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Hamilton Pool could reopen to swimmers soon, pending test results KXAN.comThis offseason was already shaping up to be a busy one for the Florida Panthers. Then came the news Wednesday that Anthony Duclair will likely require surgery for an Achilles tendon injury.
First and foremost, it’s terrible news. Duclair is coming off a career-high 31 goals this past season. He’s been such a good story ever since signing in South Florida. I’m not sure what the exact timeline is for his recovery but it will be lengthy.
But in the context of making lemonade out of lemons, at least on the salary cap front, Duclair’s $3 million AAV going on LTIR will allow the Panthers some cap flexibility they didn’t previously have.
As an example, Florida is interested in keeping trade deadline pickups Claude Giroux and Ben Chiarot if possible. Both are unrestricted free agents as of July 13. Given what the Panthers gave up to get before the deadline, there’s a genuine desire to try and keep both guys if possible.
Another unrestricted free agent is 27-year-old Mason Marchment, coming off a breakout year of his own. There is mutual interest on both sides for a deal. It probably makes sense on that front to, perhaps, make a short-term deal if you’re Marchment and bet on yourself while also giving the Panthers an easier number to work with.
Stay tuned on the Panthers. I think GM Bill Zito has the potential to be a mover and a shaker over the next couple of weeks.
The UFA goalie market
It’s not that deep, that’s for sure. But there are four quality names at the top.
Ville Husso is the most intriguing name to me as far as taking a long-term bet on a UFA goalie after the season he had in St. Louis. He’s also the youngest of the top UFA goalies at 27.
Future Hockey Hall of Famer Marc-André Fleury, 37, could put a lot of contenders over the top on a one-year deal (Wild GM Bill Guerin reiterated Wednesday he remains interested in trying to get Fleury signed). Jack Campbell, 30, and Darcy Kuemper, 32, round out the top four in whatever order you want to place them.
All indications are that the Cup champs want to bring Kuemper back, and the interest is mutual.
“Darcy loved it there, how could you not?’’ Kuemper’s agent Ben Hankinson said Wednesday. “It doesn’t get any better than the year he had with the Avalanche. So hopefully we can figure out a deal within the next week or so. Otherwise, there are 31 other teams out there that will be talking to him.’’
But to me, Husso is the action guy here because of his age. The Blues are locked in long-term on Jordan Binnington, so all signs point to Husso hitting the UFA market.
“I expect it to be a robust market for him,’’ Husso’s agent Todd Diamond said Wednesday. “He’s put himself in a very good position. Let’s see what happens here coming up.’’
I believe the Edmonton Oilers will be among nearly 10 teams calling on Husso come July 13, which makes obvious sense.
Finally, there’s Campbell, who by all indications loves it in Toronto. But, with each passing day, it sure feels like he’s headed to market.
“We’re having discussions but nothing material to report,’’ Campbell’s agent Kurt Overhardt said Wednesday referring to talks with the Leafs.
Given the number of teams hoping for a goalie upgrade and given how lean the UFA goalie market is, it probably makes sense for Overhardt to at least hear from other teams while keeping the Leafs in the loop.
The Hurricanes’ trio of top free agents
Not much progress to report in the ongoing discussions involving three notable pending UFAs for the Hurricanes in Nino Niederreiter, Vincent Trocheck and trade-deadline pickup Max Domi.
But there’s interest in trying to get deals done if possible. The Hurricanes had the third-best record in the NHL this past season and are intent on remaining contenders.
“We want to do what we can to keep our team together,’’ Canes GM Don Waddell told The Athletic on Wednesday. “In saying that, there’s also a cap that we have to keep in mind as try to re-sign players.’’
Waddell wouldn’t share any details on where any of those discussions were exactly, but it sounds like nothing is close on those fronts.
Niederreiter’s agent Andre Rufener took it one step further Wednesday when I contacted him.
“We don’t rule the Canes out at this point for sure but we will definitely hit free agency on July 13th,’’ Rufener said via e-mail.
So I think while the Canes will stay on it, especially with Trocheck and Niederreiter, they are also preparing for life without them if they go to market. There are many pending UFA forwards on the market this year so Carolina clearly is also preparing for Plan B in every scenario.
Klingberg likely heading to market
No surprise but the agent for pending UFA blueliner John Klingberg says the 29-year-old is most likely headed to market July 13.
“No talks between us since a few months back,’’ agent Peter Wallen said Wednesday regarding negotiations with the Stars.
Although Wallen wasn’t ready to say 100 percent his client was gone to market when I asked.
“If the (UFA) market started today, yes… but who knows,’’ he responded.
Klingberg likes it in Dallas so his agent will keep the door open to the Stars right to the end.
But given the apparent long-term contract demands from Klingberg months ago, and the Stars not wanting to commit to that, I don’t see much changing on that front.
The Kraken and the UFA market
I can’t tell you how many different sources across the league mentioned to me over the past couple of weeks to keep an eye on the Seattle Kraken ahead of the July 13 UFA market.
Word out of Seattle is the Kraken intend on being serious players in free agency.
