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THE NATION'S NEWS | $3 | APRIL 7-9, 2023

Takeaways from Spring in full bloom Kathryn Hahn on

MLB salary survey in garden, kitchen her rising influence
PROVIDED
Record payrolls not translating Get your yard ready for flowers BY JESSICA At 49, actress is coming into her
into victories, according to USA and veggies. Plus, Easter recipes BROOKS/ power. She reflects on what she
TODAY’S annual report. In Sports for the family. In Weekend Extra HULU would tell her younger self. In Life

Election
deniers
hanging
around
Those 2022 candidates
lay groundwork for 2024
Phillip M. Bailey
USA TODAY

If the 2022 midterms carried an

overarching message, it was that vot-
ers rejected candidates who mimicked
former President Donald Trump’s false
statements about his election loss.
Embracing those conspiracy theo-
ries proved to be a political loser for Re-
publicans in competitive races, espe-
cially in swing states where candidates
tried to win offices that oversee the
next presidential contest.
What troubles pro-democracy ad-
vocates, elected officials and experts,
however, is that many of those same
contenders are sticking around, ped- In November 2021, Kaylie Marley, 14, was exposed to fumes at Spooner Middle School in Wisconsin and had to
dling lies about the 2020 contest and be hospitalized. The fumes had escaped from a cured-in-place pipe project. PHOTOS BY THEO R. WELLING FOR USA TODAY
laying the groundwork for more of the
same in 2024.
They have doubled down on their
false claims while pivoting to key polit-
ical positions as Trump loyalists ahead
of the 2024 election.
Popular pipeline repair
is making neighbors sick
Fume-producing lining restores aging infrastructure
Emily Le Coz and Monique O. Madan the basement but soon spread to
USA TODAY multiple floors of his three-story
house in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. It
It hit Kaylie Marley in school. irritated his nose and gave him head-
A strong, epoxy-like odor that aches that lingered even after the
nauseated her and dozens of class- smell was gone.
mates and teachers at Spooner Mid- Dozens of similar incidents coast
Arizona Rep. Mark Finchem sought dle School in Wisconsin. By the time to coast have not only triggered head-
a do-over of the 2022 election after they evacuated, Kaylie was feeling aches, nausea and evacuations but
losing last year’s battle for secretary lightheaded. She passed out and was also sparked claims of lasting injuries
of state. STEVE HELBER/AP rushed to the hospital by ambulance. and even death caused by noxious
A similar odor struck David Walsh fumes from an increasingly popular
when he returned home from work. pipeline rehabilitation procedure.
Last December, Arizona state Rep. It reminded him of fiberglass resin Cured-in-place pipe lining creates
Mark Finchem – who was one of the – a strong, sickening scent that as- a new pipe inside an old one by in-
most strident election deniers – asked saulted his nostrils and made his serting a soft, resin-soaked liner into
a judge to order a do-over of the 2022 head pound. His wife and two chil- a damaged pipe, inflating it with
election after losing last year’s battle dren, who had spent the day in the pressurized air, then heating it so it
for secretary of state. family’s home in Shoreline, Wash- hardens. It costs about eight times
Finchem continued to press the is- ington, complained of nausea and “My baby was incoherent, less than a traditional pipe rehabili-
sue well into this year, until a judge headaches. They soon felt so unwell hooked up to machines. She tation project and eliminates the
sanctioned the GOP legislator and his that they packed their bags and left. didn’t even recognize me,” need to dig up streets, reroute traffic
lawyer, saying the continued legal suit Rob Shoaff also was at home when Lauren Marley says. She says or haul away debris. And it has been
“was groundless and not brought in he detected it. Kaylie still suffers recurring used on hundreds of millions of feet
good faith.” The smell, which he likened to headaches after being sickened
Arizona Secretary of State Adrian plastic model cement, originated in by the noxious fumes. See PIPELINES, Page 6A
Fontes, who defeated Finchem last No-
vember, said the country ducked a na-
tional crisis in various races, but that
voters must remain vigilant.
“I’m not worried so much about
Mark Finchem anymore,” Fontes told
USA TODAY. “It’s the ones who are still
Endangered European eel found in US sushi
in the Legislature. It’s the ones who are
still peddling the lies and grifting. ...
Organized crime could be
That’s who I’m worried about.” behind illegal exports
Who are the election deniers? Elizabeth Weise
USA TODAY
Across the country roughly 300
candidates were on the ballot last year Are those illegal eels in your unagi? A
who parroted Trump by either ques- study has found 44% of North American
tioning or rejecting the 2020 outcome. eel samples – that’s unagi when used in
Some ran for offices that had no sushi – were actually from the critically
connection to federal elections, such endangered European eel, whose export
as state treasurer or agriculture com- has been illegal since 2010.
Eel has long been a beloved compo-
See ELECTION, Page 3A nent of Japanese cuisine. Marinated
and grilled, it is served in a donburi dish
with rice or as an ingredient in sushi,
where it’s generally listed as “unagi,”

QIJFAF-05005v(L)e
Japanese for eel.
With the popularity of Japanese cui-
©COPYRIGHT 2023 sine worldwide, eel consumption has
USA TODAY,
A division of
spiked. In 2019, 280,000 tons of fresh-
Gannett Co., Inc. water eels were produced for the con-
HOME DELIVERY Juvenile European eels, known as glass eels, are illegally traded. They can sell for
1-800-872-0001, USATODAYSERVICE.COM thousands of dollars a pound. PROVIDED BY KRISTEN STEELE/UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON See EEL, Page 2A
2A ❚ FRIDAY APRIL 7, 2023 ❚ USA TODAY NEWS

WAR IN UKRAINE NEWS BRIEFING

Witness heard bomb ‘joke’ before blast

John Bacon and Jorge L. Ortiz er of the Russian rock band Nochnye rights, accused of war crimes for deport-
USA TODAY Snaipery – Night Snipers – is being in- ing thousands of children from Ukraine,
vestigated for the crime of discrediting says Moscow is coordinating with inter-
Russian military blogger Vladlen Ta- the Russian military. She also criticized national organizations to return them to
tarsky was laughing about bombs with the military when Crimea was seized in their families. Maria Lvova-Belova,
his suspected assassin at an event in a 2014. speaking by video link at an informal
St. Petersburg cafe minutes before he h Two Russian conscripts who made U.N. Security Council meeting boycotted
was killed by a bomb hidden inside a global headlines last year for refusing to by Western ambassadors, said the chil-
statuette presented as a gift, The Mos- fight have been sentenced to three years dren were taken for their safety.
cow Times reported Thursday. in prison, Russia’s Kommersant report- The International Criminal Court is-
Video from the event shows Daria ed. Video of the arrest of Yury Degtyarev sued an arrest warrant last month for
Trepova give Tatarsky the golden figu- and Alexei Selivanov during a lineup Lvova-Belova and Russian President
rine of himself. Marat Arnis, a local jour- with fellow soldiers was shared widely Vladimir Putin, accusing them of ab-
nalist who was at the event, told the online. ducting children from Ukraine. Russia
Times he heard Trepova tell Tatarsky h Greece pledged to provide Ukraine called Wednesday’s meeting to counter
that security guards had blocked her with more artillery and small-arms am- French President Emmanuel Macron what it claims is disinformation about
from bringing her present into the room munition, access to Greek hospitals for shakes hands with Chinese President the Ukrainian children.
because they were worried it could con- wounded military personnel and addi- Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the
tain a bomb. tional Soviet-era infantry fighting vehi- People on Thursday in Beijing. POOL Bill Clinton regrets persuading
“She was laughing as she said it, so cles. Ukraine to give up nukes
the audience and Vladlen laughed with h Russian President Vladimir Putin
her,” Arnis said. “Everyone took it as a and Belarusian President Alexander Lu- ding to a reporter’s question about NATO Former President Bill Clinton says he
joke.” In response, Arnis recalled Tatar- kashenko are holding talks on expanding chief Jens Stoltenberg, who a day earlier regrets the 1994 deal that resulted in Uk-
sky saying: “No worries, bring it here, their economic cooperation and bolster- chastised China for refusing to condemn raine giving up its nuclear weapons and
we’ll check it.” ing defense ties that include a plan to de- Russian aggression. says Russia would not have “pulled this
Minutes later, it exploded, killing Ta- ploy Russian nuclear weapons to its “History will tell who is truly standing stunt” and invaded if Kyiv still had the
tarsky and injuring about 40 people in neighbor. on the right side, upholding justice,” Mao deterrent. Then-Ukrainian President
Street Food Bar No. 1, a venue popular said. “NATO is in no position to criticize Leonid Kravchuk agreed to surrender
with pro-war activists. Trepova, 26, was China: US, NATO bear ‘unshirkable or pressure China.” roughly 1,900 nuclear warheads in ex-
charged with terrorism but denies know- responsibilities’ for Ukraine war Macron, who called for Ukraine talks, change for security assurances from the
ing the statuette contained a bomb. said he and Xi found agreement. U.S. and United Kingdom – and a Rus-
Russia’s Investigative Committee The U.S. and NATO “shoulder unshir- “We need to ensure that civilians are sian commitment to respect Ukraine’s
claimed supporters of jailed Kremlin kable responsibilities” on the Ukraine protected and nuclear weapons are not territorial integrity.
critic Alexei Navalny and the Ukrainian crisis, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokes- used,” Xi said. “They were afraid to give (nuclear
secret service used Trepova to kill Tatar- person Mao Ning said Thursday as weapons) up because they thought
sky, a pro-war blogger who had more French President Emmanuel Macron Russian children’s commissioner that’s the only thing that protected them
than half a million online followers. and Chinese leader Xi Jinping met in defends seizing Ukraine kids from an expansionist Russia,” Clinton
Developments: Beijing for talks centered on the war. told Irish broadcaster RTE.
h Diana Armenian, popular lead sing- Mao, at a daily briefing, was respon- Russia’s commissioner for children’s Contributing: The Associated Press

Eel either conceal them in fresh-produce

shipments or luggage to get them to
Asia.
Continued from Page 1A The tiny eels generally end up in
China’s Fujian and Guangdong prov-
sumer market. inces, which have more than 600 eel
Unfortunately, Japan’s native eel has farms and eel processing plants. It’s
been overfished and is now endangered, estimated that 87% of the world’s eel
so sellers have turned to the critically farms are in China.
endangered European eel (Anguilla According to a paper published
anguilla), but its population is estimat- March 22 in the journal Trends in
ed to be 5% of what it once was. To pro- Organized Crime, the glass eels are
tect the species, the European Union often kept in hidden ponds in under-
banned its exportation in 2010. ground warehouses near airports before
That’s why researchers in the United being shipped.
Kingdom were stunned at what they In 2022, European law enforcement
found when they did a DNA analysis of intercepted 2,755 pounds of glass eels
unagi samples purchased in Europe, worth an estimated $2 million and ar-
North America and Asia. rested 49 people on suspicion of being
“I was very surprised to find so much involved in smuggling.
European eel in our North American Glass eels get their name from their transparency. These American juvenile eels American glass eels are also harvest-
samples – because it’s illegal to export are listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. ed, though the practice is prohibited in
it,” said Andrew Griffiths, a lecturer in PROVIDED BY KRISTEN STEELE/UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON all states except Maine and South
biological sciences at the University of Carolina. The species isn’t considered
Exeter and lead author on the study. endangered by the United States but is
Those levels of European eel could sold in the United Kingdom, including so depleted that it was added to the In-
link the unagi in your sushi to global jellied, stewed and smoked eel. ternational Union for Conservation of
organized crime rings depleting an The researchers did a DNA analysis of Fish fraud has long been a Nature’s endangered list in 2014.
ancient species on the brink of extinc- each sample and found that 44% of the While European eel was most com-
tion, he said. North American samples were European problem, with cheaper fish mon in samples taken in North America,
“It’s really suggestive of some sort of eel and 56% were American eel. There being sold as pricier fillets. Griffiths said that worldwide, American
illegal sale and links to illegal trafficking were no Japanese eel (Anguilla rostrata) eel made up 66% of unagi products,
of live eels to Asia.” in the samples, which came from New The scam with eels is more meaning possible poachers seem to be
York, Seattle, San Francisco, Dallas, San shifting to U.S.-sourced glass eels.
What did researchers find? Diego, Boston and Reno, Nevada.
complex and sinister. The trade is lucrative. The eels can
In continental Europe, 35% of the sell for up to $2,200 a pound, said Ellen
Fish fraud has long been a problem, samples were Japanese eel and 65% Shell, whose book on eels, “Slippery
with cheaper fish being sold as pricier were American eel, which is threatened European and American eels spawn Beasts,” arrives next year.
fillets. Cheap tilapia is sold as rare red but whose export is legal. in the Sargasso Sea in the Atlantic “It’s a complicated and risky busi-
snapper. Rounds cut from skate wings “It wasn’t what we were expecting,” Ocean. The baby eels swim to coastal ness,” she said.
can be sold as pricey scallops. Griffiths said. areas and then upriver. Called glass eels
The issue with eels is a little more at this point, they are transparent and Should you eat unagi?
complex. Highly endangered European Massive population declines are no longer than a pinky finger.
baby eels are being poached in Europe For millennia, no one realized glass The Seafood Watch program at the
and smuggled to Asia, where they’re Because of habitat destruction, pol- eels were actually the juvenile form of Monterey Bay Aquarium in California
grown out in fish farms and sold back to lution, climate change and overfishing, adult eels; they were thought to be an- has European, Japanese and American
Japan, Europe and North America – the European eel population has seen other species entirely. When the eels eel all on its Red list, meaning they
labeled only as “eel,” according to a massive declines since the 1960s and reach freshwater, they grow for a decade should be avoided because of concerns
March paper in the journal Trends in has dropped to 5% of what it once was. or more before they head back to the about the species and the aquaculture
Organized Crime. The species was declared critically en- ocean to reproduce. used to raise them in Asia.
This eel study actually got its start in dangered in 2009, and in 2010 the Euro- To this day, no one has been able to Part of the problem with eating unagi
the San Francisco Bay Area, when one of pean Union banned its import or export. mimic the life cycle of eels enough to is that it’s very difficult to pin down
the authors, Kristen Steele, was work- Because of that, there shouldn’t have farm them the way salmon and other which eel species you’re eating.
ing there. “I started noticing a seeming been lots of European eel ending up as fish are farmed. Instead, the tiny glass The U.S. government monitors only
increase in the number of Japanese res- sushi in North America, Griffiths said. eels are caught in rivers and then fatten- about 45% of the seafood coming into
taurants in the Bay Area selling eel in “If our results are broadly repre- ed up in eel farms for harvest – almost the United States, so “you have no idea
various forms and was surprised, dis- sentative of sales of European eel in entirely in China. where your unagi came from,” said
mayed and intrigued,” she said. North America, it is difficult to account Marla Valentine, director of the ocean
Steele, at the University College Lon- for all the European eel on sale via li- Eel farms widespread in China nonprofit Oceana’s Illegal Fishing and
don, together with researchers at the censed and legal routes.” Transparency campaign.
University of Exeter led a study that There is a massive illegal trade in “Most people don’t have any idea
gathered 114 samples of eel sold in Biology has been a mystery European glass eels. Poachers use nets how complex and interconnected the
Europe, North America and Asia. The to gather them from European rivers network of eel trade has become,” Steele
eel samples mostly came from Japanese Exactly how eels reproduced was a and streams, then sells them to middle- said, “and how easy it is for illegally
restaurants as sushi, though a small mystery for thousands of years. Only in men for thousands of dollars a pound. caught and traded eels to get mixed into
number were from traditional dishes the past decade was it finally unraveled. They are then sold to smugglers who the legal market.”

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NEWS USA TODAY ❚ FRIDAY APRIL 7, 2023 ❚ 3A

Report: Thomas took GOP New report

details sex
donor’s gifts for decades abuse by
Justice’s nondisclosure
may have violated law Md. priests
Sarah Elbeshbishi and Josh Meyer
USA TODAY
At least 600 kids since
the 1940s were targeted
Supreme Court Justice Clarence
Thomas has accepted luxury gifts from Jeanine Santucci
a prominent Republican donor for more USA TODAY
than 20 years without disclosing them,
possibly violating a law that requires More than 150 Catholic priests and
justices, judges and members of Con- clergy members associated with the
gress to disclose most gifts, according to Archdiocese of Baltimore were ac-
a new report. cused of “horrific and repeated” sexual
ProPublica reported Thursday on a abuse of at least 600 children since the
series of lavish trips Thomas has taken 1940s, according to a Maryland Office
over more than two decades, which of the Attorney General report made
have been funded by billionaire and public on Wednesday.
GOP megadonor Harlan Crow. The redacted report, released dur-
This investigation comes as the na- ing Holy Week, listed every current or
tion’s high court fends off requests for a former clergy member or employee of
code of ethics, which would likely ad- the archdiocese who was ever credibly
dress similar instances. accused of sexual abuse of a child be-
The disclosures are the latest ethics A report by ProPublica says Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas tween the 1940s and 2002. The list is
controversy to dog Thomas. has accepted gifts from GOP megadonor Harlan Crow. JACK GRUBER/USA TODAY based on hundreds of thousands of
He has faced tough questions about documents obtained through subpoe-
his incomplete financial disclosure na of church records and interviews
forms and appearances at other politi- What did Thomas, Crow say? Crisis Network “raised anonymous with hundreds of victims and witness-
cal gatherings of wealthy conservative money in checks as big as $17 million es, according to the attorney general.
donors and influencers. Thomas didn’t respond to ProPubli- to fund political ads for (Supreme “The incontrovertible history un-
Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, his wife, ca’s request for comment, but Crow in a Court justices) Gorsuch, Kavanaugh covered by this investigation is one of
also has come under scrutiny for her statement said he and his wife’s “hospi- and Barrett.” pervasive and persistent abuse by
back-channel efforts to help former tality” to Thomas and his wife “over the “The donor(s) who funded ads to priests and other Archdiocese person-
President Donald Trump stay in power years is no different from the hospitality help Leo’s Judicial Crisis Network nel,” the report reads.
despite losing the 2020 presidential we have extended to our many other front group pack the Court, and the do- The report notes the number of vic-
election to Joe Biden. dear friends.” nor’s(s’) business or interests before tims and abusers is likely higher than
Crow, in his statement, also empha- the Court, have never been disclosed,” what was included due to statistics of
Report: Thomas accepted luxury sized that he has never asked Thomas Whitehouse said. underreporting of sexual abuse.
gifts without disclosing them about any pending or lower court case, “This secrecy is toxic and wrong,” he
nor has Thomas discussed one, adding added. “The Court should not protect it
Thomas has accepted lavish gifts that “we have never sought to influence any longer, and the Judicial Confer-
from the billionaire Dallas businessman Justice Thomas on any legal or political ence should look diligently and with “The need for disclosure
nearly every year, which had included issue” nor is aware of “any of our friends urgency into this mess of front group outweighs the need for secrecy.”
vacations on Crow’s superyacht and ever lobbying or seeking to influence” briefs.” Judge Robert Taylor,
trips on the billionaire’s Bombardier Thomas. Whitehouse, a lawyer and former Baltimore Circuit Court
Global 5000 jet as well as a week each federal prosecutor, is a member of the
summer at Crow’s private resort in the Renewed calls for code of ethics Senate Judiciary Committee, which
Adirondacks, ProPublica reported. oversees Supreme Court nominations. Abuse was pervasive and
It citess flight records, internal docu- Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a long- covered up, report finds
ments and interviews with Crow’s em- time advocate for more transparency The least accountable part
ployees. and accountability on the Supreme of the US government? Church abusers targeted children
The report also found that flight rec- Court, issued a series of tweets follow- who were more vulnerable to abuse
ords from the Federal Aviation Admini- ing the ProPublica story saying it under- Gabe Roth, executive director of the due to their shyness or problems at
stration and FlightAware suggest that scores why an overhaul of court ethics nonpartisan group Fix the Court, said home, or children who were “devoted”
Thomas makes “regular use” of Crow’s laws and requirements is urgently the ProPublica story “leads to a con- to the church and participated in
jet, noting that the justice used the pri- needed. clusion we’ve all come to expect: the church programs.
vate plane to make a three-hour trip in “A picture worth a thousand words,” Supreme Court is the least account- “They told their victims the abuse
2016. Whitehouse said, including a painting able part of our government, and noth- was ‘God’s will’ and that no one would
Thomas’ frequent trips to Crow’s pri- in his tweet from the ProPublica report ing is going to change without a whole- doubt the word of a priest. Some
vate lakeside resort, Camp Topridge in that allegedly hangs at Crow’s resort. It sale, lawmaker-led reimagining of its threatened that the victim or victim’s
the Adirondacks in upstate New York, shows Thomas smoking cigars with responsibilities when it comes to basic family would go to hell if they told any-
also have subjected Thomas to Crow’s Crow and other conservatives. measures of oversight.” one,” the report said.
extensive guest list of corporate execu- Whitehouse outlined some of the Roth said the disclosures in the re- Church officials who became aware
tives and political activists. connections between those in what he port underscore that ‘personal hospi- of abuse displayed more empathy for
Thomas vacationed with executives calls “the ‘cigar boys’ painting,” saying tality rules’ adopted by the judiciary the abusers than for the victims, the
from Verizon and Pricewaterhouse- one of them, Leonard Leo, runs a “con- last month do not go far enough and report concluded. If an investigation
Coopers, major GOP donors, and a stellation of front groups” whose goal is that Supreme Court and lower courts was conducted at all, it was done by
leader of the American Enterprise In- to secretly influence the high court. need to adopt “the same, if not stricter, unqualified church officials who often
stitute during a July 2017 trip, ProPubli- As one example, Whitehouse said gift and travel rules than what mem- placed greater weight on an accused
ca said. that an organization called the Judicial bers of Congress have.” abuser’s denial than the account of a
victim. The church gave no reason or a
false reason for removing a priest from
a parish, and often times relocated

Election would, among other things, give more

partisan actors the to overturn results;
priests to new parishes with no warn-
ing to parishioners, the report said.
makes it easier for citizens to demand “Church documents reveal with dis-
Continued from Page 1A a “forensic audit” to void an election; turbing clarity that the Archdiocese
and requiring hand counts of all bal- was more concerned with avoiding
missioner. lots 24 hours after the polls close. scandal and negative publicity than it
But many sought high-level offices was with protecting children,” accord-
that would either control or influence Kari Lake 2.0? ing to the report.
vital parts of the electoral process. Most of the priests and officials who
A Brookings Institution study last Even though election deniers lost covered up their wrongdoings have
year found 66% of those candidates significant contests in swing states, died, according to the report, which
won their races, mainly because they there is an acknowledgement that does not “constitute findings of guilt.”
were seeking reelection in safe congres- their misinformation tactics might be One priest, Joseph Maskell, was a
sional seats, state legislative districts a permanent fixture. subject of the Netflix documentary se-
and states that Trump won. Look no further than former Arizo- ries “The Keepers” in 2017. Maskell was
But when the study looked at election Failed Michigan secretary of state na gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, moved from two parishes in the 1960s
administration races – think governor, candidate Kristina Karamo became who continues to deny the fact she lost because of reports of his “troubling be-
attorney general and secretary of state – the first Black woman chair of the the 2022 race to Gov. Katie Hobbs by havior with children, including a fasci-
contenders who pushed misinforma- state GOP. JUNFU HAN/USA TODAY NETWORK roughly 17,000 votes. nation with the sexual fantasies and
tion were “wiped out” in battleground The Arizona Supreme Court in behavior of Boy Scouts,” the report
states. March rejected most of Lake’s legal says.
feckless leaders who are ashamed of challenges to her election loss, which
What are election you and ashamed of our conservative include baseless claims that tens of Lawmakers OK abuse legislation
deniers doing now? principles.” thousands of ballots were “injected”
These party leader positions are not into voting machines. Maryland lawmakers on Wednes-
The Trump-fueled movement that as powerful as lawmaker jobs, but ex- Yet the former television anchor’s day also passed a bill to end the statute
tried to get election deniers has moved perts warn they give Trump loyalists a name is tossed around as a potential of limitations for civil lawsuits related
to friendlier political territory with platform that can carry influence in vice presidential pick for Trump to child sexual abuse. Baltimore Cir-
many turning their attention to state terms of the election process during a should he nab the nomination in 2024. cuit Court Judge Robert Taylor said in
Republican Party positions. presidential election year. Lake has also flirted with the idea of his ruling to make the report public
In February, former Michigan secre- The party chairs, for example, have a running for Senate next year, telling earlier this year that the report should
tary of state candidate Kristina Karamo, significant say when it comes to recruit- conservative political commentator be taken into account in that decision.
who made multiple unsubstantiated ing poll watchers. Charlie Kirk on his podcast that she “The need for disclosure outweighs
claims about the 2020 election, was Others highlight how victories in saf- “will seriously consider” a bid. the need for secrecy,” Taylor said.
able to become the first Black woman er state legislative districts allow mea- Norden, the Brennan Center official, Currently, victims of child sexual
chair of the state GOP. sures powered by conspiracy theories to said even though many election de- abuse cannot bring civil suits after
Similarly, election deniers were ele- gain traction. niers lost high-profile races, question- they turn 38 in Maryland. The bill will
vated to state GOP chair in Idaho, Kan- A Brennan Center study released in ing an elections validity will likely con- next be sent to the governor.
sas and Colorado, where former state February found there were fewer elec- tinue to be something certain candi- Baltimore Archbishop William E.
Rep. Dave Williams, who insists Trump tion interference bills introduced in dates question in future campaigns. Lori wrote in a statement released
won in 2020, has promised to be a “war- state legislatures in 2023 compared to “They are very much still present in Wednesday that he apologizes to all
time” leader. this time last year. our political life,” he said. “And unfor- survivors on behalf of the archdiocese
“Our party doesn’t have a brand Yet it showed legislators in 10 states tunately, we may see people who have and pledged “continued solidarity and
problem,” Williams told supporters in have sponsored about 27 election inter- a lot of influence continue to spread support for your healing.”
March. “Our party has a problem with ference bills across the country which lies about our elections.” Contributing: The Associated Press
4A ❚ FRIDAY APRIL 7, 2023 ❚ USA TODAY NEWS

Week in review
Recapping the most important and talked about news this week from around the world – ICYMI

❚ NEWS
Trump’s indictment could
reverberate well into 2024
New York City was consumed – and the 2024 presi-
dential campaign landscape possibly upended – by
Donald Trump news as the former president and
front-runner for the 2024 GOP nomination arrived
in court Wednesday in Manhattan to face 34 felony
counts related to alleged hush money payments, the
first time a former president has been criminally
prosecuted. Trump has pleaded not guilty, but his
legal travails – not inflation or the economy or crime
– could now dominate the 2024 race.

