic trials on a different course here, but she dropped out of the race at the London Games with a stress fracture in her right leg that also prevented her from running Boston in 2013.Now she is back as part of one of the best U.S. women’s fields in decades. The men’s contenders include Ryan Hall, who finished fourth in 2011 in 2 hours, 4 minutes, 58 seconds — the fastest time ever run by an American marathoner — along with three-time Olympian and 2009 New York winner Meb Keflezighi.Although a victory would be great, of course, Hall thinks the added attention itself will give the sport a boost.“I’m happy to be a part of all the runners coming together — however that looks,” he said. “I don’t want to say it has to mean winning Boston or having a super-fast time. I want to be a part of such a historic race. I’m going to milk the excitement, the atmosphere. It’s going to come out of me on the race course. I know I’m going to get to the finish line faster than I otherwise would have.”East Africans have won the men’s race at the Boston Marathon every year since 1991, with Kenyans taking 14 straight titles and 20 of the last 23. On the women’s side, a pair of Russian wins is the only thing that interrupts a 17-year streak of Kenyan and Ethiopian dominance.But after a string of years in which no Americans even cracked the top 10, the hometown runners have had a resurgence. Last year, Flanagan and Colorado’s Jason Hartmann each finished fourth, Kara Goucher took sixth in the women’s race and there were as many U.S. men in the top 10 as Kenyans or Ethiopians.To break through to the top step on the podium this year, the U.S. runners will have to keep their emotions under control. Hundreds of thousands of fans are expected to line the 26.2-mile course from Hopkinton to Boston, a course that is littered with stories of runners who outran their pace and faltered.“If the emotion gets me too soon, it could absolutely ruin the race for me,” Flanagan said. “I sure we can use it to our advantage.”But Meyer, a Michigan native who moved to Massachusetts to get more familiar with the course, thinks having a passion for the race will give Flanagan an edge.“I don’t think it’s the energy of the crowd. I think it’s the energy in their own soul,” he said. “You have to believe that this is the most important thing you’re going to do in your racing career. I’ve seen that from Shalane.”And, if it’s Linden or Hall who gets the laurel wreath while listening to the “Star-Spangled Banner” play over Boylston Street, Flanagan will be OK with that, too.“It gives me chills just thinking about that,” she said. “If it’s not me, I pray that it is one of us: Meb, Desi, Ryan, Jason. I truly believe that we can pull it off. It would be so inspiring for all of us. I would just be so happy to a part of it.”___Follow Jimmy Golen on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/jgolen .
Facebook14Tweet0Pin0Submitted by Adopt-A-Pet of SheltonMeet Mya! This beautiful girl has had a rough start in life but is now in the loving environment of Adopt-A-Pet! She has spent all of her life tethered to a 30-foot runner so imagine her joy at being able to run free for the first time at the Shelter. Mya is very sweet and friendly with a beautiful fawn and white coloring. Mya needs to have a very patient and consistent family who will work on leash and basic commands with her. She would also do best in a calm and quiet adult home with no other pets. Should you have it in your heart to give her a loving home, please schedule an appointment to meet her soon!Adopt-A-Pet has many great dogs and always need volunteers. To see all our current dogs, visit www.adoptapet-wa.org, Facebook at “Adopt-A-Pet of Shelton Washington” or at the shelter on Jensen Road in Shelton. For more information, visit thedoghouse3091@hotmail.com or call 360-432-3091.
Photo by Lynne Ward A group of about 75 women gathered for a cocktail party Tuesday, Sept. 25, at the Rumson home of Diane Gooch to show their support for GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Committee members are, from left, hostess Diane Gooch, Lisa Soderstrom, Kathy Donnelly, Naila Busacca, Geri Skirkanich, B.J. Henderson, Lynn McCabe-Tauro and Lynne Mangini.