“They’re going to spend big if they can,’’ a source reiterated Wednesday.
I wonder if they’ll make an offer to Johnny Gaudreau if he hits the market, for example. Wouldn’t surprise me if they did.
The Pittsburgh Penguins continue to have ongoing discussions with pending UFAs Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang. However, sources say things were status quo on both those fronts.
Both players clearly want to stay put but the sense I got Wednesday is that they’re struggling to wrap their minds around what that means as far as the Penguins’ ability to sign them under the salary cap. Pittsburgh has about $23 million to spend and plenty of other holes in the lineup to fill.
There’s still hope on each front, but we’re getting closer to hard decisions here.
Ondrej Palat and the Lightning
I will be honest in saying I was moderately surprised to hear Tampa Bay GM Julien BriseBois come out Tuesday with local media and say he’s hoping to re-sign Ondrej Palat, as colleague Joe Smith chronicled from locker-room clean-out day.
I had just assumed given Tampa’s cap situation that it would be difficult to do so, Palat coming off a deal paying him $5.3 million a season. The 31-year-old had some clutch moments yet again this postseason.
But I will also say it’s one thing to have mutual interest from both sides to talk contract and then a whole other thing to realize what number each side was thinking about.
In this case, as of Wednesday, I’m told there haven’t been any detailed negotiations yet between the Lightning and Palat’s camp led by Craig Oster at Newport Sports. This is understandable as the season just ended for Tampa Bay on Sunday night. The only communication so far has been what BriseBois has stated publicly which is the team’s desire to bring Palat back if possible.
But it won’t be easy. Unless Palat wants to take a discount, and I mean I guess you never know, the Lightning can’t compete with what the player can get on the open market.
Nazem Kadri and the Avalanche
I would be surprised if the Stanley Cup champions can afford to re-sign pending UFA center Nazem Kadri given all their other contract decisions under the salary cap, plus the fact this is Kadri’s chance to cash in for real for the first time in his career.
But, I’m told the Avalanche have informed Kadri’s camp led by Darren Ferris they want to at least have a crack at it before July 13.
Kadri is coming off a six-year deal he signed in Toronto which paid him a bargain of $4.5 million and he’s switched agents to Ferris over the past year I think for an obvious reason.
I also think as much as the Avs would like to find a way with Kadri, they have to prioritize pending UFA forward Valeri Nichushkin, who’s younger at 27. Which is what I think will happen.
Big Z will take his time
Zdeno Chara is in no rush to decide his NHL future.
“Zdeno is going to take the summer with his family and assess as we go here,’’ Chara’s agent Matt Keator said Wednesday. “There’s no rush on his part.’’
If Chara, 45, does have the itch to return at some point, one can assume it will be another bargain deal like he had with the New York Islanders this past season ($750,000 plus bonuses).
The point is contenders who want Chara will have room for him even if it’s a September or October signing.
(Top photo: Timothy T. Ludwig / USA Today)
Abortion is still legal and protected here in Washington.
But last week's Supreme Court decision on abortion rights has big implications for our neighbor to the east: Idaho.
In 2020, the Idaho state Legislature passed an abortion trigger law, making abortion a felony for all but a few situations — rape, incest, or to save the pregnant person's life.
If an incest or rape victim wanted to get an abortion, they'd be required to present a copy of a police report to the physician performing the procedure. On Monday, Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit to try and block the state's abortion ban from taking effect.
But if a judge rejects that suit, clinics in eastern Washington — like Spokane and Yakima — will become the closest facilities for many pregnant people in Idaho to access an abortion.
Soundside host Libby Denkmann spoke to Rachel Sun, a reporter for Northwest Public Broadcasting, The Lewiston Tribune, and the Moscow-Pullman Daily News about how clinics in eastern Washington are preparing for an influx of patients.
"They're expecting to see a lot more patients," Sun said. "This past legislative session passed Senate Bill 1851, which expanded the number of providers in the state that can provide abortion care. So, instead of just physicians, it's also physician assistants, advanced registered nurse practitioners, or other health-care providers that are acting within their scope of practice. They're going to be trying to expand their services as much as they can."
Denkmann also talked to Associate Professor Sital Kalantry from Seattle University School of Law about the legal fight over abortion access in Idaho and the rest of the country where abortion is not protected.
"I think what we're going to see is interstate battles, " Kalantry said. "States will quickly realize that it is difficult for them to regulate [abortion]; people want it, they will travel, they will get medical abortions, and as we've heard from organizations across the country, ready to assist."
WASHINGTON (June 27, 2022) – Pending home sales crept higher in May, ending a six-month streak of declines, according to the National Association of Realtors®. Regionally, month-over-month results were mixed as the Northeast and South experienced increases while the Midwest and West posted decreases. Year-over-year contract activity slid in all four major regions.
The Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI),* www.nar.realtor/pending-home-sales, a forward-looking indicator of home sales based on contract signings, inched up 0.7% to 99.9 in May. Year-over-year, transactions dropped 13.6%. An index of 100 is equal to the level of contract activity in 2001.