❚ OPINION
55 years after MLK’s killing,
gun violence still haunts us
Martin Luther King Jr. was shot down in Memphis,
Tennessee, 55 years ago on Tuesday. All these years
later, gun murder has traveled throughout the coun-
try and right back, just last week, to Nashville, with
the Covenant School shooting. Full circle, you could
say. To remember Dr. King is to ask: What nonvio- IMAGE
lent actions must be taken to force change, and who
should lead those actions? Politicians will do only
OF THE ❚ LIFE ❚ SPORTS
what they are made to do by the strongest forces. WEEK
Save Our Shows is NCAA champions get
❚ MONEY
Tornadoes
devastate
here to take your their day in the sun
Midwest, South TV temperature Another March Madness has come
Price of eggs could thwart A car’s shattered
This week marked the arrival of
and gone, and the winners have been
those best-laid Easter plans side mirror reveals
homes in ruins
USA TODAY’s exclusive 26th annual
crowned. For the women, LSU cruised
to a 102-85 win over Iowa to take the
Save Our Shows survey, when we
Saturday in title in the most-watched women’s
With Easter almost here, shoppers have been on open a window into the minds of TV
Whiteland, Ind., college basketball game ever, ESPN
the hunt for eggs and basket stuffers – and you can fans: Which of your favorite broad-
after an EF-3 said. For the men, UConn wrapped up
thank avian flu and inflation for the egg prices. cast shows are a lock to return, and
tornado ripped a dominant run with a 76-59 victory
According to Numerator data, 85% of consumers which are destined for the dust bin?
through the central over San Diego State. CBS’ Jim Nantz
plan to celebrate Easter this year, and 50% of cele- Sure, such hits as “Abbott Elemen-
part of the state the had his shining moment, too: The
brants plan to buy candy. Overall, shoppers plan to tary” and “NCIS” will be back, but
night before. men’s play-by-play announcer signed
spend a record $24 billion on Easter this year, what about shows hovering “on the
off for good after his 32nd and last
including $3.3 billion on candy and $7.3 billion on GRACE HOLLARS/ bubble,” like “The Good Doctor,”
tournament. Said Nance, 63: “One
food, the National Retail Federation says. One retail USA TODAY NETWORK “S.W.A.T.” and “9-1-1”? Take our poll
thing I learned through all of this is
expert’s advice: You can find white plastic dyeable and plead your case at usatoday
everybody has a dream.”
eggs for less than a carton of real eggs. .com/entertainment.

The next total solar Survey shows Florida leads US

in the number of lead pipes
eclipse is a year away Michael Phillis
ASSOCIATED PRESS
agency said will save lives and reduce
illness but will require many water pro-
Doyle Rice viders to install treatment systems.
USA TODAY Some 9.2 million lead pipes carry The EPA’s survey of roughly 3,500
water into homes across the U.S., with water providers also found the country
Eclipse lovers, your moment in the more in Florida than any other state, needs to spend $625 billion on drinking
sun (or the dark) is just one year away. according to a new Environmental water infrastructure over the next two
On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse Protection Agency survey that will dic- decades, an amount that’s increased
will cross North America, passing over tate how billions of dollars to find and sharply in recent years. The biggest
Mexico, the United States and Canada, replace those pipes are spent. need is upgrading water pipes that are
NASA said. The survey released Tuesday was too old, broken, or made of lead.
It will be the nation’s biggest eclipse the first time the agency asked about On Tuesday, the EPA also announced
event since the Great American Eclipse lead pipes and gave the best count yet states, U.S. territories and tribes will
of Aug. 21, 2017, when millions of Amer- Diamond ring effect during the solar of how many are underground. have $6.5 billion to upgrade drinking
icans were able to enjoy the cosmic eclipse in Hopkinsville, Ky. in 2017. Florida, with an estimated 1.16 mil- water infrastructure, with $6 billion of
spectacle. Next year’s eclipse is the last MICHAEL CLEVENGER/USA TODAY NETWORK lion pipes, was a surprise to one ex- that total coming from the Bipartisan
total solar eclipse that will be visible in pert. Industrial states such as Ohio, Infrastructure Law.
the U.S. until 2044. Michigan and Pennsylvania are more The lead water crisis in Flint, Michi-
States in the path of the eclipse are for solar viewing.” typically associated with extensive gan, made lead in drinking water a na-
Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, In fact, it’s never safe to view the lead pipe issues. tional concern and demonstrated how
Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Penn- sun with the naked eye. The sun’s sur- Illinois ranked second in Tuesday’s old pipes can quickly become an urgent
sylvania, New York, Vermont, New face is so bright that if you stare at any survey, with 1.04 million lead pipes, public health threat. Newark, New Jer-
Hampshire and Maine. portion of it, no matter how small, it followed by Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas sey, saw prolonged lead water problems
A total solar eclipse occurs when the produces enough light to permanently and New York. that led to rapid replacement of thou-
moon gets in the way of the sun, turning damage your retina. Length of time The agency’s drinking water infra- sands of lead pipes, as did Benton Har-
day to an eerie twilight. People viewing doesn’t matter, either: Without proper structure survey will be used to steer bor, Michigan.
the eclipse from locations where the eye protection, you can suffer “eclipse billions of dollars from the Bipartisan Erik Olson, a health and food expert
moon’s shadow completely covers the blindness” – a serious injury in which Infrastructure Law to upgrades such at the Natural Resources Defense Coun-
sun – known as the “path of totality” – the eye’s retina is damaged by solar ra- as finding and removing lead pipes in cil, said the EPA was “trying to do the
will experience a total solar eclipse, diation – within seconds of staring at states that need it most. Previously, a right thing” by using its survey to direct
NASA said. The sky will darken as if it the sun, according to the American state’s share of lead pipe funds was lead pipe funds to states that need it
were dawn or dusk. Weather permitting, Optometric Association. based on its general infrastructure most. But he called Florida’s figure “a big
people along the path of totality will see Folks in the Southwest will get their need and didn’t consider how many surprise.” Olson said the state told his
the sun’s corona, or outer atmosphere, own peek at a solar eclipse later this lead pipes the state had. group in 2021 that it doesn’t track lead
which is usually obscured by the bright year, though it won’t be a total one. An Lead can cause brain damage and service lines. The NRDC’s estimate for
face of the sun. annular eclipse of the sun will be the EPA says no amount is safe for chil- the state was about 200,000.
Outside the path of totality, nearly all visible in the southwestern United dren. Olson said the Florida number is puz-
of North America will get a partial solar States on Oct. 14, NASA said. The Biden administration has set a zling because lead pipes were most fre-
eclipse. An annular solar eclipse happens goal to remove all of the country’s lead quently installed in the decades before
Some of the big cities in the path are when the moon passes between the water pipes. The $15 billion for lead Florida’s population rapidly grew.
Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, Cleveland, sun and Earth while it is at its farthest pipe work will help, but it won’t solve “We look forward to hearing an ex-
Buffalo and Indianapolis, where prepa- point from Earth, according to NASA: the problem. planation,” Olson said.
rations already have begun. Indianapo- “Because the moon is farther away “Every community deserves access The EPA said it extrapolated from
lis, which is calling itself the “eclipse from Earth, it appears smaller than the to safe, clean drinking water,” said EPA water providers’ responses to come up
capital of the Midwest,” is anticipating sun and does not completely cover the Administrator Michael Regan who was with state-level estimates. The loca-
an influx of more than 1 million visitors star.” in Illinois for the announcement. tions of many lead pipes are still un-
next April, according to the city’s tour- This creates a “ring of fire” effect in “Thanks to President Biden’s infra- known and the EPA said states such as-
ism bureau. There will even be a viewing the sky. The name “annular” comes structure investments, we have an un- Florida had a lot of lines that were either
celebration at the famed Indianapolis from the Latin word for ring, “annu- precedented opportunity to revitalize made of an unknown material or lead.
Motor Speedway, home of the annual lus,” according to TimeandDate.com. America’s drinking water systems, A representative from the Florida De-
Indianapolis 500 auto race in May. The annular eclipse will begin in the support the Biden-Harris administra- partment of Environmental Protection
NASA reminds skywatchers to prac- U.S., traveling from the coast of Ore- tion’s goal of removing 100% of lead did not immediately respond to a re-
tice safe viewing before and after the to- gon to the Texas Gulf Coast. Weather pipes across our country, and protect quest for comment.
tal eclipse: “Except during the brief total permitting, the annular eclipse will be communities from PFAS pollution.” The Associated Press receives sup-
phase of a total solar eclipse, when the visible in Oregon, Nevada, Utah, New The EPA recently proposed drinking port from the Walton Family Founda-
moon completely blocks the sun’s bright Mexico and Texas, as well as some water limits for PFAS, or per- and po- tion for coverage of water and environ-
face, it is not safe to look directly at the parts of California, Idaho, Colorado, lyfluoroalkyl substances often called mental policy. The AP is solely respon-
sun without specialized eye protection and Arizona, NASA said. “forever chemicals,” in a push that the sible for all content.
NEWS USA TODAY ❚ FRIDAY APRIL 7, 2023 ❚ 5A

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6A ❚ FRIDAY APRIL 7, 2023 ❚ USA TODAY NEWS

Pipelines Family told to get out of the house

Nestled along the Puget Sound just

Continued from Page 1A north of Seattle, the city of Shoreline,
Washington, hired Insituform in June
of underground infrastructure – a figure 2020 to repair more than a half-mile of
expected to grow as the nation races to damaged stormwater pipe.
rehab its aging water and sewer lines. Five months later, on Nov. 4, a crew
Those efforts are accelerated, in part, appeared at a manhole outside the
by the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Walsh residence and began blowing
Bill, which is providing $50 billion to steam into a polyester resin-soaked lin-
local governments for water and sewer er snaking through the pipe under the
improvements. Many of those dollars neighborhood. A strong odor soon filled
already are flowing to cured-in-place the house.
pipe lining projects. While David Wash and his wife, Eilee,
Yet the process carries an inherent stuck it out at home, their children
public health risk that the industry has couldn’t stand the smell and spent the
downplayed, and government regula- night at friends’ houses. The next morn-
tors have all but ignored, even as the list ing, Eilee called the city, which sent an
of exposures continues to grow, a USA employee. He didn’t smell anything, city
TODAY investigation found. records show.
Volatile organic compounds released On the second day, Eilee contacted
during the heating process can escape David Walsh and his family had to flee their home in Shoreline, Wash., in late 2020 an industrial hygienist who told her to
as a chemical plume traveling out of the after gas from a sewer project seeped into their house. CHONA KASINGER FOR USA TODAY get out of the house. Eilee immediately
manholes and through the lateral con- relayed the information to city project
nections linking the main pipe to the manager Lea Bonbrake.
properties it serves. Joy also pointed to a one-page docu- “They told us to put water in our “Shoreline hired the work to put the
Inside that plume can lurk styrene, ment the group created for the general drains, but that didn’t work,” she said. chemical into the system, the city
benzene, methylene chloride and phe- public explaining how to eliminate or “They also told us the odor was safe, but caused the problem, and the city should
nol, along with bits of uncured resin, minimize fumes from such projects. if I’m experiencing all these symptoms, I protect our health until the odor is gone
partially cured plastic and hazardous air Called “What’s That Odor,” the docu- don’t think it’s safe.” by putting us up in another place to live,”
pollutants, according to research fund- ment says that just because you can Eilee told Bonebrake in an email Nov. 6,
ed by the U.S. National Science Founda- smell it, doesn’t mean it’s dangerous. ‘Sweep it under a rug’ 2020.
tion and cited by the Centers for Disease But Whelton said his research shows Shoreline agreed, but neither party
Control and Prevention. otherwise. Mailers, door hangers and FAQs had anticipated the time, cost or effort it
Styrene, in particular, is considered a “There are ways to use CIPP respon- alerting residents to these projects tend would require to properly decontami-
probable carcinogen that, when in- sibly and safely, but currently, cities, to omit, deny or downplay the potential nate the family’s home.
haled, can irritate the eyes, nose and municipalities and the industry em- health threats, according to a USA For the next two months, the Walsh-
throat. It can also impair the nervous brace this dirty process for allowing TODAY review of more than a dozen es stayed in hotels and vacation rentals
system, inducing dizziness, headaches, waste to leave the worksite and harm such communications. while the city employed a variety of
slowed reaction times, loss of balance, other people,” he said. “The practice is A public notice issued last year by the methods to fully mitigate the odor.
nausea and unconsciousness, accord- inherently dangerous because there are Town of Canton, Connecticut, said The ordeal cost Shoreline more than
ing to the CDC. no controls. Are you going to get a car ahead of a sewer relining project that a $75,000 in lodging, testing, cleaning,
Several people told USA TODAY their with a seat belt or no seat belt?” glue or fiberglass odor “may get into the consulting and legal fees, according to
symptoms lasted weeks. In some cases, building through improper or clogged city invoices. That’s on top of the nearly
they never went away. Susan Dosier From mushroom farm to sewer venting, dry traps, or, in some older $400,000 contract with Insituform.
said she developed permanent hearing homes, floor drains that are connected It was the first and only time the city
loss and a ringing in her ear after stand- Cured-in-place pipe lining started on to the sanitary sewer. If you detect an had a situation like that, said Shoreline
ing near a pipe lining cloud by her house a mushroom farm. odor, please ventilate your home by spokesman Eric Bratton. Asked if
in Bend, Oregon, in late 2018. A leaky air duct over a bed of growing opening a window.” Shoreline has done any cured-in-place
Kaylie, the middle school student, has fungi didn’t easily lend itself to repair. Then, in bolded and underlined text, projects since then, Bratton said no.
suffered recurring headaches since the So English agricultural engineer Eric it continued, “The odor is not harmful
incident at her school in November 2021, Wood decided to create a new duct in- and will dissipate quickly.” ‘I urge you to prevent harm’
said her mother, Lauren Marley. Walsh side the old one by inserting a resin- A door hanger left in 2015 by Insitu-
said his daughter also has frequent soaked liner, inflating it with air and form in Deerfield Beach, Florida, ad- The U.S. Environmental Protection
headaches since their episode in 2020. leaving it to cure. vised residents to pour water into floor Agency is responsible for protecting the
At least three workers in two pipe- Wood’s solution worked so well that drains and rarely used sinks, tubs and public from harmful emissions.
lining incidents died after exposure to he patented the process and started a toilets to prevent odors from entering The EPA typically does not regulate
the chemicals. One was 22-year-old company, Insituform – from the Latin the home. If that doesn’t work, it said, temporary sources of air pollution,
Brett Morrow, who entered a pipe in phrase “to form in place.” Its first muni- the trap may require repair. agency spokeswoman Melissa A. Sulli-
2017 to free a stuck, resin-soaked liner. cipal project was in 1971 in East London, “You may need to temporarily place van told USA TODAY in an email, adding
Overcome by styrene, he passed out and where Wood rehabilitated a 230-foot- plastic bags filled with water over the that it’s not clear that cured-in-place
drowned, his death certificate shows. section of a century-old sewer for the drain to prevent the backflow of odors or pipe processes would meet the defini-
In October, a Florida woman settled a Thames Water utility company. open windows to allow ventilation,” the tion of a “major stationary source,” such
lawsuit with a contractor she blamed for Since then, the industry has explod- door hanger said. “If you continue to as boat manufacturing.
her 71-year-old mother’s death. Nancy ed into a constellation of major contrac- smell odors, please call the Insituform However, Whelton urged EPA Ad-
Loft alleged that fumes from a 2015 tors and countless mom-and-pop oper- representative.” ministrator Michael S. Regan to regulate
cured-in-place project infiltrated her ations. When people do call the company, the industry in a pair of letters sent in
mother’s Deerfield Beach home, The process involved in these pro- they’re typically told not to worry, said March 2021 and again in February 2022.
knocked her out and touched off a series jects is largely the same, although the former Insituform employee Anthony “I urge you to prevent harm to
of health complications that claimed specific types of resins, fabrics and cur- Perez, who spent about three years on a bystanders and the environment,”
her life a year and a half later. ing methods can vary. The most popular crew in Littleton, Colorado. He remem- Whelton wrote in one of the letters be-
Yet the cured-in-place pipe-lining in- of these materials and methods, bers counseling residents there about fore ticking off a list of styrene expo-
dustry is unregulated when it comes to though, are also the most prone to the chemical smell. sures that have affected the health of
public health. No state or federal agency harmful fumes. “We were told to tell the person that children.
actively monitors work sites or requires That emissions don’t automatically you may get a headache, but we’re Among them was the Spooner Mid-
safety protocols to prevent harmful infiltrate every dwelling is thanks to a around it every day, and we’re OK,” he dle School incident. Work on that
emissions from leaking into the envi- plumbing feature commonly called the said, adding that was what the company project was done by Michels Corp., a
ronment. P-trap. This U-shaped bend in the pipes told its employees, too. “They basically Wisconsin-based construction compa-
“It’s sort of the Wild West,” said Matt under most sinks and toilets is designed just said, ‘It’s safe.’ The culture seemed ny with a global footprint.
Belcher, a Chicago-based attorney who to trap enough water from daily washes to be: ‘We’re tough, we can handle it. Spooner was not the first school-
represented Morrow’s family in a law- and flushes to block fumes from the Don’t be the one to whine.’ ” related incident linked to Michels Corp.
suit against several defendants, includ- sewer. Since leaving the industry, though, In October 2018, fumes from a job site
ing the liner manufacturer, that was set- But even drains are not a fail-safe. Perez, now 40, has developed severe sickened two teachers at Riverview
tled for $3 million in 2021. “Nobody is Some older buildings lack these U- emphysema and COPD despite having Elementary in Vancouver, Washington,
policing these things.” shaped traps. And water can evaporate never smoked cigarettes. He said doc- according to an incident report. Both
That leaves the industry responsible from the traps of rarely used sinks, toi- tors can’t figure out why his lungs are sought medical treatment after feeling
for policing itself. And while it has lets and bathtubs. visibly scarred and failing. But he be- lightheaded and vomiting. None of the
adopted voluntary guidelines to control Even when the traps are full, pressur- lieves his problems were caused by reg- children reported symptoms.
worksite emissions, it has vigorously ized steam or liquid from cured-in-place ular exposure to high concentrations of When it happened three years later at
rejected evidence of widespread public pipe projects can blow the standing wa- styrene and other chemicals on the job. Spooner, the impact was more severe.
health risks. ter out of toilets and drains. That’s what “I can remember times being in the Sixty-four students and teachers fell
In 2017, the National Association of happened to Courtney Hirsch, of Har- manhole where the vapor was so thick I ill after the odor seeped into the building
Sewer Service Companies, whose mem- risburg, Pennsylvania, during a pipe re- couldn’t see my hand in front of my face around 9:30 a.m., triggering pandemo-
bership includes cured-in-place pipe lining project in January 2020. – in there with no respiratory protec- nium and ultimately an evacuation.
contractors, publicly denounced a peer- Hirsch said a “ rocket of water” would tion,” he said. “The industry is like, “So many had been taken to the hos-
reviewed study led by Purdue research- blast from her toilet and spray water and ‘Sweep it under a rug.’ ” pital, even across state lines, and we
er Andrew Whelton that determined the old toilet paper everywhere. Her house Aegion Corporation, the parent com- weren’t told,” said Kaylie’s mother,
process releases noxious emissions. smelled like burnt plastic for weeks, she pany of Insituform, did not respond to Lauren Marley. “When I finally located
The association at the time vowed to said, causing her severe headaches, emails and voicemails seeking com- her, my baby was incoherent, hooked up
fund an independent study “to chal- nosebleeds and eye irritation. ment for this story. to machines. She didn’t even recognize
lenge and/or confirm” the information.” me; she looked lifeless.”
It paid the University of Texas at Arling- Since then, several parents, includ-
ton’s Center for Underground Infra- ing Marley, have hired attorney Randall
structure Research and Education, Rozek to represent them against the
whose board includes cured-in-place school, the city and the contractor for
industry members, to review reports of injuries they blame on the exposure.
the process’ health risks. The group con- The city never had problems with the
cluded in 2018 that the methodologies of procedure in the past, said Spooner Ad-
those reports were flawed and their re- ministrator William Marx, and officials
sults “non-conclusive.” just opened bids this week on another
Whelton said those criticisms lack cured-in-place project.
merit. Michels Corporation did not respond
His Purdue-sponsored CIPP Solu- to emails and voicemails seeking
tions Group website also maintains a comment for this story. Spooner Area
list of human and environmental School District Superintendent David
incidents, with more than 100 entries Aslyn declined to comment, citing the
across 35 states, many of them related litigation.
to schools and day care centers. While the city has moved on, Marley
Sheila Joy, executive director of the said she and her daughter cannot. She
National Association of Sewer Service said she’s upset that nothing has been
Companies, said in an email to USA done to prevent these situations from
TODAY that her group continues to fund happening and that her daughter is pay-
research evaluating health risks from ing the price.
cured-in-place pipe emissions and up- “I’m pissed off that that she’s not OK
dates its safety guidelines based on An Insituform CIPP installation crew prepares to feed a resin-soaked liner and still has headaches,” Marley said.
those studies. into an old sewer pipe in Shreveport, La. STAN CARPENTER/USA TODAY NETWORK “We’re worried about the long term.”
NEWS USA TODAY ❚ FRIDAY APRIL 7, 2023 ❚ 7A

OPINION WANT TO COMMENT?

We’re on Facebook (USA TODAY Opinion) and Instagram and Twitter (@usatodayopinion). You can also
comment directly on columns.

Disability representation isn’t just about DEI

stunned by her comments about wom- which enabled me to graduate with a
en in wheelchairs modeling underwear, lower student loan debt.
especially her sentiment that no one All of this I did using crutches and
Melissa Ortiz wants to see that. making no effort to hide my disability,
Able Americans Project It isn’t about taking inclusivity too spina bifida. I didn’t go to a wheelchair
far; it’s about people modeling clothing full time until 2004, two years after I
so that women with disabilities could married the love of my life.
The Daily Wire’s Candace Owens re- see whether it would work for them. Owens’ comments, intentionally
cently made comments that led me to I found it helpful because, like the hurtful at worst or uneducated and
believe that she either doesn’t under- models, I use a wheelchair. thoughtless at best, were nothing more
stand why disability representation is than clickbait. No one should reward
important or that she would like Amer- Shopping for clothes this behavior. It makes all conserva-
ica to reinstate “ugly laws,” the last of can be an ordeal for tives, especially conservative women,
which was abolished in 1974. people with disabilities look bad. That is not what the freedom
Two parts of my world collided as I Conservative commentator Candace movement is about, and her comments
listened to her speak. As a woman with When I go to stores to try on clothes, Owens has criticized advertising for about people with disabilities do not re-
a visible disability, I understand why more often than not, the wheelchair ac- SKIMS clothing that featured women flect conservative values.
representation, especially in advertis- cessible fitting room is being used for with disabilities. JASPER COLT/USA TODAY
ing, is so important. storage (illegally, by the way) and I can- ‘Come let us reason together’
not use it to see whether the items fit me
Candace Owens also insults properly. Though it might take women keep my knees together, it’s crucial for Owens stated publicly that she wants
fellow conservatives like me without disabilities minutes to try on a my dignity to make sure that the skirt is to be educated on this topic. In an
flurry of clothing, it can be a lengthy and long enough to cover my knees. atmosphere of mutual respect, I would
As a lifelong conservative, I am ap- frustrating ordeal for people with dis- To Owens and others who follow her welcome the opportunity to meet with
palled that Owens seems to see herself abilities to try on a single item. line of thinking on this: Does the model her to discuss living with a disability
as the spokeswoman on this issue for To simplify life, many people with in the wheelchair make more sense and the related policy issues.
the whole freedom movement. disabilities have to buy the clothes, take now? It’s not just about being inclusive; I am the senior adviser for the Able
Owens asked to be educated if she them home to try them on then return it’s about practicality and the ability to Americans Project at the National Cen-
was wrong, so I reached out directly via what doesn’t work – adding yet another sell merchandise. ter for Public Policy Research. We fight
social media with no response. The lack difficult trip to the store. Sales make profits that pay salaries. daily for common sense, free market,
of response was not shocking as each All that extra effort could be avoided Of the 333 million people in America, limited government approaches to liv-
time I have attempted to interact with if I could use the fitting room or see a 20% have some sort of disability. They ing with a disability.
her upon crossing her path in person, model in a wheelchair with that item of all spend money. As it says in Isaiah 1:18, “Come let us
she has refused. I understand why now. clothing. Sometimes a skirt that looks Making money to support oneself is a reason together.”
Owens and I prove that no political long enough on the hanger is too short conservative value. Part of how I sup- I’ll be waiting for her call.
leaning is monolithic in nature. Her once I get it on my body. ported myself early in my life was by Melissa Ortiz is the senior adviser for
boldness resonates with me and many Because I am seated all day and my modeling. I earned college scholarship the Able Americans Project at the Na-
other conservative women. But I was hips don’t function properly to help money by competing in pageants, tional Center for Public Policy Research.

Jeffrey Loria
Former Marlins owner

Baseball’s
new rules
make game
better for all
The 2023 baseball season marks one
of the biggest single-season rule
overhauls in the game’s history, and, as
a former World Series-winning owner
and a lifelong fan, I say, bring it on.
When all 30 Major League Baseball
teams took the field on Opening Day,
they were on the clock, standing in the
infield dirt, arriving sooner at the bases,
trying to drive home a “ghost runner”
and playing their positions. Topps base-
ball cards might need to unveil an “um-
pire line” because umpire discretion will
become a crucial element – a potential Michael Taylor, of the Minnesota Twins, steals second base as Miami Marlins infielder Garrett Hampson covers the bag
wild card in how a game is lost or won. Wednesday in Miami. JIM RASSO/USA TODAY SPORTS
Rule changes are a crucial part of the
growth in any sport. Baseball has
changed diamond sizes, the range of the Next, someone will try to put artificial pitching staff. Instead, you have to play
strike zone and the height of the pitch- intelligence in the broadcast booth. with the team you built.
er’s mound multiple times since the first It’s time to make baseball about peo- The 2023 innovations are Finally, under these new rules, um-
World Series in 1903. ple again. pires have been given a lot more “discre-
There were purists who resisted We are never going to remove the not simply exciting for fans; tion” on everything from when to start
Jumbotrons and batter walk-up music technical side of sports. Nonetheless, they are great for players pitching clocks to timeouts, ball
too. Now, no one would think of playing what MLB, under the leadership of changes, catchers fiddling with gear and
a game without them. Commissioner Rob Manfred, has smart- and coaches as well assessing penalties. This means the hu-
ly done with these rule changes, beyond man element will be out in fuller force –
Creativity has taken a back seat accelerating the pace of play, is return
because they return to the delight or dismay of fans, depend-
to proliferation of technology the focus to the people who play, call the all-important human ing on which side you are rooting for.
and coach the game. Great baseball players have much in
The 2023 innovations are not simply element to the game. common with great artists. Both put
exciting for fans; they are great for play- What was missing from their talents on the line to create some-
ers and coaches as well because they re- our national pastime thing truly memorable for the public. I
turn the all-important human element unpredictability. once asked the legendary artist Saul
to the game. I think that’s what both diehard and Bigger bases should mean fewer Steinberg why he loved baseball. He re-
Baseball players and managers are a casual baseball fans were instinctively player collisions and injuries – and, plied, “Because, at any given moment in
very creative group, but lately, that cre- missing from our national pastime. If hopefully, more base stealing. the game, there are endless possibilities
ativity has taken a back seat to the pro- you look at each major change, it is peo- And MLB’s move to outlaw “defen- for what can happen.”
liferation of technology. ple-driven. It puts instinct, quick reac- sive shifts” is a return to how baseball I hope 2023 will be remembered as
Every organization employs analyt- tions and human athleticism back into was intended to be played. A shortstop the year the endless possibilities re-
ics specialists who run game matchups the ballpark. now has to stand between the second turned to baseball.
through probability simulators to rec- No algorithm can fully capture how and third bases with his toes at least We are all craving that human ele-
ommend batting orders and try to pre- an individual pitcher, or a batter, will touching the dirt until the ball leaves a ment – on and off the field. It is ripe for
dict outcomes. After their turn in the perform under the pressure of the new pitcher’s hand; no more stacking the de- rediscovery this spring.
batter’s box, players sit in the dugout pitching clock. Both sides will have to fensive decks. Jeffrey Loria, a former owner of the
hunched over electronic devices, think and react on their feet. Moreover, teams can no longer at- World Series champion Marlins, is the
watching replays of their performance The permanent addition of a ghost tempt to game the system and the sta- author of “From The Front Row: Reflec-
rather than talking with coaches and runner on second base when a game tistics by substituting position players tions of a Major League Baseball Owner
fellow players about what they saw. goes into extra innings adds tension and as pitchers rather than using their and Modern Art Dealer.“

“USA TODAY hopes to serve as a forum for better understanding and unity to help make the USA truly one nation.” – Allen H. Neuharth, Founder, Sept. 15, 1982

Chairman and CEO President, News Chief Financial Officer: Chief Content Officer: Vice President/Executive Editor, Managing Editor Opinion,
Gannett Co. Editor in Chief, USA TODAY Doug Horne Kristin Roberts News & Initiatives: Kristen Go Standards & Ethics:
MICHAEL NICOLE Vice President/Executive Editor, Michael McCarter
REED CARROLL Sports: Roxanna Scott
8A ❚ FRIDAY APRIL 7, 2023 ❚ USA TODAY NEWS

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LIFE+MONEY
Higher pay has older workers
getting back on the job
Flexibility and extra cash have seniors and
USA TODAY | FRIDAY, APRIL 7, 2023 | SECTION B others doing jobs once filled by teens. Page 5B
K1
K1
E2

LIFELINE STREAMING

JIM WATSON/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

MAKING WAVES
JOHNNY DEPP AT CANNES

The historical drama, “Jeanne du

Barry,” starring Johnny Depp as King
Louis XV, will open the 76th Cannes
Film Festival. Organizers of the
French festival announced Wednes-
day that this year’s edition will get
underway with the period film direct-
ed by and starring Maïwenn, a French
actress and filmmaker. She plays
Louis XV’s favorite courtesan, Jeanne
du Barry. The film has been billed as
Depp’s comeback following his explo-
sive trial last year with ex-wife Amber
Heard. After both Depp and Heard
accused each other of physical and
verbal abuse, a jury awarded Depp
$10 million in compensatory damages
and $5 million dollars in punitive Kathryn Hahn, right, stars with Merritt Wever in “Tiny Beautiful Things.” PROVIDED BY JESSICA BROOKS/HULU
damages. The judge reduced the

Hahn embraces ‘the

punitive damages award to $350,000
under a state cap. Heard was award-
ed $2 million in compensatory dam-
ages and no money for punitive dam-
ages. In December, they reached a

muck’ of messy roles

settlement.

Erin Jensen USA TODAY

A few months shy of a milestone birthday, Kathryn Hahn

embraces a newfound confidence. h “The ageism is (cra-
zy) in Hollywood,” says the Emmy-nominated actress, 49.
“And I’m finding myself coming into my power more and
IT’S YOUR BIRTHDAY more the older I get, which is something that I did not
WHO’S CELEBRATING TODAY
expect.” Hahn’s power is much more valuable that the
Russell Crowe is 59. Jackie Chan is magic Marvel witch Agatha Harkness possesses, mainly
69. Francis Ford Coppola is 84.
because Hahn’s is real.

The early days of Hahn’s career are a stark contrast to her cur-
HOROSCOPE | SANCTUARY rent in-demand status. She finds time to chat from Atlanta, while
More: www.sanctuaryworld.co filming a “WandaVision” spinoff, “Agatha: Coven of Chaos,” com-
ing to Disney+, and leads Hulu’s slice of life dramedy “Tiny Beauti-
Aries (March 21-April 19). Seeking ful Things,” based on Cheryl Strayed’s 2012 collection of her advice
splendor? Romantic Venus and drea- columns. All eight episodes stream Friday.
my Neptune harmonize today, giving Hahn remembers auditioning in her 20s, “trying to fit into a
luxurious vibes and making you extra- mold of something that I thought casting directors wanted,” in-
sensitive to beauty! stead of accepting “and loving who I was then. You want to go back
Taurus (April 20-May 20). Venus and
Hahn, as Agatha Harkness in Disney+’s to that younger self and give her such a hug and say, ‘You’re so
Neptune harmonize today, inspiring
“WandaVision,” describes filming spinoff “Agatha: perfect, and you’re so enough.’ ”
Coven of Chaos” as “a total adventure.”
tender moments with friends. A new
PROVIDED BY SUZANNE TENNER/MARVEL STUDIOS See HAHN, Page 4B
romance has potential.
Gemini (May 21-June 21). Daydream-
ing? Make time to relax and recharge.
Give your imagination breathing room
to visualize creative ideas. STREAMING PREVIEW
Cancer (June 22-July 22). Attending a
social outing? An ideal occasion to
connect with your crew.
Leo (July 23-Aug. 22). Attracting ad-
‘Beef ’ sizzles, seasoned with angst
mirers? You win public approval or trepreneur, wife and mother who is so
business support. Others pin their terrified of losing what she has built that
hopes on you! Kelly Lawler she lives in a constant state of fight or
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You’re capti-
Columnist flight.
vated with foreign people and places
USA TODAY When Amy cuts off Danny in a park-
while romantic Venus harmoniously
ing lot of a big-box store, what could
connects to idealistic Neptune.
have been a nonevent turns into a high-
They say misery loves company. speed car chase with a side of property
Libra (Sept.23-Oct. 23). Making So, apparently, does anger. damage. Danny can’t let the grievance
friends and influencing people? Your In Netflix’s delightfully deviant go and tracks Amy down for payback.
natural charms invite business alli- new series “Beef,” two strangers are The two suddenly find themselves en-
ances. drawn into an escalating feud after meshed in a full-on war that escalates
Scorpio (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Reality is
road rage turns into forever rage. from urine-based pranks to serious
distorted. You see someone through
Their wrath knows no bounds. Their criminal activity. And neither seems to
rose-colored glasses!
middle fingers are forever pointed up. care much about any casualties they
And nothing will deter them. Road rage turns even more outrageous leave along the way, in their opponent’s
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Tender “Beef ” (now streaming, eeee) is in “Beef,” a black comedy from Netflix life or even among their own friends and
Venus and idealistic Neptune harmo- magnificent and maniacal, an utterly starring Steven Yeun as Danny, a family.
nize today, smoothing over relational unique story that spins the everyday failing contractor with a chip on his “Beef ” is well-written, darkly co-
difficulties and emotional stressors. into the epic. Anchored by outstand- shoulder out for revenge. medic and sharply edited, but by far the
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Answer-
ing performances by Steven Yeun and PROVIDED BY ANDREW COOPER/NETFLIX biggest draw is the two main actors.
ing to your creative muse? Find joy in
Ali Wong as the feuding drivers who Yeun and Wong are so fantastic, they
life’s little moments!
gleefully trash their own lives in pur- make every scene of the series riveting.
suit of revenge, “Beef ” is depraved der) road rage, “Beef ” follows Danny Each disappears so completely into
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Spending without being heartless. The dark (Yeun) and Amy (Wong), two strangers their character and manages to create
quality time with the ones you love? comedy is exceedingly adept at cap- who, as the title suggests, have a beef some sympathy and likability, even as
Connection inspires joyful moments turing the anxiety- and anger-induc- with one another. Danny is a struggling they devolve into ever more deranged
with (chosen) family. ing world that we live in, a study of contractor under the sway of his crimi- acts of vengeance and bravado.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20). Romance
21st-century emotional extremes. nally irresponsible cousin, trying to The fury that Amy and Danny un-
and intrigue can be found in your so-
And it’s delicious to consume. scrape enough cash to support his lack- leash upon each other is toxic and out-
cial networks!
Created by Lee Sung Jin (“Dave”) adaisical brother and bring his parents
and inspired by his own (much mil- back from South Korea. Amy is an en- See BEEF, Page 4B
2B ❚ FRIDAY APRIL 7, 2023 ❚ USA TODAY LIFE

WEEKEND VIEWING GUIDE

Games on: ‘Super Mario,’ Affleck’s ‘Air’

Brian Truitt USA TODAY

Who’s got better hops, the Easter Bunny or perhaps it’s Michael Jordan or Mario? h This Easter weekend, Ben Affleck directs and stars along-
side buddy Matt Damon in a sports drama with Air Jordan basketball shoes at its center while Nintendo video-game plumbers Mario and Luigi
make a big-screen splash in an animated fantasy adventure featuring Chris Pratt, Seth Rogen and Jack Black. And before you paint your Easter
eggs, check out Owen Wilson as an oddball Bob Ross type in an art comedy. h Here’s a guide to new movies that will satisfy every cinematic
taste, plus some noteworthy theatrical films making their streaming and on-demand debuts:

ILLUMINATION ENTERTAINMENT & UNIVERSAL PROVIDED BY CHRONO/TEHILLAH DE CASTRO PROVIDED BY ALLYSON RIGGS PROVIDED BY QUIVER DISTRIBUTION

If you’re aces at ‘Mario Kart’: ‘The If you appreciate a good twist If you want to see Michelle If you’re all about teen thrillers:
Super Mario Bros. Movie’ on the heist-film template: Williams co-star with a bird: ‘You’re Killing Me’
‘How to Blow Up a Pipeline’ ‘Showing Up’
Video-game adaptations are on the Melissa (McKaley Miller) is a prep
winning streak between “The Last of An up-and-coming cast featuring A couple of recent Oscar nominees, school teen waitlisted at her dream
Us” and this animated adventure, Ariela Barer, Kristine Froseth, Lukas Williams and Hong Chau, share college, so she goes to a riotous party
which captures the addictive whimsy Gage and Forrest Goodluck stars in screen time with a feathered friend to get closer to a rich kid whose
of Nintendo’s “Super Mario” world. this thriller about environmentalists in Kelly Reichardt’s slice-of-life parents (Dermot Mulroney and Anne
Mario (voiced by Chris Pratt) and Luigi who try to explode a West Texas dramedy. Lizzy (Williams) is a Heche) might be key to her getting in.
(Charlie Day) are plumbers pipeline in order to disrupt the oil frazzled sculptor readying for an art Well, he’s a total psycho, and Melissa
transported to a fantasy landscape of industry. The destruction crew show whose dealings with family and scrambles to survive a violent night
magic mushrooms, a princess (Anya convenes from all over the country, friends distracts from her creativity when she figures out his connection
Taylor-Joy) needing help, and a each with their own backstory woven yet finds a new companion when she to a missing girl. Heche embraces her
monster turtle villain (Jack Black) with into the ambitious and impressively takes in a pigeon with a broken wing. devilish side in one of her final roles in
a big crush. nerve-wracking narrative. a solidly tense thriller.
h Where to watch: In theaters.
h Where to watch: In theaters. h Where to watch: In theaters. h Where to watch: In theaters.
If you adore complicated
If you’re into 1980s style and If you dig Bob Ross’ whole vibe: romantic melodrama: ‘One True If you like tense drama in
basketball movies: ‘Air’ ‘Paint’ Loves’ enclosed spaces: ‘Stalker’
Affleck has one of his best directorial Owen Wilson channels the famously Have you ever watched a movie and The thriller stars Sophie Skelton as a
efforts yet with this 1984-set drama, well-coiffed TV art instructor as Carl thought, “No one looks comfortable horror actress staying in a freaky hotel
based on Nike’s real-life pursuit of an Nargle, a quiet-voiced Vermont here”? Get ready to join the misery: during filming. She gets in an elevator
endorsement deal with Michael painter known for his natural In the woeful and tonally messy but it breaks down leaving her stuck
Jordan. A top-notch Matt Damon landscapes who has dated the entire romance, Phillipa Soo and Simu Liu with a creepy camera operator (Stuart
plays Sonny Vaccaro, the basketball female staff at his PBS station and star as an engaged couple readying Brennan) who seems to have an
scout who sees something special in has quite an ego. His popular appeal for their wedding day when the unhealthy obsession with her.
the young NBA rookie-to-be, but to has begun to run dry, which causes bride’s husband (Luke Bracey) – Awkward convos give way to revealing
steal him from Adidas, Sonny has to him problems when a younger, more presumed dead after going missing truths in a film that doesn’t do enough
pull out all the stops – and most dynamic and way better artist (Ciara after a helicopter crash for four years with a good premise or a cameo from
important, impress Jordan’s mom Renée) shows up to take his spot in – suddenly shows up. wrestling legend Bret “Hitman” Hart.
Deloris (an outstanding Viola Davis). the quirky comedy.
h Where to watch: In theaters (and h Where to watch: In theaters and
h Where to watch: In theaters. h Where to watch: In theaters. via on-demand platforms April 14). Apple TV, Vudu, Amazon.

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LIFE
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4B ❚ FRIDAY APRIL 7, 2023 ❚ USA TODAY LIFE

TELEVISION

‘Today’ crew celebrates its TV family

Naledi Ushe
USA TODAY

Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie

have nonstop chatter between takes at
the “Today“ show like teenagers during
homeroom.
They had a lot to catch up on.
Wednesday, the co-hosts reunited after
their children’s respective spring breaks
to accept the Peabody institutional
award on behalf of the NBC television
program.
“Today” is the first daytime show to
receive the prestigious award for its im-
pact on the media sphere.
“We’re so honored and feel lucky to
be the momentary caretakers of this in-
credible institution and get to be here at
the moment to accept that honor,” Guth-
rie, 51, tells USA TODAY. “This honor be-
longs to the people that started 70-plus
years ago who had this wild idea that
people would want to watch television
in the morning.” Sheinelle Jones, from left, Al Roker, Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and Carson Daly celebrate the “Today” show’s Peabody
The institution in the case of “Today” institutional award. PROVIDED BY SARAH DECARO/NBC
is the robust team in front of and behind
the camera or as they would call each
other: “family.” “Family is a great word too,” she says. “It’s not ‘Call me if you My sister sometimes sends (articles) to choice.”
because it covers the terrain of emo- need me,’ it’s showing up.” me, with a laughing emoji.” When asked if Kotb or Guthrie have
tions and relationships and circum- Kotb was absent from “Today” from The “Today” co-hosts continue to faced similar pushback as women in
stances … Knowing that we have each Feb. 17 to March 6 after her youngest weather the storm of rumors, illness, daytime television, Kotb says she’s had
other’s back. Makes it all not only pos- daughter, 3-year-old Hope, was in the births, deaths and more in their per- a competitive spirit since her days play-
sible but a joy,” Guthrie says. intensive care unit “for a few days and in sonal lives but also on the air. ing basketball in high school. “I don’t
Touching on their support for one an- the hospital for a little more than a Kelly Ripa recently spoke to Variety think I’ve ever viewed myself through
other, Kotb, 58, says, “When things are week,” she shared on the show upon re- about some of the challenges, as a result that lens… If the door is not open (and)
going well, everybody’s happy. And turn. of sexism, she faced in daytime televi- you banged on 10 times, go to another
when there’s a crisis with anybody, as Hope is “improving,” Kotb says. “I’m a sion. The list included being kept in the door,” she says.
Savannah and I know with Al (Roker) or big believer in healing and I feel like I’m dark about co-hosts’ exits, a lack of Kotb adds that she’s learned to pivot
with any of us, that’s when you know watching it in motion. The process will benefits – including maternity leave and with each rejection “as opposed to say-
who’s there for you for real.” be long, but it’s beautiful to witness vacation time – and problems with pay. ing, ‘Well, there the world goes plotting
Kotb choked back tears as she re- what’s happening.” Ripa, 52, only received what she against us because we’re women.’ … I’m
called the way Guthrie showed up for At the time of Kotb’s absence, tabloid thought of as fair compensation when sure along that we have probably (faced
her emotionally and physically when rumors of a feud resurged. Rumors of she had the ability to walk away. sexism), but I haven’t spent much time
her daughter Hope was hospitalized. their alleged tension first emerged last “I don’t think they wanted to pay me,” thinking about it.”
“(Savannah) walked through the door summer. Ripa said. “I think they had to pay me. I “We also know that we’re the lucky
and my sister said to me, ‘Aren’t you The co-hosts pause, look at each oth- was trying to walk out the door and ones and we stand on the shoulders of
lucky?’ And I was,” she says. “In that er and chuckle before addressing the re- close it behind me. many women who fought those battles
time, I wasn’t thinking about the show, I ported rift. “We have no idea (where it “And I think they really figured out for us,” Guthrie says, naming Barbara
wasn’t thinking anything but (Savan- comes from),” Guthrie says. “You can’t rapidly that they had screwed up in a Walters as the “primary example.”
nah) came through with a bunch of watch the show and think it for one sec- major way, and it was not a good look. I The co-host refers to the previous
flowers, like, ‘I’m here. We got this.’ ” ond because it’s just not true.” think that was really the impetus be- female co-anchors of “Today” as their
“My sister underscoring it hit me, Kotb adds, “I think it’s hilarious. … hind paying me fairly. They had no “foremothers.”