"Despite the small gain in pending sales from the prior month, the housing market is clearly undergoing a transition," said NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun. "Contract signings are down sizably from a year ago because of much higher mortgage rates."
According to NAR, at the median single-family home price and with a 10% down payment, the monthly mortgage payment has increased by about $800 since the beginning of the year as mortgage rates have climbed by 2.5 percentage points since January.
"Trying to balance the housing market by choking off demand via higher mortgage rates is damaging to consumers and the economy," Yun added. "The better way to balance the market is through increased supply, which also helps the broader economy."
While the housing market remains unbalanced nationwide with demand far outpacing supply, Yun noted variations in home prices and affordability contributed to the regional differences in pending sales activity in May.
"The largest decline in contract activity was observed in the West region, where homes are the most expensive," he said. "This further indicates the growing need to increase supply to tame home price growth and improve the chances of ownership for potential home buyers."
The Northeast PHSI jumped 15.4% compared to last month to 86.7, down 11.9% from May 2021. The Midwest index retreated 1.7% to 98.6 in May, a decline of 8.8% from a year ago.
The South PHSI increased 0.2% to 119.0 in May, a 13.8% drop from the previous year. The West index contracted 5.0% in May to 81.6, down 19.8% from May 2021.
The National Association of Realtors® is America's largest trade association, representing more than 1.5 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.
# # #
*The Pending Home Sales Index is a leading indicator for the housing sector, based on pending sales of existing homes. A sale is listed as pending when the contract has been signed but the transaction has not closed, though the sale usually is finalized within one or two months of signing.
Pending contracts are good early indicators of upcoming sales closings. However, the amount of time between pending contracts and completed sales is not identical for all home sales. Variations in the length of the process from pending contract to closed sale can be caused by issues such as buyer difficulties with obtaining mortgage financing, home inspection problems, or appraisal issues.
The index is based on a sample that covers about 40% of multiple listing service data each month. In developing the model for the index, it was demonstrated that the level of monthly sales-contract activity parallels the level of closed existing-home sales in the following two months.
An index of 100 is equal to the average level of contract activity during 2001, which was the first year to be examined. By coincidence, the volume of existing-home sales in 2001 fell within the range of 5.0 to 5.5 million, which is considered normal for the current U.S. population.
NOTE: Existing-Home Sales for June will be reported on July 20. The next Pending Home Sales Index will be on July 27. All release times are 10 a.m. Eastern.
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Pending notice: Donald A. Sprandel, 78 - Austin Daily Herald Austin HeraldWASHINGTON, June 27 (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court panel said on Monday it would convene a full panel to reconsider President Joe Biden's executive order requiring civilian federal employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19, and set aside the order pending that hearing.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which is based in New Orleans, had reinstated the vaccine order in April by a 2-1 vote after it was blocked by a district court judge in January. read more
The court said on Monday that it would reconsider the case en banc, which means it will be heard by a larger panel of judges. No date was given for the hearing. Pending that hearing, the court said it would vacate the April ruling, which means that Biden's order cannot be enforced.
Biden said in September he would require about 3.5 million government workers to get vaccinated by Nov. 22, barring a religious or medical accommodation, or face discipline or firing. read more Despite the legal fight, more than 90% of federal workers were vaccinated by December, the White House said last year.
The president's vaccine and mask mandates have faced stiff opposition, led by Republicans, which have turned public safety measures endorsed by disease experts into a political and legal battle in the United States.
The United States passed the milestone of 1 million dead from the coronavirus in May. More than 250 people still die of the disease daily, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Reporting by Diane Bartz in Washington Additional reporting by Mike Scarcella in Washington Editing by Matthew Lewis
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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Louisiana, Utah Abortion Ban Blocked Pending Court Case After Roe v Wade BloombergThe ShopRite grocery store worker who has been accused of attacking former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani has been "suspended pending termination," Wakefern Food Corporation, ShopRite's parent company, told Insider on Monday.
Daniel Gill, 39, a store associate at a ShopRite in Staten Island, New York, was arrested on a charge of assault in the second degree in connection to the Sunday afternoon incident involving Giuliani at the grocery store, according to the New York City Police Department.
Giuliani was at the ShopRite campaigning for his son Andrew, a Republican candidate for New York governor, when Giuliani said the worker whacked him on his back.
"I got hit on the back as if a boulder hit me," Giuliani said in a Monday morning video posted on his Facebook page. "It knocked me forward a step or two. It didn't knock me down, but it hurt tremendously."
Giuliani, a 78-year-old Republican, said the man who struck him shouted "dirty curse words" at him and called him a "woman killer" whose "party kills women."
Video footage captured the incident, which shows a man slapping Giuliani on the back before walking away.
The NYPD told Insider that Gill slapped Giuliani on the mid-back while stating, "What's up, scumbag?"
Giuliani said the incident could have resulted in him falling, cracking his skull and dying.
"I mean, suppose I was a weaker 78-year-old and I hit the ground, cracked my skull, and died," said Giuliani, who was former President Donald Trump's personal attorney.