Beef
Continued from Page 1B

rageous, but it also is relatable to an

extreme. Both try to live the best lives
they can, while fighting systems they
see as oppressive. For Danny, that’s
everything – the banks, his customers,
his family, his own limitations – that
keeps him from the success he be-
lieves he deserves. For Amy, it’s the
corporate ladder she’s worked so hard
to climb, and at times the institution of
marriage itself, as she struggles to
communicate with a husband (Joseph
Lee) who doesn’t understand her, not
even a little.
The best stories find universals in
their specificities, and it’s hard not to
empathize with Danny and Amy’s
hopelessness and indignation. Take a
look at the headlines on any given day,
and there is so much to be angry about.
Amy and Danny’s beef may be petty,
but all that caged rage had to go some-
where, and the two are so on edge that
Clare (Kathryn Hahn, with Quentin Plair) struggles as a wife and mom in “Tiny Beautiful Things.” PROVIDED BY HULU random rudeness is enough to open
their loosely sealed cans of worms.
Any one of us could snap in the same

Hahn was in my mid-30s. I still found every

piece along the journey was exactly
way to me.”
She signed on for “WandaVision”
way, as beaten down as we are by the
indignities of modern life.
what led up to now. So, you just never, “just because I couldn’t believe that I And that’s the secret ingredient in
Continued from Page 1B ever have any idea what is in store.” got to play a witch, and she had a big, the “Beef ” recipe: Not just the rage of
Early roles included Kate Hudson’s fabulous reveal, and I got to play in dif- its fictional characters but of everyone
Hahn’s words are reminiscent of clueless-in-love friend who inspired the ferent decades.” traipsing through life. We all have
those that aspiring writer Clare Pierce, article at the center of “How to Lose a Hahn topped the dream list of ac- beefs; most of us just aren’t defacing
the focus of “Tiny Beautiful Things,” has Guy in 10 Days;” and a grief counselor in tors for “Tiny Beautiful Things,” says trucks or screaming at strangers.
for her younger self (played by Sarah six seasons of NBC’s coroner drama Strayed, an executive producer with At least not yet.
Pidgeon). The series toggles between “Crossing Jordan.” More recently, Hahn Reese Witherspoon and Laura Dern.
two time periods: Clare’s early adoles- shined in comedic roles in “Step Broth- “It’s like everybody wants (Hahn) to
cence with her deeply loving mother ers,” “Bad Moms,” “Transparent,” “The be their best friend,” says series cre-
(Merritt Wever), and the present day, Shrink Next Door,” and “Glass Onion: A ator Liz Tigelaar. “Everybody thinks
depicting Clare’s struggles as a mom Knives Out Mystery.” She’s admired for they probably know her, or she re-
and wife. Young Clare is closely mod- her commitment to embracing interest- minds them of somebody… She has a
eled after Strayed’s upbringing. Older ing characters and making smart fearlessness that I think one needed to
Clare is Strayed’s life as imagined by the choices when it comes to indie projects. take on a role like this.”
author if she hadn’t hiked the Pacific The Illinois native studied drama at “You are going to laugh,” Strayed
Crest Trail, a healing trek that inspired Northwestern and Yale. Her desire to be says of the series. “You are going to cry,
her 2012 memoir “Wild.” an actress could be felt deep in her and you have to have a woman who
Like Strayed, present-day Clare bones, she says. can play all the complexity of that.”
agrees to take on the persona of advice “Second to my unbelievably beautiful “As an actor, that’s the muck and
columnist Sugar. family” – she and husband, actor Ethan the stew I am most interested in,”
“I’d say, ‘Stop worrying whether Sandler, have two children – “that’s the Hahn says. “No one is just one thing.
you’re fat,’ ” Clare advises in the pre- place that I feel the most excited to be in, There’s always something underneath
miere episode. “I’d also say that most is that liminal space between action and it.”
things will be OK, eventually. But not ev- cut, when something else is happening, “Anyone that says that they’ve got
erything.” something magic is happening,” she their (expletive) together, immediate- Ali Wong plays Amy, an enraged
With time, Hahn’s career became says. “It’s hard to predict chemistry, but ly, it’s hard for me to trust,” she says. “I driver in “Beef.” A businesswoman on
more promising. when things fall into place, it’s like my think, ‘Aw, come here.’ Because I don’t the cusp of massive success, her
“I didn’t really start working working happiest spot.” know who isn’t going through some- pent-up wrath and anxiety is pointed
until my late 20s,” Hahn says, “and then Hahn says she isn’t looking for any thing at any moment. Life is weird and at Danny (Steven Yeun).
nothing really happened happened till I roles. “Things still seem to just find their hard and also beautiful and hilarious.” PROVIDED BY ANDREW COOPER/NETFLIX
MONEY
Home prices in US give off Q1 sees Ford sit atop list of
varied signals in February top-selling automakers in US
Costs fall year over year, but month-over-month Bronco takes a bite out of Jeep as company
USA TODAY | FRIDAY, APRIL 7, 2023 | SECTION B declines end after seven months. Page 6B maintains grip on truck dominance. Page 8B

MONEYLINE SOLO FEMALE TRAVEL

CASH APP CREATOR LEE DIES

AFTER STABBING ATTACK Startup
Tech executive Bob Lee, Cash App
creator and chief product officer of
cryptocurrency company MobileCoin,
provides
died after an apparent stabbing in
downtown San Francisco early Tues-
day. The San Francisco Police Depart-
measure
of safety
ment responded to reported stabbing
at around 2:35 a.m. Tuesday – and
found a 43-year-old man “suffering
from apparent stab wounds,” accord-
ing to a news release. The man was
taken to a hospital where he later
Greether offers guides to
died. Police did not identify the man avoid scary experiences
by name, but sources identified Lee to
NBC Bay Area and CBS Bay Area, and Kathleen Wong
his death was confirmed by Mobile- USA TODAY
Coin CEO Josh Goldbard. In addition
to working as chief product officer of In the middle of the night, during
MobileCoin, Lee previously served as her first visit to Morocco, Vanessa Ka-
the first chief technology officer of rel found herself stranded.
Square, Goldbard said. She had planned to fly into Marra-
kech for a business trip in 2020, but
the pandemic-induced flight chaos re-
routed her flight at the last minute to
Casablanca, almost three hours away
by car.
“I didn’t know anybody, it was mid-
night, and I was scared,” the San Fran-
cisco-based entrepreneur said. Karel,
32, was frantically searching on her
phone for a type of concierge service
“who can greet me and take me to my
hotel so I know I’d be fine.”
Although Karel managed to find her
JUSTIN SULLIVAN/GETTY IMAGES way to her hotel, the experience set the
tone for the rest of her trip.
“Thankfully, I didn’t have a horror
JOHNSON & JOHNSON Steve Weeks works at Anna Maria Oyster Bar in Bradenton, Fla. PROVIDED story, but I did have many scary expe-
OFFERS TO SETTLE LAWSUITS riences,” she said. “I felt unsafe and

‘I still had
uncomfortable in some areas. As a pet-
Johnson & Johnson has offered to pay ite woman, I was standing out. I obvi-
up to $8.9 billion to settle lawsuits ously seemed confused, I didn’t know
alleging the company’s talc-based where I was going.” Karel said she was
baby powder caused cancer, quadru- sometimes chased down the street by

some work
pling its initial proposal to resolve the men.
suits. The company’s subsidiary LTL She even tried to find a female tour
Management has refiled for Chapter guide but could only find one.
11 bankruptcy protection to seek ap- That sparked an idea for a startup –
proval of the plan. The proposed set- one focused on safety that would also

left in me’
tlement would be payable over the empower women. Launched in No-
next 25 years “to resolve all the cur- vember 2021, Greether is a for-purpose
rent and future talc claims,” Johnson & travel platform that seeks to change
Johnson said. The New Jersey-based the way women travel while support-
company denies claims that its talcum ing ethical tourism. Through the plat-
powder products are unsafe and isn’t form, solo female travelers are con-
admitting any wrongdoing. Higher pay attracts older workers nected to verified local guides –
dubbed “greethers,” a play on greeters
to positions once filled by teenagers – who create an itinerary, share local
customs and safety tips, and even
meet them at the airport or hotel.
Paul Davidson USA TODAY
In the fall of 2022, Greether was ac-
cepted into Expedia Group’s first ac-
Steve Weeks, of Bradenton, Florida, was making the most of his celerator program – which launched in
5-year-old retirement, filling his days with pickleball, golf, two- February 2023.
In January, the startup was chosen
hour gym workouts and visits with his daughter and grandchil- as one of the 15 most innovative sus-
dren. h But Weeks, who was living solely on Social Security checks, tainable travel companies by the Unit-
ed Nations World Tourism
found himself scrimping on some of his cherished indulgences, like Organization.
dining out, because of a historic inflation spike. The former mat-
STEFANO RELLANDINI/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES Solo travel as a woman
tress salesman and manager also missed the action – schmoozing
with customers at work, putting a smile on their faces. h So a cou- Despite her experience in Morocco,
ARNAULT TOPS FORBES LIST Karel still enjoys traveling by herself –
OF WORLD BILLIONAIRES ple of months ago, Weeks, 69, took a $15-an-hour, part-time job as a she’s been to about 30 countries on her
host at Anna Maria Oyster Bar, a popular local restaurant. He greets own.
There’s a new No. 1 atop Forbes’ annu- “I love solo traveling, it has really
al World Billionaires List: Bernard Ar- patrons at the outdoor podium, shows them to their tables and taught me about myself,” she said. “It
nault, owner of luxury goods brands does “whatever it takes.” has made me a very adaptable and
such as Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior flexible person.”
and Tiffany & Co. Arnault has added Karel also realized she was the only
$53 billion to his fortune over the past “I still had some work left in me,” What is the current woman among her friends and family
year, according to Forbes’ 25 Richest he says. “Let’s stay at it a couple more US wage growth?
People in the World, released this years; let’s see what I can do. … I love See GREETHER, Page 6B
week. Elon Musk, founder of Tesla and talking to people.” Co-workers who Over the past year, average hourly
SpaceX, last year topped Forbes’ an- are decades younger “can’t keep up earnings rose 5% to $23.81 in retail
nual list of the 25 Richest People in with me.” jobs, and 7.5% to $19.34 in restau-
the World, but saw his fortune decline “The extra money,” he adds, “is rants and bars as those industries
from $219 billion last year to $180 helpful.” hiked pay in response to stubborn la-
billion. At No. 3: Jeff Bezos at $114 More older workers are taking jobs bor shortages, Labor Department fig-
billion. That’s about $57 billion less typically filled by teenagers or young ures show. By comparison, wages
than a year ago, the largest loss of adults, such as restaurant host, fast- rose 4.6% for all industries.
anyone on the list, Forbes said. food cashier and retail associate. But even with higher pay and an
While many are seniors seeking uptick in workers, shortfalls persist.
additional cash to cope with infla- Restaurants and bars are still more
tion, some workers in their 30s and than 100,000 employees below their
MALIBU BARBIE POP-UP 40s are turning to such positions for pre-COVID payrolls while retail just
RESTAURANTS PLANNED more flexible, part-time hours, espe- returned to its pre-crisis level in Feb-
cially since wages in those industries ruary.
With a live-action Barbie movie on the have risen sharply the past couple of Meanwhile, 27 states and 59 cities
way, two new pop-up restaurants will years, according to experts and tech- and counties are lifting their mini-
give fans a chance to step into the nology firms that track employee hir- mum wages this year, with Connecti-
doll’s world – at least for a meal. The ing and scheduling. cut, Massachusetts and Washington
Malibu Barbie Cafe, inspired by Mat- “What used to be low-wage, entry- joining California and New York,
tel’s iconic toy of the same name, will level work has seen significant up- along with several dozen cities, at $15
launch in New York and Chicago later ward pressure on hourly wage rates,” an hour.
this spring, taking inspiration from says Oliver Staehelin, CEO of Harver, The higher pay is luring older
“the groovy beachside energy of which makes software that helps workers and helping fill positions
1970s Malibu, California,” according to companies winnow down job candi- typically populated by workers just
a news release. Bucket Listers, which dates. beginning their careers. Fifty-five
was behind the “Golden Girls”-themed The trend is helping ease worker percent of retirees who work said the Vanessa Karel, a Mexico City-born
pop-ups around the country, is shortages that have affected most in- main reason they do so is financial entrepreneur, started Greether after
working with Mattel on the dining dustries but hit restaurants and a scary solo travel experience in
experiences. shops even harder. See OLDER WORKERS, Page 6B Morocco. PROVIDED BY GREETHER
6B ❚ FRIDAY APRIL 7, 2023 ❚ USA TODAY MONEY

Home cost data shows conflicting signs

Year-over-year prices fall, The median existing-home price for
all housing types (including condo and
kets saw prices increase in February – in
sharp contrast to just three months ear-
shy away from the market.
Total active for-sale inventory is
but other numbers rise single-family homes) declined 0.2% to lier when 48 of those 50 were experienc- back to 47% below pre-pandemic levels
$363,000, from February 2022 ing price declines. after having recovered to within 38% of
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy ($363,700), according to data released Less than a year ago, all 50 major normal levels late last year.
USA TODAY last month by the National Association markets had double-digit annual home Without a significant shift in interest
of Realtors, which uses home listings price growth rates, while as of February, rates, home prices or household in-
February was an interesting month data. “In many areas of the country, that only Miami can still make that claim, come, this is a self-fulfilling dynamic
for home prices. dynamic – low inventory and a modest with an 11.1% increase year-over-year. that is quite likely to continue for some
It marked the first time in 131 months rise in demand – led to an uptick in There are now 15 markets (up from 13 time, says Walden.
that home prices fell year over year, home prices,” says Andy Walden, vice in January) where prices are down year
ending the longest price growth streak president of Enterprise Research at over year, with Raleigh, North Carolina, Is home equity still rising?
on record. Black Knight. (-0.6%) and Minneapolis (-0.3%) now
Home prices also rose in February for While Freddie Mac’s 30-year mort- marginally below last year’s levels. Though down from $210,000 early
the first time after seven consecutive gage rate of 6.32% is down from 6.73% The largest year-over-year declines last year, the average mortgage holder
month-over-month price declines. earlier in the month and may be poised occurred in San Jose, California, (-13%), still has $178,000 in available equity to
Driven by a combination of moder- to trend lower in coming weeks, it’s still San Francisco (-12%) and Seattle (-10%), borrow against while retaining a
ately declining mortgage rates earlier in higher than the 6.26% average from where prices are down approximately healthy 20% equity stake in the home,
the year along with low inventory levels, February. 10% or more from the same time last according to the report.
home prices rose 0.16% in February – In another indication that buyers year. On a percentage basis, Seattle
the strongest single-month gain since have begun returning to the market as (-32%), San Jose (-30%), San Francisco
May 2022, according to Black Knight, a mortgage rates declined slightly earlier Lack of housing inventory (-29%) and Austin, Texas, (-31%) have
real estate analytics company. in the year, existing-home sales re- seen available equity fall more than 30%
The median home price in February versed a 12-month slide in February, February saw the lowest inventory in recent months.
increased to $418,900 compared with registering the largest monthly percent- levels since May of last year, with more Five of the top 10 market concentra-
$418,200 in January, based on repeat age increase since July 2020, according than 90% of markets seeing such defi- tions of equity – San Jose ($654,000),
sales methodology that captures the to the National Association of Realtors. cits grow in February. San Francisco ($523,000), Los Angeles
value in the home stock, whether or not New listings – already trending well ($507,000), San Diego ($430,000) and
it goes on the market or gets sold, a How are home prices doing? below pre-pandemic levels for months – Seattle ($289,000) – representing a
Black Knight spokesperson told USA ran 27% below those levels in February combined 25% of the national total, are
TODAY. All in, 39 of the 50 largest U.S. mar- as potential home sellers continued to on the West Coast.

Greether ing payment, according to Karel.

“When you’re traveling and using
Greether, you’re putting money into
Continued from Page 5B women’s hands,” Karel said.
According to the United Nations
who traveled alone. When she asked World Tourism Organization, women
them why, they said they were “scared” tend to work the lowest-paid and low-
over what could happen – a common est-status jobs in tourism, despite mak-
concern among solo women travelers. ing up most of the tourism workforce
In a 2022 survey of over 5,000 wom- around the world. “I think there’s a lot of
en, 69% of those who have yet to travel money left on the table (in the tourism
alone said that what’s stopping them is industry),” Karel said. “There’s a variety
their personal safety. Even for those of traveler’s needs.”
women who travel solo, their top con- Different travelers have their own
cern is also safety. concerns around safety that isn’t always
Women also want to stick together if understood by tour companies, like how
they can, even if they’re technically LGBTQ+ travelers feel concerned over
traveling alone. Ninety-six percent of their safety and don’t feel comfortable
the survey’s respondents said that if visiting some countries. Other travel
they were traveling solo, they’d want to companies such as Fat Girls Travel and
book a women-only tour, an increase Pink Girls Run the World focus on cre-
from 68% in 2021. Greether guides are in more than 500 cities. PROVIDED BY GREETHER ating safe spaces for different travelers,
It’s impossible to ignore the reality of like plus-size travelers and Black travel-
violence targeted at women, especially ers. “How can they take into account
in countries where women have less anyone else. The rise in digital nomad- other LGBTQ+ people. Some of the that not every single traveler is going to
rights or there are different cultural ism helps. Greether guides identify as nonbinary have the same travel experience? There
norms between genders. In a 2018 “I think we can all resonate with feel- and transgender as well, Karel said. are things you don’t think of unless
survey, 2 in 5 women said they have ex- ing like we were put on boundaries since Your guide will meet you at your hotel you’re in this community.”
perienced sexual harassment while we were very little as women, like obsta- or any other meeting place that you de-
traveling on their own. More than half of cles and barriers,” Karel said. Now more cide on, and together, you two will ex- Top safety tips for
the respondents said they have felt un- than ever, there are more women in the plore the city via an itinerary she creat- solo female travelers
safe at one point during their solo trav- workforce and millennial women are ed based on your interests – all the way
els. And sometimes, situations turn for getting married and having kids much down to vegan restaurants, if that’s your h If you’re going somewhere you’ve
the worst, which is everyone’s biggest later in life. thing. never been, Karel said to plan your arriv-
fear. She’ll also brief you on safety precau- al carefully. For starters, try to arrive
Karel wants to counter some of that How does Greether work? tions, like local do’s and don’ts, how to during the daytime. “Sometimes you’re
fear with the help of Greether. use public transportation and neighbor- just booking the cheapest flight and
“I don’t think instilling fear is the so- In just under two years, the platform hoods to avoid. Your guide will check in you’re not realizing you’re arriving at
lution, rather than empowering women already has local guides in over 500 cit- with you before, during and after your midnight, which can be dangerous,” she
to keep fighting for safe spaces,” she ies in 97 countries, such as Seoul, South trip via messaging through the website. said.
said. “... While there is gender-based vi- Korea; Copenhagen, Denmark; and Tel (The company is working on developing h Use your hotel to your safety ad-
olence and harassment worldwide, the Aviv, Israel. New cities are being added an app.) vantage. “If I’m traveling solo, some-
world is also filled with amazing hu- every day – on March 20, the first Gua- Many Greether clients are on stopov- times I’ll go as far as letting the con-
mans, and our work is finding them and temalan guide was slated to meet with a ers or layovers and want to know what cierge know you should be expecting me
making sure women have someone reli- traveler. If you don’t see a travel guide in they should do in their limited time at this time,” she said. “Sometimes
able they can count on wherever they the city you want to visit, Greether will frames straight from a local. they’ll call me to make it back safe.” Not
go. I believe that women can utilize re- try to find one for you. At first Greether services were free, all hotels might do this, but it’s worth
sources and tools to feel and be less vul- “It’s like your local bestie wherever but since last September, its tour ser- asking, she said.
nerable.” you go,” Karel said. “Everything is very vices cost $55-$80 per two hours. The h Be friendly to the locals, and don’t
Solo travel, in general, is on the rise, tailored to you.” price goes up if you want to add more be afraid to turn to them for help. Ask
but more and more women are ready to The platform is inclusive too, cater- time or a friend to the booking. The local others who have visited that place be-
explore the world without waiting for ing also to nonbinary, transgender and guide gets about 40%-55% of the book- fore about their experience.

Older workers of new running shoes.

“This (job) just takes care of all these
50s have stayed on the sidelines of the
job market because of health and safety
inclination toward job hopping,” says
Silvija Martincevic, CEO of Deputy, the
things,” as well as high gas prices, concerns, says Mike Whatley, vice scheduling software company.
Continued from Page 5B Weeks says, noting he brings home president of state affairs and grassroots Wyclif Kpanou, who manages several
about $300 after putting in a 26-hour advocacy for the National Restaurant dozen Dunkin’ Donuts franchises in the
need, according to an AARP survey last work week. Association. New York City area, says he’s seeing
year. Just as significant are the small plea- Now that the pandemic has abated, more job applications from workers in
The share of 30-and-older job sures he derives from hosting. “They do want to engage,” he says, add- their 30s, such as mothers who can’t
candidates hired in fast food increased “I’d never worked in restaurants be- ing that many prefer the flexibility find affordable child care. He says he re-
from 4% at the end of 2021 to 7% at the fore,” he says. “Learning something new that part-time restaurant positions of- cently staged a recruitment drive that
end of last year, Harver data shows. … that’s a lot of fun.” fer. More than 21 million Americans drew 300 applicants but just 25 showed
In retail, baby boomers (ages 59 to At the same time, he says, “It’s no dif- voluntarily worked part time in Febru- up for an interview, all older candidates,
77) made up 23% of all shift hours last ferent than greeting people at the mat- ary, up from 17.8 million in December and seven were hired.
year, up from 20% in 2020, according to tress store. It’s like nothing for me.” 2020. Younger workers, he says, “don’t
Deputy, which makes employee sched- “Talking to people keeps you young,” Many former white-collar workers really know what it is to be committed
uling software. Generation X (43 to 58) he says. “Maybe you can help someone toiling from home miss the social dy- to a job.”
employees comprised 21% of working with just a smile. ... I think people look namics of an office, Whatley says. Sayki, a men’s clothing chain in
hours, up from 20%. at me and say, ‘He’s my age and he’s got “Some of that has gone away,” the New York and Washington, D.C.,
And 7% of job applicants brought on so much energy.’ ” he says, adding that some of those areas, as well as Chicago, has seen a
by retailers last month were 50 or older, Weeks says he looks forward to a workers are applying for restaurant po- 50% spike in applications from workers
up from 6% a year earlier, according to shift as much as a pickleball game or sitions instead because “it’s a fun envi- in their 30s and older the past six
Gusto, which handles payrolls for small gym workout. ronment. ... The social interaction is months, says Managing Director Emre
businesses. “They actually don’t need to pay me key.” Duru.
to do this,” he says. “I think part of it is people just want Some, he says, were laid off from the
Inflation takes steak off the menu About 20% to 25% of job applicants to get out of the house again,” Horne tech or other white-collar industries;
at the restaurant are in their 50s and says of older job applicants. others were Uber, DoorDash and other
Weeks, the restaurant host in Flori- 60s, up from 10% a couple of years ago, gig workers seeking higher pay
da, felt squeezed by higher food costs says John Horne, CEO of Oysters Rock Older workers bring ‘soft skills’ But he says he has hired few of them
and was eating more hamburgers Hospitality, owner of several Anna Ma- because many have children and can’t
when he dined out as rib-eye steak ria Oyster Bar locations in Bradenton. Older workers bring more experience work nights or weekends, or they re-
prices climbed from about $15 two and communication skills to customer- quire at least a $20 hourly wage. He’d
years ago to $30 to $35. He also was Jobs offer ‘fun environment’ facing roles. They “tend to be more de- like to bring on others.
forgoing trips to a local gourmet coffee pendable, displaying higher levels of “They’re on time, they leave on time,
roastery and putting off the purchase Many workers in their 30s, 40s and punctuality, lower absenteeism and less they dress nice,” Duru says.
MONEY USA TODAY ❚ FRIDAY APRIL 7, 2023 ❚ 7B

News from across the USA

ALABAMA Montgomery: Children HIGHLIGHT: IOWA OREGON Malheur County: A single

would have to attend kindergarten or mother of five has filed a federal law-
take a test to show their “readiness” suit against state officials for denying
for first grade, under legislation ad- her application to adopt foster care
vanced by a state House committee. siblings, she says because of her reli-
Rep. Pebblin Warren said the goal of gious beliefs.
her bill is to erase the academic dis-
PENNSYLVANIA Erie: The Erie Bu-
advantage of students who enter first
reau of Police’s auto theft investiga-
grade without either attending kin-
tor said he hasn’t seen in his cases
dergarten or being worked with at
any evidence of a social media prank
home.
involving the theft of certain vehicles
ALASKA Juneau: A children’s book playing out in the city. Nevertheless,
illustrator was dropped by his pub- Detective Sgt. Chris Clement said he
lisher this week after authorities decided to take advantage of an offer
allege he posted transphobic notes from one of the affected auto makers
threatening children. by obtaining some antitheft devices
and providing them at no cost to
ARIZONA Phoenix: The Arizona Su-
owners of the targeted vehicles.
preme Court declined to reschedule
an execution initially set for this Professor Matthew Hill watches as Brenden Patterson and Chaleigh Gobin RHODE ISLAND Providence: A nurse
week that looked unlikely to be car- measure a skull Tuesday in Ames, Iowa. NIRMALENDU MAJUMDAR/USA TODAY NETWORK practitioner who defrauded health
ried out after Gov. Katie Hobbs’ office insurers and Medicare out of nearly
said the state wasn’t prepared to Ames: A skull found in 2017 in the East Nishnabotna River in Page County be- $12 million by seeking payments for
enforce the death penalty. longed to a saber-toothed cat that roamed the area about 13,500 years ago, ac- patient services that were never per-
cording to a news release from Iowa State University. Two professors, one from formed has been sentenced to seven
ARKANSAS Little Rock: A bill that
Iowa State and the other from Northwest Missouri State University, studied the years in prison.
would require parental approval for
skull and determined its age using radiocarbon dating. The Iowa State research-
teachers to address transgender stu- SOUTH CAROLINA Columbia: The
er, Matthew Hill, an archaeology professor and animal-bone expert, said the re-
dents by the pronouns and names House unanimously approved a bill
mains are evidence of a potentially viable and healthy population of cats in the
that they use was approved by law- allowing teachers or other school
area and show there were large herbivores present for carnivores to hunt.
makers and is now headed to Gov. district staff up to six weeks of paid
Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ desk. leave when they give birth or adopt a
child. The bill was passed 113-0 and
CALIFORNIA Santa Ana: A dermatol-
faces one more routine approval be-
ogist is accused of poisoning her
fore being sent to the Senate.
husband by pouring liquid drain KANSAS Kansas City: Multiple NEBRASKA Lincoln: The director of
cleaner into his tea, authorities said. police officers and suspects were the Nebraska Department of Eco- SOUTH DAKOTA Pierre: The South
Prosecutors said the man noticed a shot in a gun battle during an un- nomic Development resigned, a day Dakota Supreme Court ruled unani-
strange taste to his tea and installed dercover fentanyl trafficking in- after a news report revealed a busi- mously that search warrant affidavits
cameras in the kitchen, which cap- vestigation, authorities said. ness he owns received pandemic related to a child pornography in-
tured video of his wife pouring a relief grants from the agency he vestigation concerning billionaire
KENTUCKY Louisville: The National
substance on three occasions from a headed. banker and philanthropist T. Denny
Weather Service said it was survey-
bottle of drain cleaner into the tea. Sanford must be unsealed.
ing damage from three EF-1 torna- NEVADA Las Vegas: A former elect-
COLORADO Pueblo: The world’s larg- does. According to preliminary in- ed official representing himself TENNESSEE Memphis: Nearly a
est wind turbine tower manufactur- formation, tornadoes hit the Plea- against a murder charge for the fatal thousand students from White Sta-
ing facility is about to get even bigger. sure Ridge Park and Newburg sec- stabbing of an investigative journal- tion and Crosstown high schools
A groundbreaking ceremony was held tions of Louisville, meteorologist ist lost bids to have a defense at- walked out of class Wednesday to
amid blustering winds to commem- Brian Neudorff said. torney appointed to advise him protest for stricter gun legislation, a
orate a new expansion that is set to before trial and to relax jail restric- week after six people were killed in a
LOUISIANA Shreveport: The Louisi-
be complete in 2028. CS Wind, a tions so he has more time out of his school shooting in Nashville.
ana Department of Wildlife and
South Korean company, plans to add cell to do legal research.
Fisheries alligator program said TEXAS Austin: The Senate gave final
850 new jobs in Pueblo by the time
there was no basis for the claims NEW HAMPSHIRE Concord: A judge approval to a proposal seeking to
the expansion is finished.
that Caddo Lake or Cross Lake are denied a newspaper’s request for remove from office any prosecuting
CONNECTICUT Hamden: A woman infested with alligators, after a re- jurors’ names in the case of a truck attorney who refuses to litigate cer-
who was seriously injured when a cent article by A-Z Animals named driver who was acquitted of all tain crimes, sending a stern warning
police officer opened fire on her and them the most alligator-infested counts for the deaths of seven mo- to district attorney offices that are
her boyfriend as they sat in a car lakes in Louisiana. torcyclists, saying that the panel contemplating not bringing charges
unarmed has settled a lawsuit over endured harsh criticism from many, under the state’s near-total ban on
MAINE Augusta: Maine Attorney
the shooting for about $1.1 million. including the governor, and feared abortion.
General Aaron Frey has been in a
for their safety.
DELAWARE Newark: A 22-year-old relationship with a worker whom he UTAH Duchesne County: A 41-year-
man faces charges after police said supervised for months, and he said NEW JERSEY Trenton: Statewide old hiker died after a massive ice
he tried to carjack two vehicles, in- his delay in disclosing it was an student test scores in math and column fell and trapped her, local
cluding an unmarked police vehicle “error in judgment.” Frey, a Demo- English were below pre-pandemic authorities said. The hiker managed
being driven by an off-duty officer. crat, issued a statement in which he levels, according to new data re- to shove a 21-year-old climber out of
said Chief Deputy Attorney General leased by the state Department of column’s way before it fell, and
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Washing-
Christopher Taub will supervise the Education, which also revealed “probably saved her life,” according to
ton: Stacey Abrams will join the fac-
worker moving forward “as this chronic absenteeism and incidents the Duchesne County Sheriff ’s Office.
ulty at Howard University, the next
personal relationship continues.” of violence, harassment and bully-
step in her reemergence after the VERMONT Montpelier: The Senate
ing were up.
Democrat lost her second bid to be MARYLAND Ocean City: The future gave final approval to a bill that
governor of Georgia last year to Re- of a landmark destination may be at NEW MEXICO Santa Fe: Gov. Mi- would raise the marriage age to 18,
publican Brian Kemp. Howard, one of stake following a lawsuit in which chelle Lujan Grisham signed a bill which supporters say would reduce
the nation’s top historically Black minority shareholders of a local that protects providers of abortions domestic violence and unwanted
colleges, said it was appointing business accuse several former from related prosecution, profes- pregnancies and improve the educa-
Abrams as the Ronald W. Walters board members of misappropriation sional disciplinary action or extradi- tion and lives of teenagers. Under
Endowed Chair for Race and Black of funds, skimming cash for per- tion attempts by out-of-state in- existing law, Vermonters aged 16 and
Politics beginning in September. sonal use and hiding or destroying terests. 17 can get married with the consent
business records. The suit names as of one parent and the child doesn’t
FLORIDA Boca Raton: An appliance NEW YORK Pittsford: A scheduled
defendants members of the family have to consent themselves, said Rep.
delivery man was sentenced to life in drag story hour at the Pittsford
who ran and operated Trimper Carole Ode, a Democrat, and lead
prison for beating a 75-year-old Community Center is now at risk of
Rides and Amusement Park. sponsor of the legislation.
woman to death and setting her on cancellation after the town required
fire at her home. MASSACHUSETTS Boston: Partici- $8,500 to cover additional event VIRGINIA Richmond: Convicted of
pants in a Department of Defense staffing and security. The demand felony animal cruelty four years ago
GEORGIA Atlanta: A group of Black
training exercise at a hotel entered to the organizer, Pittsford Comm- after her dog was found emaciated
voters say it’s time for a federal judge
the wrong room and mistakenly UNITY, comes after dozens of peo- and later euthanized, a woman lost
to redraw the electoral map for a
detained a guest instead of the per- ple protested the event. her appeal after her guilty verdict
five-member Georgia utility regulator
son assigned the role of the person was affirmed by the Court of Appeals
commission, after state lawmakers NORTH CAROLINA Raleigh: Demo-
to be detained, according to the FBI. of Virginia.
failed to draw their own map in the cratic state Rep. Tricia Cotham an-
2023 session. MICHIGAN Detroit: A man whose nounced that she is jumping to the WASHINGTON Seattle: Prosecutors
body was found in a building appar- Republican Party, giving the GOP have dropped a harassment case
HAWAII Honolulu: Two Native Ha-
ently was attacked and killed by pit veto-proof majorities in both the against a man who had been accused
waiian men sentenced to prison for a
bull dogs, police said. Detectives state’s legislative chambers that of making threats to kill four women
hate crime in the brutal beating of a
believe the victim may have gone should make it easier to enact con- and a judge involved in a prior cy-
white man have agreed to pay more
into the building to help the dogs servative policies over the opposi- berstalking case against him.
than $25,000 in restitution, accord-
and was attacked by them, Detroit tion of Gov. Roy Cooper.
ing to court documents. A U.S. judge WEST VIRGINIA Charleston: An
police Cpl. Dan Donakowski said.
last month sentenced Kaulana Alo- NORTH DAKOTA Bismarck: Law- atheist and secular humanist is suing
Kaonohi to six and a half years in MINNESOTA Minneapolis: The makers approved a bill legalizing multiple officials in charge of the
prison and Levi Aki Jr. to four years former head of the Minneapolis cigar lounges, sending the bill to agency that runs the state’s jails and
and two months in prison. police union will not be allowed to Gov. Doug Burgum, the Bismarck prisons, accusing the state of vio-
serve as a police officer in three Tribune reports. The legislation lating his constitutional rights by
IDAHO Boise: Legal limits on abor-
counties for the next decade as part would let licensed establishments requiring Christian-affiliated pro-
tion-related travel are the focus of a
of a settlement filed over police allow indoor smoking of cigars un- gramming as a condition of release.
new law and lawsuit, with Gov. Brad
treatment of protesters after the der certain conditions, according to
Little signing a bill that makes it ille- WISCONSIN Madison: Gov. Tony
death of George Floyd. the news outlet.
gal for an adult to help a minor get an Evers signed a Republican-backed bill
abortion without parental consent. MISSISSIPPI Laurel: A man was OHIO Chesterland: A student ac- into law that clarifies when a newly
fatally shot outside a church during cused of bringing a gun and ammu- passed state constitutional amend-
ILLINOIS Chicago: Police said SWAT
a confrontation with an off-duty nition to West Geauga High School ment will make it harder for defen-
officers took one person to a hospital
sheriff ’s deputy who is now on ad- and planning to shoot others was dants to get out of jail on bail. The
after responding to a domestic in-
ministrative leave, authorities said. arrested after a bullet was found in constitutional amendment was
cident at the Trump International
a bathroom and surveillance footage passed into law in the statewide elec-
Hotel and Tower. “At this time, we MISSOURI Jefferson City: The
helped identify him, authorities tion, when a pair of ballot questions
believe this is an isolated incident state’s top election official, Jay Ash-
said. The student was charged with on bail gained support from two-
and there is no threat to the public,” croft, announced he’s running for
attempted murder, inducing panic thirds of voters.
Chicago Police media representatives governor as a Republican.
and weapons counts.
said in a statement. WYOMING Wheatland: A bus carry-
MONTANA Helena: Republican
OKLAHOMA Carney: A magnitude ing contract farm workers from Texas
INDIANA Westville: Attorneys for a lawmakers are advancing legislation
4.0 earthquake was among a series to Washington state crashed on a
man charged with killing two teenage that would alter next year’s U.S.
of six tremors that struck central snowy Wyoming road, sending 11
girls filed an emergency court motion Senate primary in an apparent bid
Oklahoma on Thursday morning, people to a hospital with injuries.
seeking to move him from a prison to thwart the reelection of Sen. Jon
according to the U.S. Geological From USA TODAY Network and
where they claim his condition is Tester, one of several Democrats on
Survey. wire reports
deteriorating. the ballot in GOP-leaning states.
8B ❚ FRIDAY APRIL 7, 2023 ❚ USA TODAY MONEY

Phoebe Wall Howard

USA TODAY

Ford Motor Co. claimed dominance in

the first quarter of 2023 as a top-selling
brand and top-selling truck manufac-
turer in the United States, driven in part
by the popularity of its electric vehicles,
according to the company’s sales report
released Tuesday.
Total Ford vehicle sales climbed
10.7% to 456,972 vehicles in the first
quarter of 2023, compared with a year
ago. (That doesn’t include the Lincoln
brand, which dropped 1.1% to 18,934.)

Overall sales highlights

touted by Ford:

h Ford brand outsold second place

Toyota by more than 50,000 vehicles.

Ford sales climb in Q1: Which

h Ford trucks were up 19.6% to
254,023, outselling crosstown rival
General Motors’ combined truck and
van sales by approximately 27,000.
h F-Series remained the bestselling
truck in the U.S., with sales up 21.1% to
170,377 pickups – outpacing Chevrolet
vehicles saw biggest jumps
Silverado by 46,000 trucks. (F-Series
total includes the all-electric Light- This two-door Ford Bronco with molded-in-color hardtop is currently being made and delivered to customers. Bronco sales
ning.) climbed 37.6% in the first quarter of 2023, compared with a year ago. PROVIDED BY FORD MOTOR CO.
h Electric vehicle sales overall
climbed 40.1% to 10,866.
h Internal combustion engine sales 13,575; Jeep Grand Cherokee, 27% to Sport continues to hold strong at 51%,” Ford CEO Jim Farley has assured Wall
spiked 10.5% to 437,976. 54,502. Only Jeep Cherokee sales grew, Ford said. Street that he’s on track to hit an
h Bronco, designed to be a Jeep at 31% to 13,213. annual production run rate of 150,000 in
Wrangler competitor, climbed 37.6% to Jeep data suggests Ford has been Mustang Mach-E 2023.
32,430. successful in its attempt to break the The Dearborn automaker also noted
h Ford Expedition surged 99.2% to grip Jeep has had on the off-road Mustang Mach-E sales dropped plans to increase production of the
19,359. market. 19.7% to 5,407 this first quarter. The Ford Bronco Sport and Maverick pickup at its
h Explorer jumped 35.9% to 58,061 as plant in Cuautitlán Izcalli, Mexico, Hermosillo plant in Mexico by more
now the bestselling, three-row midsize Bronco order banks just reopened which builds the SUV shut down for a than 80,000 units later this year.
SUV. time to make changes to increase overall Ford’s Kansas City Assembly Plant
h The classic Mustang was up 5.2% Bronco retail order banks reopened production this year, Ford said. will add a third crew in April to increase
to 14,711. March 27 with steady demand, Ford “We do expect to see (sales) growth in production of Transit and E-Transit ve-
said. The company reports a “conquest Mach-E as well as Lightning,” Andrew hicles, which grew 86% to 32,015 vans
Ford vs. GM, Jeep rate” – when customers who have pur- Frick, vice president, sales distribution, sold.
chased other brands then pivot to a and trucks, told the Detroit Free Press,
By contrast, General Motors reported competitor – of 60%, with buyers most- part of the USA TODAY Network, on What’s next
Monday a sales increase of 17.6% to ly coming from Wrangler and Grand Tuesday.
603,208 new vehicles sold. GM sold Cherokee. “We’ve got a lot of great momentum
20,670 electric vehicles, mostly its es- Industry analysts note that attract- Factory changes and we’ve got exciting launches com-
tablished Bolt and Bolt EUV – delivering ing new buyers is more costly for auto- ing,” Frick told the Free Press, citing the
only two of the new Hummer pickups makers than retaining current buyers. Ford is increasing production capac- new Super Duty, Escape, Mustang and
and 968 of the new Cadillac Lyriq SUVs. The Bronco family, which includes ity across its Ford Blue, Model e and Ranger.
Also Monday, Stellantis reported a Bronco Sport, continues to attract a Ford Pro operations to meet demand. Gasoline-powered vehicles remain
9% drop in sales to 368,327 vehicles, higher mix of female buyers; “Bronco Ford Blue builds the gasoline-powered popular and play a key role in funding
with a 20% drop in Jeep and 7% drop in female buyers accounted for 31% of re- vehicles. Model e runs the electric oper- the company’s transition to electric ve-
Ram Trucks, offset by 24% growth in tail sales, an increase of 8 percentage ation. And Ford Pro is the business hicles. But the company is seeing
Dodge and a 10% gain in Chrysler. Jeep points since its introduction in 2021, unit. growth in gasoline-powered, electric
numbers were grim: Wrangler dropped based on most recent customer demo- While the electric F-150 Lightning to- and commercial, Frick said. “We’re not
17% to 37,971; Gladiator, down 24% to graphic data through January. Bronco taled 4,291 pickups for the first quarter, having ‘tradeoff ’ conversations.”
SPORTS
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USA TODAY | FRIDAY, APRIL 7, 2023 | SECTION C completing 10 years in NFL. nfl.usatoday.com the NBA as its regular season ends Sunday
E2

Mike Freeman
Columnist
USA TODAY

Michael
Bidwill
latest NFL
bad guy
Cards owner accused of
ugly behavior in lawsuit
Arizona Cardinals owner Michael
Bidwill, before working full time for his
father’s team, worked as a federal
prosecutor from 1990 to 1996, where he
specialized in prosecuting violent
crime. In 2016 he was honored by the
local chapter of the Federal Bar Associ-
ation.
“In past years, attendees have in-
cluded a broad spectrum of notable at-
torneys in the Phoenix legal communi-
ty, and many federal judges,” the FBA
said in honoring Bidwill at a party.
“This year we are thrilled to honor Mi-
chael J. Bidwill, President, Arizona
Cardinals, and former Assistant Unit-
ed States Attorney.”
Seven years later, the former federal
prosecutor’s football team is accused
of some disturbing behavior, including
“cheating, discrimination and harass-
ment.” The Cardinals didn’t help them-
selves with an absolutely shameful re-
sponse in the arbitration case that
started all this. Tiger Woods lines up a putt on the 10th green Thursday in the Masters. He shot 74. DANIELLE PARHIZKARAN/USA TODAY SPORTS
The accusations against the Cardi-
nals and Bidwill – which he vehement-
ly denies – are part of a recent pattern
of accusations against either current
or former NFL owners. They range
from allegations of racism, corruption,
Magic eludes Tiger in
early going at Masters
sexual assault and other conduct that
sometimes seems like it’s from a
Quentin Tarantino movie. Some of the
owners accused are among the most
powerful in all of sports.
We often focus on the behavior of way through it.” old with a bum leg.
the players and this is justified. They Tiger did have a front-row seat for 25- But there are always moments for Ti-
are the face of the league. Sometimes, Christine Brennan year-old co-leader Viktor Hovland’s ger when the golf gods wake up and de-
however, the billionaire owners who Columnist scintillating 7-under 65, and Xander cide his fortunes are about to change.
employ them get a massive pass, par- USA TODAY Schauffele’s 4-under performance that When a delicate chip on the par-5 eighth
ticularly from a league office that often also found him on the leaderboard. It nestled just a few inches from the cup,
seems afraid to hold them account- was both ironic and a sign of the times Tiger collected his first birdie, and all of
able. AUGUSTA, Ga. – Frustration was that Tiger’s threesome included the a sudden, there was a bounce in that
One phenomenon with owners is Tiger Woods’ constant companion first-round co-leader and another play- lumbering, often-labored step of his.
they can use their wealth and power to Thursday at the 2023 Masters. There er near the lead, and neither was Tiger. After another bogey on 11, he rattled
bury accusations. Often the only time was pain in his rebuilt right leg, the But it all made sense. After taking off back-to-back birdies on 15 and 16,
their misdeeds become public is be- kind of pain that never goes away, Ti- nearly two months off from competitive and a quick thought flashed through
cause of investigative journalism, law- ger said. There were approach shots golf, Woods was rusty. There were bo- your mind: might he birdie in? This be-
suits or, as in the case of Bidwell, the that fell short and putts that lipped geys on No. 3, No. 5 and No. 7. All that ing 2023, not 2001 or 2002, the answer
arbitration process. out. There were too many bogeys at the early misery occurred in the first two was a definite no. He ended on 18 not
beginning, and after a burst of mo- hours on a course that he absolutely with a bang, but with one last bogey.
See FREEMAN, Page 5C mentum, one last bogey at the end. loves, and still on occasion loves him Tiger and the Masters have the most
All in all, it was not the Tiger we re- back. Perspiration beaded on his face fascinating relationship. If ever a golfer
member but the Tiger we’ve come to and soaked through his white shirt on a was made for a golf course, it’s Woods at
know. warm, humid day. This was a grind, and Augusta National. He loves it here. To
Woods finished with an unsatisfy- he knew it. him, it’s home. So when he says, as he
ing first round, 2-over-par 74, well be- “I didn’t have very good speed early,” did this week, “I don’t know how many
hind the leaders, and the nagging he said. “I had two three-putts and con- more I have in me,” meaning Masters
knowledge that he couldn’t take ad- sequently I’m a couple over par. I didn’t appearances, fans stream to him as they
vantage of Augusta National when the hit my irons close enough today. I didn’t do no one else, and many stick around
conditions were most welcoming. give myself very good looks. I need to do no matter what, gazing toward the sol-
“I just didn’t do the job I needed to a better job of that going forward to itary figure in the fairway as if they were
do to get the ball close,” Woods, a five- hopefully get myself back in this tour- looking at a masterpiece in a museum.
time Masters champion, said after- nament.” His five wins here include his most
ward. “Today was the opportune time No matter what happens or how far improbable triumph in 2019 at 43. Can
to get the round under par, and I didn’t behind he is, some things never change: he do it again? It’s highly unlikely, but
do that. Most of the guys are going low Tiger still thinks he can be in the mix with Tiger, you never want to say never.
Michael Bidwill is the owner of the today. This was the day to do it. Hope- on the weekend, which is supposed The issue for him, be it on a Thursday at
NFL’s Cardinals franchise. fully tomorrow I’ll be a little bit better, a to be rainy, cold and miserable, not
CHRIS CODUTO/GETTY IMAGES little bit sharper, and kind of inch my exactly prime conditions for a 47-year- See BRENNAN, Page 5C