In a statement to Insider, Wakefern Food Corporation said, "We are aware that an incident instigated by a store associate involving former Mayor Rudy Giuliani took place at our store on Staten Island on Sunday. Store security observed the incident, reacted swiftly and the police were notified."
The company added, "We have zero tolerance for aggression toward anyone."
The suspect, who has worked at the Staten Island ShopRite since 2017, was "suspended pending termination," according to the company.
It was not immediately clear whether Gill had retained an attorney. He was scheduled to be arraigned later Monday.
Gill, a Staten Island resident, was taken into custody and Giuliani refused medical attention at the scene, the NYPD said.
Gill has no other prior arrests on his record, the NYPD told Insider.
The 2022 NHL offseason is a pivotal one for the Boston Bruins.
There has been no indication, at least not yet, that the team is committed to a rebuild. Barring some significant changes, it appears the B's will look to contend during the 2022-23 season, which is a bold strategy given the strength of the Eastern Conference.
And did anyone watching the 2022 Stanley Cup Final between the Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning think the Bruins are close to either of those teams?
The Bruins don't have a ton of salary cap space this summer. They have about $3.18 million in room and need to work out a contract with captain Patrice Bergeron. Aside from him, there aren't any star free agents to re-sign in the coming weeks. However, David Pastrnak's next extension looms large as a major offseason priority for general manager Don Sweeney (more on that below).
To get you ready for a busy Bruins offseason that ramps up with the 2022 NHL Draft starting July 7, here's a full breakdown of the the team's current contract situation with 2022-23 salary figures for every player.
Forwards
The Bruins have six forwards signed to NHL contracts who will be free agents next summer. This offseason is a great opportunity for Boston to get rid of some bad deals and integrate some younger, faster and more skilled forwards into the lineup.
Pastrnak's future is among the biggest storylines of the offseason. He is entering the final year of his contract and could make around $10 million per season on his next deal. He has led the Bruins in goals scored in four of the last five years. Only five players in the league have scored more goals than Pastrnak over the last three seasons. The Bruins should do everything possible to re-sign him to an eight-year deal.
Defensemen
The Bruins have five defensemen with contracts expiring next summer or in 2024. That gives the franchise a little more time to develop a couple young d-men who can play meaningful minutes at the NHL level. Top prospect Mason Lohrei cracking the lineup in 2024 would be very helpful from a salary cap perspective.
Goaltenders
Swayman is entering the final year of his entry-level contract. A strong 2022-23 season could set him up for a decent payday. Ullmark is going into his second campaign with the Bruins. It's also the final year of his full no-movement clause. It changes to a modified no-trade clause in the final two seasons of the contract.
USA TODAY Sports
Studnicka's next contract will be interesting. He was supposed to be a potential top-six center in the NHL someday, but he's failed to crack the lineup on a full-time basis over the last three seasons. In his defense, he's only played 37 games for the Bruins over that span. A one-year contract and a more extended stretch in the NHL would give the B's one final opportunity to assess whether Studnicka can help them long term.
Bergeron reportedly is returning on a one-year contract, but that news is not official yet. Obviously, Bergeron coming back is a massive boost for the Bruins. He's still an elite player who just won his fifth career Selke Trophy and scored 20-plus goals for the ninth consecutive season. Boston also is woefully unprepared to replace him given its lack of quality center depth at the NHL level and the prospect pool.
Lazar was a good pickup for the Bruins as part of the Taylor Hall trade in 2021. He played well in a bottom-six role. But like Sean Kuraly in 2021, Lazar probably can find more money and a longer-term contract elsewhere. Blidh is in a similar position. He'll find more playing time on a different team.
The Bruins have too many defensemen signed to NHL contracts, so it's hard to imagine Brown coming back.
With right-wing Tom Wilson out until some time around Thanksgiving and the NHL All-Star Break, the Washington Capitals will have to replace him especially after T.J. Oshie was limited to just 44 games last season due to injury and will turn 35 in December. Perhaps the best option to solve this problem is to sign pending unrestricted free agent Ilya Mikheyev, which would likely cost between $3.5-4.5 million for three-to-five seasons.
Versatility
Mikheyev is listed as a natural left-wing but played a lot on the right this past season with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He alternated between both sides in the team’s first-round Stanley Cup Playoff series against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Can Play On Both Special Teams
Mikheyev averaged 1:24 on the penalty kill (fourth among Maple Leafs’ forwards) and 1:06 on the power play (ninth) in 2021-22. He scored four goals on both the power play and penalty kill this past season when the Capitals were already tied for ninth in the NHL with eight shorthanded goals. The team’s power play could also use a boost after finishing 23rd in the NHL with a 18.8% efficiency.
Scoring Ability
Mikheyev scored 20 goals for the first time in his NHL career (eclipsing 21) and did it in just 53 games this past season. He was on pace to score 10 over an 82-game slate in 2020-21 and 17 in his rookie campaign.
Mikheyev spent most of the 2021-22 season (192.7 minutes) playing on a line with center David Kampf and Pierre Engvall (neither had more than eight goals in a season before this past one and both set career-highs in goals and points).