2023 MLB SALARIES

Undefeated Rays banging out the wins economically

Bob Nightengale lone undefeated team (6-0). October. The small-market teams, well, the beginning of the year.’ ”
USA TODAY The teams with the four highest play- at least those outside Tampa and Cleve- The disparity is almost comical, with
er payrolls this season – the Mets, New land, will be staying home. 12 players on the Mets’ opening-day ros-
The MLB season is just over a week York Yankees, San Diego Padres and “I think of it in terms of competitive- ter earning at least $10 million a year, in-
old, but so far, well, money isn’t neces- Philadelphia Phillies – were off to a ness, right?” Commissioner Rob cluding four in excess of $20 million, ex-
sarily translating into victories. combined 11-14 start going into Thurs- Manfred told USA TODAY Sports before cluding released infielder Robinson
The New York Mets, who have a rec- day. opening day. “I mean, our product is a Cano’s $24 million salary.
ord $353.5 million opening-day payroll, The teams with the four smallest simple product. We sell competition, Oakland, with a $56.9 million payroll,
according to USA TODAY’S annual sala- payrolls – the Oakland Athletics, Pitts- that’s what we sell. doesn’t have a player earning more than
ry report, have a losing record (3-4) and burgh Pirates, Tampa Bay, Baltimore “And I think that for owners, it’s veteran pitcher Trevor May’s $7 million
were already 2 1⁄2 games back in the NL Orioles – were off to a 15-9 start. not so much the ‘I can only spend salary. Mets pitchers Max Scherzer and
East standings going into Thursday. If the trends continue for another six $70 (million) and somebody spending Justin Verlander will earn a combined
The Tampa Bay Rays, who have the months, MLB can disband its economic $320 (million). But it is the perception $86.6 million – $29.8 million more than
third-smallest payroll in Major League reform committee – but the reality is that’s created by that disparity that ‘My the entire A’s team.
Baseball at $73.2 million, are baseball’s that the big spenders will be playing in team somehow doesn’t have a chance at h Salary survey money nuggets, 6C
2C ❚ FRIDAY APRIL 7, 2023 ❚ USA TODAY SPORTS

Self plans KU return after refocus on health

Jordan Guskey standpoint, a personal habit stand- “Now, do I think, ‘Could I have helped or done this or
The Topeka Capital-Journal | USA TODAY Network point, that I have been very, very, very done that?’ ” said Self, who praised the team for win-
inconsistent with my entire adult life.” ning the Big 12 regular-season championship. “Well, I
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Bill Self has no doubts that he Self made his fair share of jokes think everybody would think that. I think the 13th man
will be Kansas men’s basketball’s head coach next sea- Wednesday, as he spoke publicly for the on the bench would think, ‘Well, if you give me a
son and envisions being around for many more. first time in a while. But he always came chance I could have helped. I could have made a play to
A health scare last month did lead to him missing Self back to the seriousness of what hap- help us win.’ I think everybody would think that. But …
the Big 12 Tournament and the team’s two games in the pened. He didn’t shy away from the im- I’m OK with how the closure aspect of it, of how it end-
NCAA Tournament. He was under the care of the Uni- plications of it all, regardless of how much confidence ed, because I knew this, that those kids, whatever their
versity of Kansas Health System starting March 8, be- he had in the care he received. ceiling was, they got about as close to it as they pos-
fore he was discharged March 12, and according to a Initially, Self thought he could coach in the March 9 sibly could this year.”
team release while there “underwent a standard heart game of the Big 12 Tournament against West Virginia. Energy-wise, Self said he’s probably back to where
catheterization and had two stents placed for the He also thought he could coach in the March 10 game he was before the health scare occurred. So now he’s
treatment of blocked arteries.” But he’s more resolved against Iowa State. Both times, he revealed, he was looking to truly feeling well again. In that way, there’s
than ever to be a part of the Jayhawks’ future. laughed at for thinking that. still some ways to go even though he said he isn’t lim-
However, while recognizing that, Self acknowl- There was talk about Self potentially coaching in ited physically at all anymore.
edged as well that he’ll go about focusing on his health the team’s first game of the NCAA Tournament on Self wants to continue to have an effect on the col-
in a way he hasn’t before, too. For so long, he’s been March 16 against Howard. But he noted that if he did lege basketball landscape. He wants to do that at a
told how he needs to lose weight, eat right and exer- that, there was a good chance he wouldn’t be able to place in Kansas where he considers basketball to be a
cise. For the first time, he’s taking that advice serious- coach in the next round. Then lingering concerns way of life. And he knows he won’t have the effect he
ly. about an elevated heart rate, of high blood pressure, could have if he’s not feeling well.
“I think the last several weeks I’ve been able to re- led him to missing the March 18 game against Arkan- “My goal is to take this place to a whole different
flect on a lot of things,” said Self, who felt fortunate sas that Kansas lost. level that we’ve never been to before, and we’ve been
there was a chain of events that led him to getting Self would only have been able to coach in the NCAA to a really high level,” said Self, who’s now preparing
checked out. “The one thing I can tell you without Tournament if the Jayhawks got by the Razorbacks, he for his 21st season leading Kansas’ program. “And I
question, I miss my job, I love my job and I want to do explained. But he didn’t express any dismay about the know I need to have my energy and I need to be healthy
my job for a long time. That’s what is positive. Now, for season ending there other than saying he wishes he and feeling good in order for us to do that. And I’m be-
me to be as effective doing that, I think I have to wake was a part of it. Missing all those games, he said, was lieving this spring is the first step to us getting to that
up a little bit and maybe do some things from a lifestyle the right thing to do. level.”

Blaney raising Alzheimer’s awareness NASCAR WEEKEND AT BRISTOL

Victoria Hernandez nine 65 and older, according to the Alzheimer’s Associ- Cup Series
USA TODAY ation. Despite decades of research, there is no cure. Food City Dirt Race
Even though Blaney wasn’t able to hear stories of TV: 7 p.m. EDT Sunday, Fox
Ryan Blaney is making his own name as a NASCAR Lou’s racing days directly from him because of the ef- Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman has
driver but carries the legacy of his grandfather with fects of the disease, he is grateful to have learned six top-10 finishes and leads Ross Chastain by
him. about his grandfather’s accomplishments and charac- four points in the standings. Christopher Bell is
The seven-time Cup Series race winner was in- ter from fans. Besides winning more than 200 Super 34 points behind and the top Toyota. Kevin Har-
spired to start racing because it runs in his blood. Bla- Sprint races in a span of 19 years and notching 600 to- vick is sixth and the top Ford.
ney is the son of veteran NASCAR and tal victories in his career, Lou was known for his kind-
sprint car racer Dave Blaney and grand- ness and respect. Craftsman Truck Series
son of modified dirt-track legend Lou “As a grown adult, you’ve learned to appreciate your Weather Guard Truck Race on Dirt
Blaney, who was diagnosed with Alz- grandparents and your parents more, right?” the Team TV: 8 p.m. EDT Saturday, FS1
heimier’s in 2001 and died in 2009. Penske driver said. “For someone I didn’t know very Ty Majeski, who has not won in 2023, leads the
In 2018, a few years into his Cup Se- well, just because I was so young, it’s really, really neat standings by three points over two-time winner
ries career, the now-29-year-old started to be able to hear stories about that stuff from when he Zane Smith. … Four of the five races run have
Blaney the Ryan Blaney Family Foundation to was racing and how he was like and his demeanor. It been won by full-time series competitors; Kyle
help families like his. He is now part of a makes me laugh and smile.” Busch is the outlier.
campaign with the Alzheimer’s Association and the Ad Blaney, whose grandfather, father and uncle, Dale – Associated Press
Council calling for people to notice signs of the disease Blaney, are members of the National Sprint Car Hall of
in their loved ones. Blaney was a young teenager when Fame, said he gets told he’s “too nice” just like his fa-
he lost his grandfather and knows firsthand the pain of ther says Lou was. Despite what some people might
growing up with a family member whose memory think is a lack of competitive age, he takes it seriously were made as a one-off for the Alzheimer’s Association
fades. that, as a professional race car driver, he is a role model and worn just for the spring Richmond race.
“I was starting to understand what was going on for kids. The association is in the process of auctioning
when he did pass away,” he told USA TODAY Sports. “He’s taught me that by a lot of secondhand people,” them, which started once Blaney passed the check-
“Yeah, just gosh, I wish I could remember more of our Blaney said of his grandfather. “That’s how I’ve tried to ered flag Sunday, finishing in 26th place. The auction is
talks, you know, and being around him and things like mold myself around and I try my best to do that and try set to close at 9 a.m. EDT Saturday. As of early Thurs-
that before he got sick.” to be like him.” day afternoon, the highest bid was at $1,775.
Alzheimer’s is a type of dementia that causes mem- Last weekend for the Toyota Owners 400 at Rich- “That’s one of the few special things that we can
ory loss and interferes with cognitive function. About mond Raceway, Blaney wore gloves that featured the kind of do and customize on a week-to-week basis,”
6.7 million Americans have the disease, about one in purple logo of the Alzheimer’s Association. The gloves Blaney said.

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SPORTS USA TODAY ❚ FRIDAY APRIL 7, 2023 ❚ 3C

Toxic NBA MVP talk takes joy from play

Jeff Zillgitt
Columnist
USA TODAY

The question was asked to elicit a

certain answer from the Denver Nug-
gets two-time MVP Nikola Jokic.
“Do you care if you win MVP?” the re-
porter asked.
“Yes,” Jokic said.
“Why?”
“Because the last seven times I said
no. Just to change it up,” Jokic replied.
Jokic isn’t going to lose any sleep if he
doesn’t win a third consecutive MVP
award this season, and maybe that apa-
thy will cost him.
What he doesn’t care for is the narra-
tive that surrounds the MVP discussion,
which has been a drag this season.
Jokic, Philadelphia 76ers center Joel
Embiid and Milwaukee Bucks power
forward Giannis Antetokounmpo are
the three unofficial finalists for the
award.
All will finish with great seasons and
are deserving, and whoever wins, I’m 76ers center Joel Embiid Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo Nuggets center Nikola Jokic
not going to say the two others were CHRIS CODUTO/USA TODAY SPORTS BENNY SIEU/USA TODAY SPORTS GREGORY FISHER/USA TODAY SPORTS
wronged. Voters received ballots and
have until a Monday deadline to submit
their choices for the league’s awards. It’s devolved this season, taking the fun ish with the No. 1 seed this season. But per game (11), and has matched career
On Tuesday, Embiid, who has never out of the race. perhaps Jokic’s take-or-leave-it atti- highs in free throw percentage (85.9%)
won the MVP award while the other two Jokic was up against it from the start tude about the award hurts him, along and assists per game (4.2) while averag-
have won it twice, had 52 points, 13 re- of the season. Only three players have with the notion of giving someone else ing 10.2 rebounds, 1.7 blocks and one
bounds, six assists and two blocks in won three consecutive MVP awards: Bill the award. steal.
the Sixers’ 103-101 victory against the Russell, Wilt Chamberlain and Larry Like LeBron James in seasons he The Sixers are 52-27, in third place in
Boston Celtics in a potential second- Bird, with Bird the only one to win it didn’t win MVP, Antetokounmpo might the East and considered contenders
round Eastern Conference playoff series back-to-back-to-back seasons with be considered the best basketball player with Embiid and James Harden.
preview. media voting. Players voted for Russell in the world right now. Strong and with A first-place vote for Embiid
After the game, Sixers coach Doc Riv- and Chamberlain. more command of his skills, Anteto- shouldn’t be a sympathy vote because
ers called the MVP race “over,” as if one Not only was Jokic competing kounmpo averages 31.1 points, 11.8 re- he has never won the MVP.
game determines the MVP, just as Em- against himself – he needed to have an bounds and 5.7 assists and shoots Today’s voters have so many tools to
biid sitting in a recent game against even better season than he had in 2021- 55.3% from the field. The Bucks have evaluate players and can parse tradi-
Denver shouldn’t remove him from con- 22 – he was up against the best players the best record in the NBA and have the tional statistics with advanced stats.
sideration. It’s an all-encompassing in the game. But Jokic put together one overall No. 1 seed secured. And sometimes, it comes down to a vot-
award over an 82-game season. of his best seasons, almost averaging a If your argument for the MVP is for er’s preference in style: Whose game do
Toxic is the word used to describe triple-double at 24.8 points, 11.9 re- the best player on the best team, Ante- they like more?
MVP talk this season. The yelling, bounds and 9.8 assists per game while tokounmpo is the guy. If he wins, it Voter fatigue is usually when a voter
screaming, disagreeing and campaign- shooting a career-high 63.3% from the would be his third. is tired of the same player winning an
ing from media and teams, and some- field and a solid 38.5% on 3s. Then there’s Embiid. This is his best award and someone else wins. This sea-
times at the expense of great players, And unlike last season, when the season – with career highs in points per son, voter fatigue comes from the joy
are not good for the league. The MVP Nuggets were the sixth seed in the game (33.3), shooting percentage from that has been stolen from the conversa-
should be celebrated, even in debate. Western Conference, they likely will fin- the field (54.7%) and field goals made tion.

Will Bronny James reveal college choice?

Lindsay Schnell well. He can play off the ball, on the ball,
USA TODAY he plays good defense.”
Shelstad laughed when asked if
PORTLAND, Ore. – The mania sur- James was receptive to his recruiting
rounding Bronny James has taken over pitch.
the Rose City. “I’m not going to say too much,” Shel-
James is a 6-foot-3 guard who’s the stad said. “But (James) was giving me
oldest son of LeBron James, the NBA’s some smiles. He’s into Oregon a little
all-time leading scorer and current Lak- bit.”
er. Bronny James is in Portland this James, who said he likes Portland
week for the Nike Hoop Summit, a and its “gloomy-type weather,” is enjoy-
showcase event featuring some of the ing the conversations, too.
world’s top high school seniors – yet all “It’s fun times,” he said. “It’s good to
anyone wants to know is where the joke with them. Talking to them, talking
standout from California’s Sierra Can- to coaches, it’s good to know that they
yon High is going to play college ball. want me there with them. But at the end
Before his high school career ended of the day it’s my decision and I need to
last month, James was averaging 14 make the right one for me.”
points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and
1.8 steals per game, according to Sports- How did Bronny play in the
manor. McDonald’s All American Game?
Though James is considerably less
imposing than his dad, who checks in at When James, a four-star prospect,
6-foot-9, his highlights have run on was selected to the McDonald’s All
ESPN’s “SportsCenter” and his play has American Game, debate ensued about if
impressed college scouts. he really belonged in one of the premier
Since going straight to the NBA isn’t high school basketball events in the
an option like it was for his dad, every- country, or if he was only getting an in-
one is focused on where the next chap- vite because of nepotism.
ter of James’ career will take him. James silenced the doubters with his
But first, he’ll play Saturday in the play, scoring 15 points on 5 of 8 shooting
Hoop Summit, where he said he’s anx- from long distance (all of his scoring
ious to make an impression. Bronny James is playing this weekend at the Nike Hoop Summit in Portland. came off made 3s). His team lost 109-
USA BASKETBALL 106, but James’ play impressed many,
Will LeBron appear at Nike Hoop including his dad.
Summit?
will make a decision, but there’s spec- Players are making their What is the Nike Hoop Summit?
“Being here with these elite players, I ulation he could make an announce- recruiting pitches to Bronny
just want to show that I belong, and ment Saturday after the game. Now in its 24th year, the Nike Hoop
what I can do,” Bronny James said, add- His Hoop Summit teammates are Collier is not the only one playing re- Summit is a showcase event featuring
ing he’s focused on how he can “play my headed to some of college basketball’s cruiter this weekend. the nation’s top high school seniors
game, be confident when I shoot, be blue-blood programs: Justin Edwards of Jackson Shelstad of West Linn, Ore- against top players from around the
smart and play defense.” Philadelphia, the No. 3 player in the gon, is going to Oregon and is trying to world of similar ages. The World roster
He also said the James cheering sec- 2023 class according to 247 Sports, is get James to be one of his college team- typically pulls from FIBA rosters from
tion Saturday will be substantial. headed to Kentucky, along with DJ Wag- mates. Europe, Africa, the Americas, Asia and
“They’re definitely gonna be in atten- ner of Camden, New Jersey, the No. 4 “I was trying to recruit him (Wednes- Oceania.
dance, you’re going to see them and player in the 2023 class. Ron Holland of day) morning,” Shelstad said, adding About half of the World’s roster is
hear them for sure,” he said, smiling. Duncanville, Texas, is the No. 6 player in that his pitch about why the Ducks are committed to play college hoops next
“The whole family is going to be out the country and has signed with Texas. best for James is pretty straightforward: season. Mackenzie Mgbako (Nigeria) is
here.” According to 247 Sports, James has “He’s boys with (Oregon signee) Mookie headed to Duke, Aden Holloway (Cana-
Does that mean dad might make an offers from Southern Cal, Ohio State (Cook), he’s signed with Nike. Me, Moo- da) is scheduled to attend Auburn and
appearance? James didn’t elaborate, and Memphis. He’s also expressed in- kie and KJ (Kwame Evans Jr.), all three Alex Toohey (Australia) has committed
but the Lakers are off Saturday. terest in Oregon. Isaiah Collier, a 6-4 freshmen coming in love his game, we’d to Gonzaga, among others.
guard out of Marietta, Georgia, who is love to play with him. We’re all unself- This year’s World roster also includes
Where is Bronny going to college? the top prospect in the 2023 class ac- ish, so (I) think it would be a great fit. Andrej Stojaković, the son of Peja Stoja-
cording to 247 Sports, signed with USC We’d love to have him at Oregon.” ković, the former NBA All-Star for the
Good question. James is the only un- and said he’s “definitely trying” to get Shelstad said there’s a lot to love Sacramento Kings. Andrej Stojaković is
signed USA player on the Hoop Summit James to join him. about James’ game: committed to Stanford. Past standouts
roster. He did not answer a question “ ‘Stay home,’ that’s my pitch,” Collier “He’s a really high IQ player, he from previous World rosters include
from USA TODAY Sports about when he said. “ ‘Why leave LA?’ ” shoots the ball well, spaces the floor Dirk Nowitzki and Nikola Jokic.
4C ❚ FRIDAY APRIL 7, 2023 ❚ USA TODAY SPORTS

Ridley ends war for golf ’s future with one shot

ters invitation criteria that would make
Eamon Lynch it tougher for LIV players to qualify – un-
Columnist surprising since LIV is dispensing sub-
Golfweek poenas in a failing effort to prove golf ’s
USA TODAY NETWORK bodies are conspiring against it.
“I’m sure there will be changes in the
future, but none beyond what I an-
AUGUSTA, Ga. – Twenty-two days nounced this morning,” he finally of-
after the governing bodies sounded the fered.
bugle in a battle for the future of golf, the Augusta National’s reverence for
cavalry arrived at Augusta National. past Masters champions makes exclu-
It was March 14 when the USGA and sion of LIV golfers impossible. Six at-
R&A proposed a modified local rule that, tended the Champions Dinner on Tues-
if adopted, would introduce a limited- day.
distance ball at the elite level. The other 12 LIV Golf League players
The timing wasn’t accidental. It ac- competing this week will find future ac-
commodated three weeks of predictable cess tougher as their world ranking
histrionics, warnings, bluster and social slips, a trend likely to accelerate due to
media carping from every constituency: an imminent – and unappealable – de-
tour players, architecture nerds, equip- cision by a sports arbitration panel in
ment manufacturers, invested observ- the UK that will effectively lock LIV
ers, armchair analysts, media partners players out of DP World Tour events.
and influential shills. That means LIV guys who want to earn
Which was just enough time for the Tiger Woods greets Augusta National Golf Club and Masters chairman Fred ranking points will need to familiarize
smoke to begin clearing before what will Ridley in the practice area Sunday. ROSS KINNAIRD/GETTY IMAGES themselves with the Asian Tour sched-
likely prove the decisive contribution in ule, where even wins yield paltry rank-
a long-smoldering and sulfurous de- ing points given the shallow talent pool
bate: arate itself further on the ball issue? Norman, the commissar of LIV Golf. It participating.
“We have been consistent in our sup- Your move, Mr. Waugh. was akin to asking grandpa why his As clearly as Ridley endorsed the
port of the governing bodies, and we re- Having every major conducted with a Thanksgiving guest list is missing a for- governing bodies’ authority to regulate
state our desire to see distance ad- modified ball will test the willingness of mer friend who promised to break the distance, he was equally direct in de-
dressed.” tour players to switch equipment from furniture, insulted the decor and an- fending the Official World Golf Ranking
Thus spake Fred Ridley, chairman of their weekly money games for events nounced plans for his friends to hold a system, which has been under a sus-
Augusta National and the Masters, on that actually define legacies. When the celebratory kegger on your lawn. tained assault by Norman and his
Wednesday. He added that while the whining is exhausted – admittedly, this Ridley replied that he wanted the fo- mealy-mouthed marionettes, who in-
club will respect the feedback period es- might take until Dec. 31, 2025 – the pro- cus to be on the Masters, not on the Sau- sist LIV tournaments must be awarded
tablished by the governing bodies (it fessional proletariat will reconcile itself di-financed civil war roiling golf (which points despite meeting almost none of
runs through Aug. 14), he left no doubt to the new reality. is considerably less deadly than the one the established criteria to be recog-
as to what position his powerful entities Without Wednesday’s unambiguous they’re funding in Yemen). He added nized.
will adopt. signal from Ridley, the future landscape that Norman has only been here twice in “It’s an objective criteria based on
“I’ve stated that we believe distance would look a lot more uncertain. His the past decade, including once while data-driven analytics, and it’s consis-
needs to be addressed,” Ridley said. “I words lend support to the governing working as an announcer. What of Nor- tently applied,” Ridley said. “I think
think the natural conclusion is, yes, we bodies, clarity to the future, and no suc- man’s recent grouse that he might never most would agree it’s a good system.”
will be supportive.” cor to the smash bros. be invited back to Augusta National? Ridley is a traditionalist’s idea of a
So when theory becomes practice – Chairman’s press conferences at Au- “It’s hard to answer that question be- company man, the type of chap who, in
on Jan. 1, 2026, when the proposed gusta National are usually divided into cause, you know, I don’t know where the the words of E.B. White, winds the clock
change would take effect – the 90th two fields: housekeeping and legacy. For world is going to be next year or two daily in a contribution toward order and
Masters will be the first major champi- Ridley, the legacy aspect concerned an years from now,” Ridley said, the kind of steadfastness. His fealty to golf ’s estab-
onship contested with a modified ball. investment in municipal golf to create equivocation that constitutes a drive- lished order and to the values of the
It will be followed that same year by pathways into the game in the city of by in the parlance of Augusta National. game in which he has spent a lifetime
the Opens, U.S. and British, since the Augusta, of which his famed club is a “I would never say never. But I told you are unshakable. It’s accepted that he’s
governing bodies who run those events part while being apart. why he had not been invited this year.” the unchallenged authority within the
have made clear they will exercise their Housekeeping matters included an- Crude translation for the flaxen- walls of Augusta National.
own option. What odds the PGA Cham- nouncing that the NCAA champion will haired finger puppet: faff around and The intent he signaled Wednesday
pionship – ever mindful of being per- receive an invitation to compete in the find out. will go some way to proving that the in-
ceived as the runt of the major litter – Masters and explaining why an invita- Nor would the chairman be drawn on fluence of his position extends over a
will diminish itself by choosing to sep- tion to attend was not extended to Greg whether changes will be made to Mas- much greater realm.