If he was able to score 21 despite playing just over half of a season with linemates who are not known for their offensive prowess, he could thrive in the Capitals’ top-six forward group.
Strong Two-Way Game
In addition to being trusted on the penalty kill, Mikheyev tallied a 57.08% five-on-five expected goals-for percentage this past campaign and was overall solid defensively while playing with a man down and at five-on-five. He finished with a career-best 56.25% five-on-five Corsi-for percentage, 57.96% five-on-five scoring chances-for percentage, and a +16 rating. Mikheyev’s career-low in plus-minus is a +5 which was set in 54 games during the 2020-21 season.
In The Prime Of His Career
Mikheyev will turn 28 on October 10. The Capitals are in need of younger players after they were tied for the oldest team in the NHL last season with an average age of 29.8.
The team could most likely give Mikheyev the term he wants comfortably since he is in his prime and the Capitals could be rebuilding anyways by the time he reaches the end of it.
Troika 2.0
Mikheyev would add to the Capitals’ impressive collection of Russians with captain Alex Ovechkin, center Evgeny Kuznetsov, defenseman Dmitry Orlov, goaltender Ilya Samsonov, and possibly defenseman Alexander Alexeyev already on the roster. Since he is defensively responsible, it would be easy to envision Mikheyev playing on a line with Ovechkin and Kuznetsov where he could build upon his career year with the talent and comfort level between them since Russian is probably all of their first languages.
By Harrison Brown
MOSES LAKE — The Grant County Prosecutor’s Office has yet to file charges against Eric Deane, who was arrested Tuesday in Moses Lake on suspicion of drug possession.
“We’ve not filed charges yet. There are a couple of things we need from the investigators,” said Ed Owens, chief criminal deputy prosecuting attorney for Grant County.
Because of that, Deane — who, according to a Moses Lake Police Department post on Facebook, was booked into the Grant County Jail following his arrest on Tuesday — has been released, and was not listed on the inmate roster as of Friday afternoon..
Deane, 58, was arrested for possession and intent to sell methamphetamine following a roughly two-week-long investigation, according to MLPD Capt. Mike Williams. During the raid, police also arrested Brian Godfrey, 56, on outstanding warrants involving escape from community custody. Godfrey was still listed as a Grant County Jail inmate as of Friday.
Owens said his office is waiting for results from the Washington State Patrol’s crime lab to determine for certain what it was Moses Lake Police Department officers seized in the raid on Deane’s residence in the 200 block of Northshore Drive. However, Owens said he did not know when test results would be available.
“We can’t use just a test kit, we can’t take that as probable cause, and I don’t know how busy they (the Washington State Patrol) are,” Owens said.
Owens added, noting the county prosecuting attorney’s office cannot make a case against a suspect without probable cause and that situations such as Deane’s case often take time to go through the investigation and court processes.
“We will go after him,” he said.
Charles H. Featherstone can be reached at cfeatherstone@columbiabasinherald.com.
With right-wing Tom Wilson out until some time around Thanksgiving and the NHL All-Star Break, the Washington Capitals will have to replace him especially after T.J. Oshie was limited to just 44 games last season due to injury and will turn 35 in December. Perhaps the best option to solve this problem is to sign pending unrestricted free agent Ilya Mikheyev, which would likely cost between $3.5-4.5 million for three-to-five seasons.
Versatility
Mikheyev is listed as a natural left-wing but played a lot on the right this past season with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He alternated between both sides in the team’s first-round Stanley Cup Playoff series against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Can Play On Both Special Teams
Mikheyev averaged 1:24 on the penalty kill (fourth among Maple Leafs’ forwards) and 1:06 on the power play (ninth) in 2021-22. He scored four goals on both the power play and penalty kill this past season when the Capitals were already tied for ninth in the NHL with eight shorthanded goals. The team’s power play could also use a boost after finishing 23rd in the NHL with a 18.8% efficiency.
Scoring Ability
Mikheyev scored 20 goals for the first time in his NHL career (eclipsing 21) and did it in just 53 games this past season. He was on pace to score 10 over an 82-game slate in 2020-21 and 17 in his rookie campaign.
Mikheyev spent most of the 2021-22 season (192.7 minutes) playing on a line with center David Kampf and Pierre Engvall (neither had more than eight goals in a season before this past one and both set career-highs in goals and points).
If he was able to score 21 despite playing just over half of a season with linemates who are not known for their offensive prowess, he could thrive in the Capitals’ top-six forward group.
Strong Two-Way Game
In addition to being trusted on the penalty kill, Mikheyev tallied a 57.08% five-on-five expected goals-for percentage this past campaign and was overall solid defensively while playing with a man down and at five-on-five. He finished with a career-best 56.25% five-on-five Corsi-for percentage, 57.96% five-on-five scoring chances-for percentage, and a +16 rating. Mikheyev’s career-low in plus-minus is a +5 which was set in 54 games during the 2020-21 season.
In The Prime Of His Career
Mikheyev will turn 28 on October 10. The Capitals are in need of younger players after they were tied for the oldest team in the NHL last season with an average age of 29.8.