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Albany, N.Y. 50/29w 53/27s
A stalled frontal zone will Albuquerque 68/43s 69/47pc
Amarillo, Texas 64/37pc 73/46pc
lead to drenching rain and Seattle Anchorage, Alaska 34/20pc 27/9sn
heavy thunderstorms from
Olympia
54 Bangor Atlantic City, N.J. 57/41pc 46/39pc
52 Spokane
48 Augusta, Ga. 79/48t 52/44r
central and southern Texas Portland 48 Miles City
Bismarck Duluth Marquette
Salem 57
Helena
61 33 33 34 Austin, Texas 52/49t 66/52c
to the Carolinas and part of 56 58 Burlington Augusta Baton Rouge, La. 74/64t 73/59t
Boise Fargo Mpls-St. Paul 43 Montpelier
49 Billings, Mont. 61/39c 60/36c
southern Virginia into this Bend
52 Billings 36 52 Boston Birmingham, Ala. 66/51t 57/46r
52 61
Rapid City Grand Buffalo 40 58 Bismarck, N.D. 33/18c 39/28pc
weekend, before slow im- Burns
49 Milwaukee Rapids 43 Albany
Boise, Idaho 52/36sh 59/39c
49 Pierre Sioux Falls
43 51 52
Detroit
50
Hartford
provement begins from north- Eureka Idaho Falls Jackson
36 62 Cleveland 56 Buffalo, N.Y. 43/27pc 48/31s
56 45 Hole Casper
Des Moines Madison
Lansing 47 New York Burlington, Vt. 43/25pc 45/29pc
west to southeast. Rain may Reno 40 47 North Platte 54
Pittsburgh
Sacramento
56
Elko 65 50 53 60 Cedar Rapids, Iowa 62/32s 63/38pc
avoid much of Florida until 60 51 Salt Lake City 69 Chicago
Harrisburg Philadelphia
Charleston, S.C. 82/56t 58/49r
Carson City 55
Cheyenne Omaha
54 Columbus
59 60
Charleston, W.Va. 58/40pc 61/32pc
Sunday. 53 59 68 Kansas City Springfield 57 Washington Annapolis
Cheyenne, Wyo. 59/32s 61/35c

Rain and high-country

San Francisco
65 61 Indianapolis Cincinnati
61 58
Cincinnati 57/37pc 61/38pc
59 St. George Aspen
Denver
57 57 Cleveland 47/30s 51/33s
snow will affect areas from Las Vegas
69 54 66 Topeka
Charleston Richmond Columbia, S.C. 76/48t 53/43r
Fresno
74 67 Jefferson City St. Louis Louisville 58 55
Washington and Oregon to 69 Wichita 63 62 62
Knoxville Columbus, Ohio 57/32pc 61/35s
Dodge City
66 54 Raleigh Corpus Christi, Texas 62/57t 70/60t
Northern California into this Los Angeles Santa Fe 66 Memphis
Charlotte 58 Daytona Beach, Fla. 84/66pc 84/66sh

71
Palm Springs Flagstaff
64 Oklahoma 60 Nashville
65 Columbia
Des Moines, Iowa 65/38s 68/44s
weekend, before retreating 85 57 City
Tulsa
59 Duluth, Minn. 33/22pc 42/32pc
Albuquerque 69 76
northward. Much of the bal- San Diego
Phoenix 68 66 Little Rock Birmingham Atlanta Charleston
Durham, N.C.
El Paso, Texas
58/45r
70/46pc
48/38r
79/57s
66 Lubbock Dallas/Ft. Worth 61 66 74 82
ance of the nation can expect Alaska 84 66 56 Montgomery
Fairbanks, Alaska 24/3pc 20/4sn
Savannah Flagstaff, Ariz. 57/28s 58/26s
dry weather. El Paso Midland- Shreveport Jackson 81 83 Fargo, N.D. 36/21sn 43/32pc

Chilly air over the northern 70 Odessa Austin

54 61 Jacksonville
Fort Myers, Fla. 91/68pc 88/70sh
Fairbanks Hawaii 61 52 Mobile
Tallahassee
86
Fort Wayne, Ind. 56/31s 59/34s
tier of the Central states will 24 Juneau
Honolulu San Antonio
Baton Rouge 82 88 Fresno, Calif. 69/49pc 72/52pc

ease this weekend as will cool

Anchorage 42 83 55 Houston 74 New Green Bay, Wis. 41/30pc 46/34sn
34 60
Orleans Harrisburg, Pa. 59/40pc 56/35pc
air in the Northeast. Warm air 77 Tampa
Hartford, Conn. 56/32pc 54/28s
Puerto Rico
88 Indianapolis 57/37pc 62/40s
will build from the Southwest San Juan
Miami Jackson, Miss. 61/57t 67/53t

to the Midwest and Northeast Brownsville 80 85 Jacksonville, Fla. 86/65sh 82/57t

Jefferson City, Mo. 63/36pc 70/41s
next week. A tropical system 66 Kansas City 65/37s 70/44s
Key West, Fla. 84/75s 83/74sh
may brew in the Gulf of Mexico Knoxville, Tenn. 54/48r 60/43r
Lincoln, Neb. 69/39w 73/45w
next week. Little Rock, Ark. 61/51h 62/52r
Below 10 10s 20s 30s 40s 50s 60s 70s 80s 90s 100s 110+ Louisville, Ky. 62/44pc 63/43pc
Manchester, N.H. 55/28w 50/28s
Memphis, Tenn. 60/50pc 64/53pc
EXTREMES SATURDAY’S HIGH TEMPERATURES Milwaukee 43/35s 54/38pc
Mobile, Ala. 82/66t 74/53t
Note: For contiguous 48 states through
Montgomery, Ala. 81/59t 60/50t
3 p.m. Thursday
Myrtle Beach, S.C. 76/51t 54/46r
HOTTEST: 93° COLDEST: -11° Seattle Nags Head, N.C. 58/48sh 53/48r
Plant City, Fla. Gould, Colo. Nashville, Tenn. 59/49pc 58/48c
Olympia
54 Bangor
56 Spokane
42
Newark, N.J. 61/39pc 53/39s
Portland 52 Miles City
Bismarck Duluth Marquette Norfolk, Va. 57/47r 54/47r
Salem 61
Helena
66 39 42 42 Oakland, Calif. 59/46sh 63/44pc
60 57 Burlington Augusta
Oklahoma City 66/43pc 71/47pc
PRECIPITATION FORECAST Boise Fargo Mpls-St. Paul 45 Montpelier
43 Omaha, Neb. 68/39s 71/46w
Bend
59 Billings 43 63 Boston
T-storms Rain Snow Ice/mix 59 60
Rapid City Grand Buffalo 39 48
Palm Springs, Calif. 85/58s 86/64s
Burns
55 Milwaukee Rapids 48 Albany Pittsburgh 53/30pc 57/32s
55 Pierre Sioux Falls
54 59 52
Detroit
53
Hartford Portland, Maine 53/25w 47/29s
Eureka Idaho Falls Jackson
43 68 Cleveland 54 Portland, Ore. 57/42r 61/45c
55 51 Hole Casper
Des Moines Madison
Lansing 51 Pittsburgh New York Providence, R.I. 59/32pc 52/31s
Sacramento
Reno
Elko 43 48 North Platte
68 61 56 57 53 Raleigh, N.C. 58/46r 49/40r
67 64 50 Salt Lake City 75 Chicago
Harrisburg Philadelphia Rapid City, S.D. 49/22s 55/32pc
Carson City 59
Cheyenne Omaha
62 Columbus
56 55 Reno, Nev. 56/36pc 64/40pc
60 61 71 Kansas City Springfield 61 Washington Annapolis
Richmond, Va. 55/46r 51/38c
San Francisco
70 66 Indianapolis Cincinnati
53 52 Rochester, N.Y. 44/25pc 46/26s
63 St. George Aspen
Denver
62 61 Sacramento, Calif. 60/45r 67/44pc
Las Vegas
74 53 69 Topeka
Charleston Richmond
Fresno
79 71 Jefferson City St. Louis Louisville 61 51
San Antonio 55/52t 73/54c
72 Wichita 70 65 63
Knoxville San Jose, Calif. 61/49sh 68/45pc
FRIDAY Dodge City
72 60 Raleigh Savannah, Ga. 83/60t 62/47t
Los Angeles Santa Fe 75 Memphis
Charlotte 49 Shreveport, La. 54/50t 65/55c
71
Palm Springs Flagstaff
67 Oklahoma 64 Nashville
50 Columbia Sioux Falls, S.D. 62/40s 68/47w
86 58 City
Tulsa
58
Albuquerque 72 53 South Bend, Ind. 55/33s 61/36s
San Diego
Phoenix 69 71 Little Rock Birmingham Atlanta Charleston
Spokane, Wash. 48/35r 52/39c
66 Lubbock Dallas/Ft. Worth 62 57 53 58
Springfield, Mo. 62/35pc 67/42s
Alaska 86 74 65 Montgomery
Springfield, Ill. 61/36s 66/39s
Savannah St. Louis 62/41pc 65/45s
El Paso Midland- Shreveport Jackson 60 62 Syracuse, N.Y. 46/27w 47/28s
79 Odessa Austin
65 67 Jacksonville Tallahassee, Fla. 88/65t 79/55t
Fairbanks Hawaii 73 66 Mobile
Tallahassee
82 Tampa, Fla. 88/72pc 87/71pc
20 Juneau
Honolulu San Antonio
Baton Rouge 74 79 Topeka, Kan. 67/36s 71/44s
Anchorage 46 83 73 Houston 73 New
Tucson, Ariz. 85/52s 84/54s
27 70
Orleans
Tulsa, Okla. 69/40pc 72/48s
76 Tampa
Wichita, Kan. 66/37s 72/44pc
SATURDAY
Puerto Rico
87 Wilmington, Del. 60/41pc 52/37pc
Miami Winston-Salem, N.C. 58/44r 48/38r
San Juan
Brownsville 82 84 pc Partly cloudy s Sunny sh Showers c Cloudy
Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather Inc. ©2023 71 t Thunderstorms w Windy dr Drizzle h Haze
f Fog i Ice r Rain sf Snowflurries sn Snow
SPORTS E2 USA TODAY ❚ FRIDAY APRIL 7, 2023 ❚ 5C

Rahm, Hovland, Koepka strike early lead

Adam Schupak Viktor
Golfweek | USA TODAY Network Hovland
reacts
AUGUSTA, Ga. – Jon Rahm spotted after his
the field two strokes, making a four-putt tee shot
double bogey at the first hole, but re- on the
bounded to shoot 7-under 65 at Augusta fifth hole
National Golf Club and share the open- during the
ing-round lead at the 87th Masters with first round
Viktor Hovland and Brooks Koepka. of the
“If you’re going to make a double or Masters.
four-putt or anything, it might as well be On the
the first hole, 71 holes to make it up,” second
Rahm said Thursday. “After that, it was hole, he
more, I was focused on the fact that all recorded
the strokes were good. The reads were an eagle
good. The roll was good. Obviously the on his way
speed was off on the first two putts, so to a
once I kind of accepted that there was 7-under 65
nothing really to look into, I just got to Thursday.
work and I had 17 holes to make up.” KYLE
As he walked to the second tee, Rahm TERADA/
remembered that former Masters USA TODAY
champion Seve Ballesteros, a fellow SPORTS
Spaniard and an idol of Rahm’s, fam-
ously had four-putted once at the Mas-
ters and delivered a memorable quote.
“I remembered Seve’s quote,” Rahm
said. “Just kept thinking to myself, ‘Well,
I miss, I miss, I miss, I make.’ Move on to
the next. I carried a little bit of that neg- about my game, I’ve done a way better Tiger, my heart kind of went a little bit Orlando tournament, he proved to be in
ative energy into the tee shot on 2, hit it job of not letting the bad shots affect me further up in the throat, and I just good form, making birdie on his final
about 10 yards further than I usually do as much because I think if you’re a little thought, wow, this is going to be excit- two holes to tie for the lead.
and moved on with my day.” insecure about your game, you start off ing. Heart rate started going up. After On a warm, mostly sunny day, the
Rahm moved on to the tune of seven with a double bogey, and, oh, here we go, that, I calmed myself down and majority of the field took advantage of
birdies and an eagle at the par-5 eighth and it’s going to be hard to get all those thought, this is going to be very exciting. the receptive greens to go low. But not
hole. He hit 17 greens in all and at the shots back. But if you feel good about You’ve just got to embrace it. You can’t everyone did. Woods struggled to shoot
one he missed he chipped in for birdie at your game, you’ve just got to keep push- be scared or anything like that,” Hov- 2-over 74. Rory McIlroy, who is trying to
No. 7. Rahm tied his lowest round at the ing, and that’s obviously what Jon land said. “If you want to win this tour- complete the career Grand Slam for the
Masters in 25 career trips around Au- Rahm did.” nament, you can’t be scared about play- ninth time, had gotten off to a slow start,
gusta National. Hovland, 25, made an eagle at the ing with Tiger. So you’ve just got to over- too, but had not yet completed his
After posting a bogey-free 65, Hov- second hole and “before I knew it, come things like that.” round. Rain and cold weather are fore-
land was asked how he would’ve fared if somehow I was 6-under through 11, and Hovland hadn’t shot a round in the cast for the days to come, making a good
he had opened his tournament with a yeah, just kind of coast in to 65. So that 60s in his previous 12 rounds at Augusta start doubly good.
four-putt double bogey? was awesome.” National. “We don’t know how bad it’s going to
“Is that what Jon Rahm did? That’s So was being grouped with Tiger Koepka, the 32-year-old winner of get, but I tend to think that it’s easier to
pretty impressive – not the four-putt Woods for the first time. Hovland found four majors, had missed the cut at his make up some ground on the easier
but the remaining golf after that. I out on Tuesday while on the range from last two Masters. Koepka also shot the days,” Hovland said. “It’s really difficult
mean, I feel like now that I have worked his caddie, Shay Knight. lowest round of the 18 LIV golfers in the to make up that much ground if this
on my game, and I feel very confident “When he said we were paired with field. After winning last week at the LIV place is playing very difficult.”

Brennan Last year, when he staged a stunning

comeback just 14 months after his Feb-
last year at this particular time,” Woods
said earlier this week. “I think my en-
be eligible for the PGA Tour Champions
senior circuit, where he won’t have to
ruary 2021 car crash, his scores went the durance is better. But (the right leg) walk nearly as much.
Continued from Page 1C wrong direction: 71-74-78-78. aches a little bit more than it did last “I’ve got three more years where I get
His scores in the only other tourna- year just because at that particular time the little buggy (golf cart) and be out
the Masters or forevermore, is not so ment he has played this year, the Gene- when I came back, I really had not there with Fred (Couples),” he said with
much the golf. It’s the leg. Over the sis Invitational nearly two months ago, pushed it that often. … I can hit a lot of a smile, “but until then, no buggy.”
course of a four-round tournament, his where he finished tied for 45th, were a shots but the difficulty for me is going to So on he walks, enduring both mis-
scores almost always get worse because bit different, but still illustrative of the be the walking going forward. It is what takes and constant pain, hoping there
of the cumulative wear and tear his leg issue: 69-74-67-73. it is. I wish it could be easier.” might be one last slice of magic for him
suffers from walking the course. “I think my game is better than it was In three years, when he is 50, he will at this place of all places.

Freeman sive public denial of McDo-

nough’s accusations. Part of it
ded in the arbitration process
itself with a personal and nasty
read: “We are reluctantly attack against McDonough.
Continued from Page 1C obliged to provide a public re- You have to understand how
sponse along with broader con- these arbitrations work. They
The number of NFL owners text for some disappointing are often heavily weighted in
who have recently faced ugly and irresponsible actions by favor of the teams. The Cardi-
accusations is extensive: Terry McDonough. Claims he nals likely didn’t need to do
h Commanders’ Dan Snyder: has made in an arbitration fil- such a classless move to win it.
Some of the most sordid accu- ing are wildly false, reckless, They did it because they can.
sations against any single per- and an opportunistic ploy for fi- They did it because they can,
son or organization in the re- nancial gain.” in many ways, is the motto of
cent history of the NFL. The Cardinals also respon- some owners.
h Dolphins’ Stephen Ross:
Suspended for violating the
“integrity of the game.”
h Cowboys’ Jerry Jones: Ac-
cused of sexual assault.
h Patriots’ Robert Kraft: Jerry Jones, owner and general manager of the Cowboys, has
Charged with solicitation as been accused of sexual assault. RAYMOND CARLIN III/USA TODAY SPORTS GOLF PRODUCTS
part of an anti-sex trafficking
investigation into Florida mas-
sage parlors. Charges were
eventually dropped.
an arbitration claim filed this
week by former Cardinals exec-
“The Arizona Cardinals rank
second to last in their overall
DO YOU LOVE GOLF?
h Former Texans owner Bob utive Terry McDonough to NFL score among the 32 NFL clubs,”
McNair: Said something really Commissioner Roger Goodell. the union’s report states. “The
But your traditional irons are
racist. This part from ESPN about locker room does not have con- bringing you down?
h Former Panthers owner the grievance is among the fidence that owner Michael
Jerry Richardson: Said some- most disturbing of the accusa- Bidwill is willing to invest to
thing really racist. And sexist. tions: “The grievance also said upgrade the facilities, as he
And overall did lots of awful Bidwill reduced two pregnant ranks the lowest in that catego-
stuff. women – one five months preg- ry across the league. The re-
h Jets’ Woody Johnson: He is nant, the other seven months – sponses that provide the bases
co-owner of the team and was to tears after screaming at for that characterization in- Silver IR Series
investigated by a State Depart- them with ‘abusive and bully- clude: the worst-ranked weight 9 Club Set $759
ment watchdog after working ing mistreatment.’ room, which some players feel
as an ambassador for allegedly “McDonough said he has is a safety hazard; an outdated Innovative Hybrids for Every Shot
making a variety of racist and proof that in 2019, the Cardi- training room and locker room;
sexist remarks. nals’ top brass decided to con- and a policy of deducting din- Hitting a Wedgewood™ just
h Chargers’ Dean Spanos:
Accused of misogynistic be-
duct an employee engagement
survey with all their employ-
ner from players’ paychecks
should players want to get food
might make you SMILE!
havior by his sister. ees, only to see Bidwill inter- from the facility. Tr y O n e!
And of course there was cept the results of the survey “The consistent sentiment SP EC IA L O FF
banishing of Colin Kaepernick and cancel it. in players’ responses was that ER
7 iro n
by the NFL for peacefully pro- “Many of the employees ownership does not provide O n ly $ 4 9 .9 9 Free
Shipping
testing police violence against who responded to the survey high quality workplace facili-
people of color.
The accusations involving
indicated they were fearful of
Bidwill on a daily basis, as a re-
ties, and Club policies reflected
the lowest rate of confidence
More forgiving • Higher flight • Shank-free
Bidwill exemplify how alleged sult of ... erratic and often abu- that current ownership is will-
bad behaving owners can exist sive interactions with them.” ing to invest to make upgrades.” ORDER ONLINE OR CALL
under the radar in ways players Some of the accusations The Cardinals, according to wedgewoodgolf.com
cannot. track with a recent player sur- the union, were one of 14 teams LEADER IN HYBRID
Bidwill is accused of gross vey from the union. The Cardi- that don’t offer a family room T EC H N O LO GY 888.833.7371
misconduct, including cheat- nals ranked next to last in over- and one of 11 teams that don’t
ing, discrimination and harass- all score as players complained offer day care. Additional online listings are available on classifieds.usatoday.com
ment, as ESPN first reported, in about the team’s facilities. The team released an exten-
6C ❚ FRIDAY APRIL 7, 2023 ❚ USA TODAY SPORTS

2023 MLB OPENING-DAY SALARY SURVEY

Highest-paid Angel isn’t Trout; value abounds

Bob Nightengale
USA TODAY

Here are some of the intriguing mon-

ey nuggets revealed in USA TODAY
Sports’ annual survey of the 2023 MLB
opening-day rosters.

Highest-paid Angels player

Uh, not who you think.

It’s third baseman Anthony Rendon,
who has missed 219 games the past two
seasons for Los Angeles but is actually
the Angels’ highest-paid player this sea-
son at $38.571 million.
Yes, even more than Mike Trout
($37.116 million).
And yes, Shohei Ohtani ($30 mil-
lion), too.

Most money paid for not playing

Trevor Bauer and Robinson Cano,

each of whom were released by the
Dodgers and Mets, respectively, and no
longer are in the majors, will earn a total
of $42.5 million this year.