The team could most likely give Mikheyev the term he wants comfortably since he is in his prime and the Capitals could be rebuilding anyways by the time he reaches the end of it.
Troika 2.0
Mikheyev would add to the Capitals’ impressive collection of Russians with captain Alex Ovechkin, center Evgeny Kuznetsov, defenseman Dmitry Orlov, goaltender Ilya Samsonov, and possibly defenseman Alexander Alexeyev already on the roster. Since he is defensively responsible, it would be easy to envision Mikheyev playing on a line with Ovechkin and Kuznetsov where he could build upon his career year with the talent and comfort level between them since Russian is probably all of their first languages.
By Harrison Brown
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Federal lawsuit filed in Medford challenges pending Oregon smoke, heat rules KDRVOn Friday, NASA held a press call to announce that its planned mission to the asteroid Psyche, planned for launch this autumn, was on indefinite hold. While the spacecraft is ready and has been delivered to the Kennedy Space Center, there has been a delay in validating the software that will run the mission as it operates in remote areas of the Solar System.
That delay has pushed mission readiness past the point where the launch window closes due to alignment changes in the bodies Psyche will pass on its journey to the asteroid of the same name. NASA is saying that a mission review will evaluate all options ranging from cancellation to simply delaying the mission until the next time a window opens. Problematically, Psyche's launch included a ride-along for a separate asteroid mission called Janus that has its own launch windows, so the review will need to include NASA's entire Discovery Mission program more broadly.
The asteroid Psyche is an unusual body in the Solar System. It's the former core of an object that was large enough to form a core of metallic elements; collisions have since stripped away the outer layers of this body, leaving behind something that's nearly entirely metal. Accordingly, visiting Psyche provides the opportunity to improve our understanding of the formation of everything from present-day asteroids to the bodies that merged to form the planets.
And NASA planned to do exactly that through a mission that shared the name of the asteroid. The timing of the launch, however, is critical. Gravitational influences from the planets will affect how quickly Psyche can get into place, and the mission organizers wanted to ensure that the probe arrives at Psyche at a point in the asteroid's orbit where sunlight is favorable for imaging.
As our recent visit to JPL showed, the hardware was ready on time. But there have been problems with validating the mission's software, which combines guidance, navigation, and hardware control. The validation process requires a platform that mimics the hardware on the probe, in some cases via duplicates of the actual onboard hardware. That test platform was only completed recently, and mission planners concluded that there's not enough time to fully test the software before the launch window closes.
Psyche is especially sensitive to its control software since it's moving through the Solar System powered by a weak-but-efficient ion drive. This requires it to start operating under its own control 70 days after launch, in contrast to missions that might get a rocket-powered move out of low Earth orbit, followed by months to years of cruising before some software features become critical.
Without Psyche's launch, the Janus mission is obviously going to be delayed as well. It's not clear at this point whether that mission's future launch windows line up with reasonable windows for launching Psyche.
To figure out what to do next, NASA will form an external review committee to evaluate what went wrong and what the options are going forward. A number of future launch windows are available, and simply delaying the mission is the most likely choice at this point. But the people on NASA's press call seemed remarkably hesitant to take any options off the table, including canceling the mission entirely.
In any case, given that the evaluation panel hasn't been staffed yet, it will be a while before we learn what comes next.
For someone who wasn’t on the Riverside girls basketball coaching staff last year, Brian Fulton might be the person who is most familiar with the Beavers’ program.
That’s because he saw the girls playing or practicing every day in Riverside’s Community Fieldhouse as a member of the boys coaching staff.
Fulton has been named Riverside’s new head varsity girls coach, pending board approval next week. The 47-year-old has a long coaching history, most recently as a varsity assistant for the Riverside boys team.
“It’s a very exciting time,” Fulton said. “I have a great group of girls who have already been in the gym. We just completed summer league. They’re a bunch of sponges. They soak in everything we’re teaching. I can’t wait to get everything going and move forward with them.”
Not only did Fulton see the Riverside team often last year, whether it was watching the girls finish practice prior to boys practice beginning or watching them play a game immediately after the boys team practiced, but Fulton also has a history coaching a number of the current Riverside players.
When the current Riverside upperclassmen were in fourth and fifth grade, Fulton coached youth travel basketball.
Fulton is taking over for Mike Caldwell, who stepped down after this past season in which Riverside went 12-11 and was a contender in the Western Reserve Conference.
“I’ve done a lot of coaching at the younger level with travel girls basketball,” he said, “but this is my first time at the high school level.
“There’s really no difference between coaching boys and girls,” he continued. “They’re all eager, willing to work and very competitive.”
Fulton, who is not a teacher but rather works for a sign company in Lake County, knows he has a pretty good hand dealt to him. This year’s senior class includes Belle Bozic, Sam Volpe, Sophia Valvoda and Eleanore Busch, while the junior class consists of Savanah Laurenty, McKenna Thomas, Mary Grace Hendershot and his daughter, Sarah Fulton.
This is not the first time he has coached one of his children, having coached his son recently as well.
“It’s a unique line,” he said of being a dad and a coach. “Once you cross that line onto the court, that’s when you talk basketball. When you’re off that court, you don’t talk basketball. If you intermix the two, you’re not going to have happy kids.”
Speaking of making happy kids, Fulton said his style should be conducive to that.
“It’s been a great experience so far because their style meshes with mine,” he said. “It’s up-tempo. We’re not walking the ball up the floor — ever. I want a lot of high-pressure defense, getting steals and looking to score at the other end.
“They want to run and get after it. That matches what I want to do.”
He said he is still in the process of forming his high school staff.
Goals will be high, thanks to a load of experienced players returning.
“Yes, the bar is very high,” he said. “I know these girls are competitors. I can’t imagine our team goals being anything less than competing for the conference championship and a district championship. I really haven’t had the chance to discus the team goals, but I know they’ll be lofty.”
One of Los Angeles’ biggest asks could soon be off of the market.
There is pending sale for 10771 Bellagio Rd. in Bel-Air, which was last listed for $65 million. Nicknamed The Bellagio Estate, the 10-bed, 17-bath, 19,721-square-foot manse will sell for $3,296-per-square-foot if the sale goes through at its last asking price. It is one of a small group of estates priced above $60 million on the Westside of L.A.
Drew Fenton and Linda May, both affiliated with Hilton & Hyland, served as listing agents for The Bellagio Estate. The prospective buyer was not revealed. Fenton and May did not return an email requesting comment by presstime.
The Bellagio Estate. was listed Feb. 4 by sellers Todd and Kasey Lemkin, who bought the mansion in 2016 for $27.6 million The estate had been extensively renovated and expanded by previous owners about a decade ago. The property was designed by Paul Williams, a pioneering Los Angeles architect. Williams was the first African-American architect to be admitted to the American Institute of Architects. He helped shape the aesthetic of Los Angeles’ luxe architecture, through designing mansions for celebrities such as Frank Sinatra and Lucille Ball.
The Bellagio Estate overlooks the Bel-Air Country Club. Its traditional American-clapboard style exterior includes a two-story foyer, a floating staircase, two dining rooms, four kitchens, a screening room, wine cellar, billiard room, beauty salon, eight salons, two motor courts, a paddle tennis court, swimming pool and seven-car car garage. The grounds on the more than one acre-estate include an infinity edge pool and pocket gardens, according to descriptions by listing agents and past media accounts.
The Bellagio Estate has been in the news before. In March, Dirt.com reported that movie stars Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez made a bid to purchase the house for $55 million. While Affleck and Lopez probably would have made fine stewards for the Bellagio Estate, their bid also would have knocked the listing out of the $60-million-and-up club. It’s a rarified club.
Other big asks on the Westside market 133 S. Mapleton Dr. The 30,000-square-foot home is priced at $65 million at $2,167-per-square-foot. There’s also 10979 Chalon Dr., a 32,000-square-foot home which is priced at $2,161-per-square-foot or $68.5 million. And 594 S. Mapleton Dr., a 56,500-square-foot mansion, is listed for $165 million or $2,920-square-feet. It was listed by Drew Fenton.
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AURORA | Potential changes to federal food aid for students may mean Aurora Public Schools and the Cherry Creek School District end up serving fewer students meals in the upcoming school year.
At the beginning of the pandemic, the U.S. Department of Agriculture expanded its school lunch programs, and through the end of the past school year all students were allowed to receive free school meals without families having to fill out paperwork to qualify.
After being extended through the 2021-2022 school year the waiver of the pre-pandemic regulations was set to expire at the end of June, but on Tuesday a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced a bill in Congress that would extend the waiver through the summer.
According to reporting from NPR, if passed the legislation would increase reimbursement rates for districts during the 2022-2023 school year, but would require families to go back to filling out applications to qualify for free and reduced meals.
After providing significantly ramped-up meal delivery during the pandemic years, APS and CCSD are currently operating their regular summer meal programs in anticipation of the USDA waiver rules expiring. District officials say the need has decreased from last summer but is still elevated.
“It has a different face this summer but the need is still there,” said Shannon Solomon, APS’ nutrition service director.
The Cherry Creek School District is operating meal sites at four locations during June and July. So far they have been serving about 150 to 180 meals total per day, Director of Food and Nutrition Services Kim Kilgore said, compared to over 800 per day last summer.
The USDA waiver allowed the district to offer meals-to-go during the pandemic, but under the regular requirements families have to eat the meals on site, decreasing the number, Kilgore said.
Last summer, the district was able to offer breakfast and lunch during the summer, but it’s inconvenient for families to come to the site twice in a matter of hours so this summer it is only offering lunch. The to-go model was much more convenient for families, Kilgore said.
Along with four of its own sites, Cherry Creek is partnering with APS and the city of Aurora to help staff meal sites at Utah Park and Mission Viejo Park.
“That’s been a really great partnership,” she said.
The Aurora Public Schools nutrition department, which served a whopping eight million meals to community members between March 2020 and July 2021, is currently serving about 4,000 to 4,500 meals a week.
The district is partnering with the city of Aurora to deliver meals to the community and its regulations are less stringent. It is still offering grab-and-go meals and it is serving anyone in the community 18 or younger.
Solomon said that the district had partnered with the city during the school year to feed students during breaks, and the city then asked them to partner over the summer.
“They wanted to help with food and we do food well here,” she said.
For the upcoming school year, both districts are planning for a major marketing push to encourage families to fill out applications for free and reduced meals since many have fallen out of habit after the past two years. Applications for the upcoming year start on July 1 and are open for the entirety of the fiscal year.
Both districts saw an increase in the number of meals they distributed once all students were eligible for free meals. In Cherry Creek, Kilgore said that the number of breakfasts doubled from 6,000 to 12,000 and the number of lunches increased by about 30% from 19,000 to 26,000. She said making free meals universal cut down on the stigma of the program.
Solomon said that APS saw a 10-12% increase. She hopes that many of those families will fill out applications so they can continue to receive free meals, and said that APS has a lot of different ways it can help people in the community who have nutritional needs.
“If we can’t help you, we have a lot of partners,” she said.
She knew the waiver wasn’t going to last forever, but said that it was a huge help for the district during the pandemic.
“For the last two years we’ve operated with universal meals for everyone, which took away the stigma and was a beautiful thing,” she said.
A bill sponsored by Aurora legislators may preserve that if approved by voters. HB 1414, Healthy Meals for All Public School Students, will reimburse Colorado school districts for meals provided to students who do not qualify federally for free or reduced meals.
State Rep. Dafna Michaelson Jenet and Sen. Rhonda Fields cosponsored the bill, which will only take effect if approved at the ballot box this November.
The initiative is supported by the nonprofit Hunger Free Colorado, which in a 2021 survey found that 44% of Colorado households with children struggle to have regular access to nutritious food, and 16% of Colorado children are not getting adequate nutrition because their families don’t have enough money for food.
“Children shouldn’t be going hungry in our schools and we can’t address school hunger without partnering with Hunger Free Colorado, advocates and voters,” Fields said Wednesday on social media. “I can tell you first hand, it’s hard to learn when your stomach is empty.”
Information about Cherry Creek meal distribution times and locations is available at https://www.cherrycreekschools.org/freemeals.
Information about Aurora Public Schools meal distribution times and locations is available at https://bit.ly/39J3gOo.
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Arson charges pending against teenagers after Manor Downs fire KXAN.comThe Supreme Court disposed of one Roundup appeal by Bayer on Tuesday but it will not be the final word in the company’s attempts to shield itself from lawsuits alleging its weedkiller causes cancer. Another Bayer appeal was pending before the Supreme Court and the company suggested a case being heard by an appeals court in Atlanta could be the third.
“There are likely to be future cases, including Roundup cases, that present the U.S. Supreme Court with preemption questions like Hardeman,” said the global pharmaceutical and agriculture giant, referring to its attempt to overturn a $25 million award to Edwin Hardeman. He was diagnosed with cancer after using Roundup on his San Francisco Bay area property for years.
Justices refused without comment to hear the Hardeman case.
Bayer, the world’s largest seed and ag chemical company, says glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup is safe to use and argues the EPA-approved label for the herbicide, which doesn’t mention cancer, preempts any claims that it should have warned purchasers of the risk. As part of a routine review, the EPA said in a 2020 interim decision “glyphosate is unlikely to be a human carcinogen.”
“Bayer continues to stand fully behind its Roundup products, which are a valuable tool in efficient agricultural production around the world,” said the company following the Supreme Court order. Glyphosate is the most widely used herbicide in the world.
In its statement, Bayer said the Supreme Court was expected to rule soon on its request for a review of the $87 million award to Alva and Alberta Pilliod, a California couple, in 2019. A state court jury awarded more than $2 billion to the Pilliods. A judge reduced it to $87 million. The couple, who both developed cancer, used Roundup on their properties in the 1970s. They argued that Roundup was defective and its manufacturer should have warned users. The manufacturer said the couple had many medical issues and that scientists almost unanimously agreed glyphosate was safe so no warning was required.
In the other case cited by Bayer, a U.S. district judge agreed in 2020 with Bayer’s preemption argument that the manufacturer of Roundup was not obliged to warn of a cancer risk. The plaintiff, John Carson, has appealed. The case has been clouded by allegations that Bayer supported the appeal as a way to get its preemption argument to the Supreme Court. Bayer said its settlement with Carson was “an appropriate path” for its argument of federal preemption, reported the Claims Journal in April 2021.
Bayer has set aside $6.5 billion for litigation and settlement expenses for thousands of pending lawsuits if it failed to win a favorable Supreme Court ruling. “The company is fully prepared to launch the claims resolution program but that decision will depend on key developments in the litigation, including trials and appeals,” it said on Tuesday.
Glyphosate, best-known under the trade name Roundup, has been under severe challenge since March 2015, when the UN International Agency for Research on Cancer said the chemical is “probably carcinogenic to humans.”
The Bayer web page about its five-point glyphosate plan, including its statement about the Supreme Court order, is available here.
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