The gift that keeps on giving Third baseman Anthony Rendon is the highest-paid Angel in 2023 at $38.571 million. DARREN YAMASHITA/USA TODAY SPORTS

The Colorado Rockies

are paying the Cardinals had the lowest opening-day payroll in minimum $720,000 while the Padres years, $350 million), Fernando Tatis (13
$16.566 million for the baseball, $24.3 million, and they pro- are paying him $12.28 million this year, years, $340 million) and Xander Bo-
right to have third base- ceeded to lose 111 games, their third con- $12.26 million in 2024, and $12.24 mil- gaerts (11 years, $280 million) tied up
man Nolan Arenado play secutive season losing at least 100 lion in 2025. through 2033.
for St. Louis. Colorado, as games.
Arenado part of the original 2021 These days, they have a $192 million Most budget-friendly rotation Least money on the books
trade with the Cardinals, payroll, fresh off two World Series
agreed to pay $51 million of Arenado’s championships and four AL pennants The Reds are paying a The Orioles, Reds and Athletics don’t
future contract if he didn’t exercise ei- the last six years. grand total of $5,562,500 have a single penny on the books after
ther of the opt-outs in his contract. Well, for their entire starting the 2024 season.
Arenado elected to stay put again this Ex-World Series heroes getting rotation, with only Luis
past offseason instead of opting out, the minimum – and more Cessa ($2.65 million) Going-away presents
and the Rockies remain on the hook. earning more than
They are paying virtually half of Arena- h Jason Heyward, 2016 World Series Cessa $730,000. h Miguel Cabrera: His eight-year,
do’s 2023 salary this year. The Rockies champion: The Dodgers are paying the The Mets, in contrast, $248 million contract expires after this
also are chipping in $5 million each of minimum $720,000 while the Cubs are are paying $43.3 million apiece for co- season, but he is owed $8 million next
the next two years to watch Arenado still paying him $21.28 million this year. aces Max Scherzer and Justin Verlan- year once the Tigers decline his $30 mil-
play his way into the Hall of Fame in h Mike Moustakas, 2015 World Series der. lion club option.
Cooperstown. champion: The Rockies are paying the h Joey Votto: His 10-year, $225 mil-
minimum $720,000 while the Reds are Most money on the books lion contract expires after the season
What a difference a decade makes paying him $17.28 million this year. and he is owed $7 million next year if the
h Eric Hosmer, 2015 World Series The Padres have $1.6 billion in salary Reds don’t pick up his $20 million op-
It was 10 years ago that the Astros champion: The Cubs are paying the commitments with Manny Machado (11 tion.

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 WEEKEND EXTRA
FRIDAY, APRIL 7, 2023 | SECTION D

Growing season
Bees are buzzing, and the garden is calling. Having the right tools
will help you dig in and get your yard ready. Don’t let lack of space
hold you back, though: You can grow veggies from scraps indoors.
Enjoy your bounty at the dinner table or in a decorated flowerpot.

ILLUSTRATION BY TIFFANY CLEMENS/USA TODAY; GETTY IMAGES

2D ❚ FRIDAY APRIL 7, 2023 ❚ USA TODAY WEEKEND EXTRA

Grow your green thumb

Elsie Boskamp Reviewed | USA TODAY NETWORK

April showers bring May flowers, and as temperatures rise, we can tell that the
planting season is almost here. To help you get your garden ready for flowers and
veggies, we found gardening deals on everything from shovels and gloves to wheelbarrows This customer-favorite
soil pH meter
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This compact gardening kit

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WEEKEND EXTRA USA TODAY ❚ FRIDAY APRIL 7, 2023 ❚ 3D

With a little patience and smarts, what would have gone into your kitchen trash can turn into a kitchen bounty. PHOTOS BY SEAN DOUGHERTY/USA TODAY

From scraps to new veggie life

Meg Muckenhoupt Reviewed | USA TODAY NETWORK

Food prices keep going up. Wouldn’t it be nice to have food that magically regrows after you eat it? Well, growing vegetables
from scraps isn’t magic, but you can save some money and enjoy growing food at home, even if you don’t have a yard. Vegeta-
bles and herbs such as lettuce to basil can be grown from kitchen scraps at home. Here’s how to do it.

How to grow vegetables from

scratch: What can I repurpose?

Placing scraps in a clear vase or bowl

with a little bit of water can kick-start a
sprouting cycle.

Globe onions and garlic

There are two ways of growing on-

ions from scraps: Removing existing
sprouts or sprouting the heart.
If your onion is already sprouting, cut
away the material around the sprouts.
Be careful. You want to keep the top
sprout(s) intact, and you want to keep
them connected to the bottom root – the
little round area with small hairs or dirt
at the bottom of the onion.
If your onion has more than one
sprout, you can either treat all the on-
ion’s sprouts as one clump or carefully
peel them apart, starting at the top of
the bulb.
Place your sprouts root-side-down in
water and wait for more roots to sprout,
then plant them in a container or out-
side. cluding bok choy, cabbage, fennel and University of Michigan extension rec-
If your onion doesn’t have sprouts, lettuce. You can even grow celery, al- ommends using a leaf stalk 4 to 6 inches
try the same procedure with the onion’s though most people eat the celery long.
heart – the center section of the onion. stems, not the leaves. But as anyone who has tried to keep
Just make sure you keep the bottom root Put the bottom inch of the base and cut flowers fresh knows, underwater
attached. root end of the greens in a shallow bowl stems can start rotting quickly if you
Have some sprouting garlic? Just of water and change it daily. When new don’t change the water frequently. Con-
plant it about 1 inch into the soil, sprout leaves start to grow, move your new sider changing the water for these herbs
side up. plant to a permanent home in a contain- at least once a day.
Basil clippings er or in the ground.
Green onions, scallions, from a Ginger root
leeks and chives store-bought Pineapples
plant grow in Most imported supermarket ginger
Green onions, leeks and chives are water until In theory, you can grow a pineapple root is treated with a sprouting inhibi-
easy to resprout. Eat as much of the planted in soil. from scraps by taking the top half-inch tor, but it’s worth trying to sprout if you
green part as you like, then place the of the pineapple (below the leaf cluster, can find organic ginger or if you spot it at
white part in water, root-end down. plus its top) and let it dry for a few days, a seed store.
These should sprout new roots in a Above, according to the University of Illinois Cut a piece about 3 inches long with
few days on a sunny windowsill. young leaves Extension. three or more buds on it and let it dry for
grow from Plant it in a container in a potting mix a few days until the cut area no longer
Sweet potatoes store-bought that drains well, water it and put it in a looks wet.
Romaine lettuce sunny place. It may take two to three Put the ginger in a pot and water it.
Sweet potatoes will sprout if they’re scrap stems years to develop. Keep it a little dryer than other plants,
suspended in water. that were watering just once a week until sprouts
Cut your sweet potato in half and sprouted in Avocados appear, which can take several weeks.
suspend it over water; plant it once water, then With enough watering, light and
roots emerge. You can use toothpicks or planted in soil Though avocados don’t resprout, you heat, your ginger plant will grow stems
skewers to hold it over the water, or use in a pot. can grow a new avocado tree from the up to 3 feet tall.
a hyacinth vase. pit.
To start growth, suspend the pit in a How to grow vegetables
Potatoes jar so it’s half-submerged in water. The from scratch
classic method is to stick toothpicks
Resprouting supermarket potatoes into the sides that extend over the jar’s An easy-to-use propagation station
can be tricky, because they are often rim. Or, you can use a hyacinth vase to can be used on a kitchen counter, win-
treated with a sprout inhibitor. These keep the bottom in water. dowsill or a desk.
may also carry plant diseases that can Over a few weeks a small shoot will The basic method for growing vege-
kill potatoes or closely related plants, emerge; then, a shoot with small leaves; tables from scraps is to put either the
including tomatoes. then, the main stem. root or stem of the vegetable in water
If your potatoes are already sprout- Plant your avocado plant in soil once and wait. Put the scraps where there is
ing, though, or you’re not going to be the main stem emerges. good light and circulation in your home,
planting them near other plants you If you don’t see pineapple or avocado like a windowsill. A south-facing win-
care about, give it a try. trees growing outside in your climate, dow is best. Make sure the windowsill is
Cut your potato intro pieces with at you’re very unlikely to ever get pineap- high enough off the ground that inquis-
least one eye (sprout) each. Plant those ples out of this new plant unless you in- itive pets won’t be tempted to snack on
potatoes in a container or in the soil, wa- vest in a greenhouse or a powerful plant it or knock it to the floor.
ter, and wait for the sprout to appear. light system. Use glass jars, vases or bowls for your
vegetable scraps so you can see changes
Leafy greens Cilantro and basil in the water and observe when the roots
start growing. If you prefer something
You can use the same technique for In theory, you should be able to grow more decorative, a variety of stands and
growing leafy greens from scraps, in- basil and cilantro from cut leaves. The jars are available to buy.
4D ❚ FRIDAY APRIL 7, 2023 ❚ USA TODAY WEEKEND EXTRA

CUTE COOKIES WILL PUT

A SPRING IN YOUR STEP
Christina Haller Grateful

With only a few ingredients, you’ll be enjoying these festive and citrusy cookies –
flavored with Orangesicle or Orange Supreme cake mix – in just minutes. Don’t
have that flavor handy? No problem – lemon will work just as well. The kids will
have a blast helping you to decorate the cute baby chicken faces, too. They’re also
so much less expensive than store-bought cookies. (We guess you could call them
cheep.) Just press a couple of candy eyes and mini Starburst candy beaks onto
these easy-to-make, yellow-frosted cookies, and share them with co-workers,
classmates and friends. These holiday treats will surely entertain.

Spring chicken Easter cookies

Makes: 24 cookies

Ingredients
h 1 package Orangesicle Cake Mix
h 3⁄4 cup shortening
h 1⁄2 teaspoon orange extract
h 2 eggs
h Frosting
h 1 container pre-made vanilla frosting
h 4 drops yellow food coloring
h 1 package (0.88 oz) Wilton Candy
Eyeballs
h 1 package Starburst minis

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix together
the cake mix, shortening, orange
extract and eggs until thoroughly
combined.
2. Using your hands, roll cookie dough
into balls about 11⁄2 inch diameter (the
The kids will love decorating these
size of large melon balls).
brightly colored cookies. GRATEFUL
3. Place on a greased cookie sheet or
use a Silpat baking mat.
yellow icing.
4. Bake for 8-9 minutes until the edges
just begin to turn brown. 7. To make the orange beak, take an
orange mini Starburst and cut it on
5. Let cool on the cookie sheet before
the diagonal most of the way through.
frosting.
Fold candy back up to form a beak.
6. To make the frosting, empty the can Place it in the middle of the cookie
of vanilla frosting into a bowl and add and then add the candy eyes above it.
the yellow food coloring. Mix well. I used other mini Starburst cut in half
Frost each cookie generously with the for the top of the chicken’s head.

BRING ZIPPY CITRUS TWIST

TO YOUR HOLIDAY DINNER
GRATEFUL Pour as much dressing as you’d like but don’t forget, you can also serve the
salad with the dressing on the side so guests can dress to their own desire.
Whether you’re hosting Easter dinner for a crowd or just serving your own family, GRATEFUL
this Meyer lemon mayonnaise roasted chicken will be a huge hit. No one says ham
is an Easter dinner requirement. In fact, I know a lot of people who aren’t fans of
pork. So we present this gorgeous, golden whole roasted chicken bursting with
tangy Meyer lemon flavors. Why Meyer lemons? You can use any lemons you’d
like, but Meyer lemons offer that zippy citrus flavor with a little less tartness, al-
APPLES ARE THE STAR
lowing the chicken to be the star of the show. First you smother the outside of your
chicken with a mixture of mayonnaise, fresh lemon juice and thyme for a tender-
OF SALAD PERFECT
crisp skin. Then stuff the cavity with lemon quarters, pour a little white wine into
the pan and roast! It’s pretty simple for how elegant and beautiful this bird is. So
this year, try something different and serve up this springtime recipe from Nut-
FOR LUNCH OR DINNER
meg Nanny! GRATEFUL

Panera Bread is famous for its salads — and we especially love the Fuji apple chick-
Meyer lemon mayonnaise roasted chicken en salad. When we can't buy one, we make one. So, we have a copycat recipe.
Making this salad at home starts with the base salad: a mixture of the field greens
Yield: 1 chicken and chopped romaine. Fuji apples, a sweet varietal, are the star of the show, but
Gala apples, also sweet, make a good substitute. If you want this salad to be less
Prep time: 20 minutes
sweet and more tart, consider a Red Delicious or Honeycrisp apple. Feta cheese
Cook time: 1 hour 25 minutes compliments the sweetness of the Fuji apple. However if you aren’t a fan of feta,
ricotta salata cheese has the same crumbly texture but isn’t as salty. Goat cheese
Total time: 1 hours 45 minutes
works, too. For those who are dairy-free, tofu cheeses can be used. This salad calls
for shredded chicken – if you want to save a step, you can pick up a rotisserie
Ingredients
chicken. Otherwise, season chicken breasts with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic pow-
h 1 (5 pound) whole chicken, giblets der, onion powder and bake before shredding.
removed
h Kosher salt Copycat Panera Fuji apple chicken salad
h Black pepper
h 3⁄4 cup mayonnaise Makes: 4 servings Instructions
h 3 Meyer lemon, divided 1. In a medium bowl whisk the honey,
Ingredients
vinegar, and mustard together until
h 6 fresh sprigs thyme, leaves removed
Dressing: smooth and creamy.
(more if desired)
h 1⁄4 cup honey 2. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil and
h 1⁄2 cup dry white wine
whisk until well combined. Set aside.
h 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
Directions 3. Add greens and leafy romaine to a
h 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
large platter.
1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
h 1⁄4 cup extra virgin olive oil
4. Sprinkle chicken, apples, feta, red
2. Remove giblets from chicken, pat
Salad: onion, pecans and apple chips over the
chicken dry and add to Dutch oven.
greens.
h 6 cups mixed field greens
3. In a small bowl, mix together the
This elegant entree is simple to 5. Drizzle with dressing.
mayonnaise, zest and juice of one h 2 cups chopped leafy romaine
prepare. GRATEFUL
Meyer lemon and thyme leaves. 6. Add salt and pepper to taste.
h 1-2 cups rotisserie or leftover
4. Liberally sprinkle the inside of the chicken, shredded
chicken cavity with kosher salt and the pan and add to oven.
h 1 Fuji apple cut into matchsticks,
pepper. Rub the mayonnaise mixture all
7. Cook for 25 minutes at 450°F and skin left on
over the chicken, including the cavity.
then lower temperature to 375°F.
h 1⁄2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
5. Sprinkle the outside of the bird Cook for approximately an hour until a
liberally with kosher salt and pepper meat thermometer register 165°F h 1⁄2 red onion, thinly sliced
and quarter the remaining Meyer when tested into the middle of the
h 3⁄4 cup pecans, toasted
lemons. Stuff the bird with quartered thigh meat.
lemon and additional sprigs of thyme, if h 1 bag (21⁄2 ounce) apple chips
8. Let the chicken rest for 15 minutes
desired.
before carving to ensure a super juicy h Sea salt and fresh black pepper,
6. Pour white wine into the bottom of chicken. to taste
WEEKEND EXTRA USA TODAY ❚ FRIDAY APRIL 7, 2023 ❚ 5D

How to make these

fabric-covered flowerpots
Materials
h Terra-cotta pot
h Fabric
h Trim: ribbon, sequin, lace, buttons
h Mod Podge
h Styrofoam block
h Artificial flowers
h Foam brush
h Craft paint

Instructions
1. Measure the fabric to the pot, leaving
an inch of fabric over both the top and
bottom.

2. Apply a generous amount of Mod

Podge to one side of the pot and begin
wrapping the pot with fabric.
3. Repeat until you’ve covered the
entire pot on all sides.

PHOTOS BY GRATEFUL

Flower power
in pretty pots 4. Turn the pot upside down and apply
Mod Podge to the bottom.
5. Press fabric to the bottom of the pot
GRATEFUL and smooth it out.

These adorable DIY fabric-covered flowerpots, inspired by Homemade Interest,

make a truly thoughtful gift for Mother’s Day or a birthday – or, really, for anyone on
any occasion. After all, while a gift of flowers always puts a smile on the lucky recipi-
ent’s face, she’ll get to enjoy them only for a week or so before they begin looking
droopy and she’ll have to toss them. Instead, give someone special a gift that will keep
on giving! They’re easy to make, and affordable, too.
She’ll be able to grow her favorite flowers, herbs or other plants in this flowerpot all
year around. It makes for a spot of cheer on the deck, a cute container for a kitchen
herb garden, or a one-of-a-kind way to tuck some green into a bare corner of the
house. (No green thumb? Fill the pots with some artificial greenery or flowers in-
stead.)
You can find terra-cotta pots at any garden or craft store at very reasonable prices
and in a variety of sizes. Some advice from experience: Buy more than one pot, be-
cause you’re going to love the finished product so much that you’ll want to make it 6. Brush Mod Podge on the top rim and
again and again. inside the pot.
While you’re stocking up on your supplies, be sure to grab some Mod Podge, a
foam brush, sequined trim or ribbon, and a few small rocks. Of course, you’ll need a
plant and potting soil, too – unless you’re going the artificial route, in which case
you’ll need a small bouquet or bunch of greenery, and a Styrofoam block or floral
foam that will fit into your pot (both of which you can easily trim to fit).
If you are a regular crafter, you might have leftover fabric pieces put away for just
this type of project. These scraps are exactly what you need to plan your design. If you
don’t have any on hand, visit a fabric store and check out the scraps and swatches. Be
creative: Mix and match colors, patterns, even fabrics. Stripes and solids, polka dots,
zigzag – the choices are limited only by your sense of style and fun.

Prep the pots alternating design.

If you’re using real plants, spray the Once the pot is covered, finish it off by
inside and outside of the pot with adding a little pizzazz to the rim. Think 7. Cut two or three slits in the fabric at
acrylic sealer to make it waterproof. sequined ribbon or a touch of lace for a the top to help it bend neatly around
This will prevent water from leaching bit of elegance. Or, wrap some twine the opening and prevent it from
through the pot and creating water around the rim and glue a unique bunching up.
bubbles in the fabric. button to the center. You might even
Also, consider painting the pot white paint the rim in a color that
before you apply the fabric. This way, complements the fabric.
the dark color of the terra-cotta won’t
show through if you use a light-colored Add the greenery
fabric. Let the paint dry completely For a live plant: Before potting, place
before applying the fabric. small rocks at the bottom of the pot to
allow water to drain easily. Fill in the
Wrap the fabric and trim gaps with some more potting soil.
You can cut the fabric to wrap around For an artificial plant or flowers: Trim
the pot, or you can cut it into strips and the foam or Styrofoam block to fit into
glue each vertically around it, the pot and use it to hold them in place.
overlapping slightly until the pot is When you’re satisfied with your
covered. If you’re using fabrics with 8. Apply another layer of Mod Podge
arrangement, fill the pot with rocks or
different patterns, cutting them into around the entire outside of the pot.
fake moss for the finished look.
strips is a great way to create an
6D ❚ FRIDAY APRIL 7, 2023 ❚ USA TODAY WEEKEND EXTRA

Citrus seed planted 61 years ago

becomes a family’s labor of love
Kendra Meinert Green Bay Press-Gazette | USA TODAY NETWORK

GREEN BAY, Wis.

I
t’s the member of the family Mark Was lets in the house only when
it gets cold outside.h Not to name names – oops, it doesn’t have
one – but it stands more than 61⁄2 feet tall, barely fits through the
door, is undeniably bottom-heavy, has been known to make a
mess in the corner and has a reputation for being a thorn in his wife’s
side. h Still, Was couldn’t love that grapefruit tree more.

He was in second grade when he and

his mom planted a seed from the half of
grapefruit he was having for breakfast
that morning. Not only did it sprout, but
When he was a child,
61 years later, the tree it grew into is still Mark Was and
with him.
It spent the first 20 years at his par- his mom planted
ents’ house, graduating from plastic a seed from half a
pots to whiskey barrels. It moved in with
him when he got his own apartment, grapefruit. More
and for the past 30 years, home sweet
home has been Was and wife Linda
than a half-century
Gendrich’s house in Wauwatosa, Wis- later, the tree it grew
consin, where it’s part of the family.
It summers out on the patio and has
into is still with him.
breezed through high winds tipping it
over, deer sampling its leaves and squir-
rels using its pot to bury treasures. In still going strong.
the fall, it rides out the Wisconsin win- It’s rootbound, but about every three
ters in a southeast corner of the house years they pull it out of the pot, cut the
with a window view and a grow light for roots back, give it fresh soil and watch it
“a little oomph.” flourish once the summer temperatures
arrive. Just as Was’ mom told him all
‘I don’t know how those years ago: “Water and sunshine,
my parents did it’ and it’ll thrive.”

Getting the nearly 100-pound tree in ‘I can’t get rid of it. I just can’t.’ Mark Was’ the citrusy aroma.
the house and back out again is quite grapefruit tree There was a time when he considered
the biannual production. Things were a little touch and go spends his donating it to the Mitchell Park Horti-
It can grow as much as a foot during about 10 years ago when the tree devel- summers out cultural Conservatory in Milwaukee,
the summer, so Was usually prunes it oped a spider mite infestation, but ad- on the patio. known as The Domes, where it could
back in the fall. It then gets wrapped in vice from friend and nationally known Come winter, live out its golden years in a spacious
blankets and wrapped with bungee gardening expert Melinda Myers and however, and toasty year-round home surround-
cords and twine to reign in the branches the staff at the Mitchell Park Domes in getting it into ed by tropical friends and no more
to better navigate it through the door. It Milwaukee got it under control. the house takes stressful seasonal moves.
has taken him, Gendrich and a neighbor “Unfortunately, it has never bore any muscle and “But I can’t do that. It’s part of my
to wrangle it, and even then somebody fruit, and I don’t know why,” said Was, some creative childhood,” he said. “I can’t get rid of it. I
or some wall still gets scratched or who has long given up hope that it ever maneuvering. just can’t.”
poked by one of its sizable thorns. will. “At 61, it’s well past its prime – kind PROVIDED BY A little piece of his mom is growing
“I don’t know how my parents did it of like me.” MARK WAS with that tree. It brings back memories
for the first 20 years,” Was said. “As soon What it lacks in breakfast table offer- of her sitting at the table going through
as I moved to Wauwatosa, they showed ings, it makes up for as a conversation plant catalogs in January and February
up with it in the back of the car and it piece. At every Christmas party, birth- to pick out the peppers and tomatoes
was like, ‘Here, we don’t want it any- day party and picnic on the patio, it nev- she started from seed.
more.’ ” er fails to get people talking. When visi- She’s the love in this labor of love.
Gendrich has been known to share tors can’t believe it’s a grapefruit tree, He’s pretty sure each fall and spring
that sentiment at times, but despite her Was plucks off a leaf to rub between when it’s time to move the tree, she’s
pleas to “get rid of the thing,” the tree is their fingers so they can get a whiff of looking down and laughing to herself.

SPRING FLOWER MEANINGS

Grateful

What special message does a particular kind of flower send? Here are some traditional symbolic
flower meanings, representing different aspects of personality and character.

Alstroemeria Carnation Chrysanthemum Daisy Iris Gladiolus

Friendship, devotion Love, admiration, Longevity, joy Beauty, innocence Faith, hope, wisdom Strength of
gratitude character, moral
integrity

Lily Orchid Rose Snapdragon Tulip

Motherhood, virtue Rare beauty, love Love, appreciation Strength, Perfect love, charity
graciousness

PHOTOS BY ADOBE; JUNKO KIMURA/GETTY IMAGES; PROVIDED BY ELLEN PEFFLEY; ISTOCK, GETTY IMAGES; GETTY IMAGES;
LYNETTE L. WALTHER/SPECIAL TO USA TODAY NETWORK; IAN GAVAN/GETTY IMAGES; ABIGAIL DOLLINS/USA TODAY NETWORK
 NATION & WORLD EXTRA - USA TODAY NETWORK | FRIDAY, APRIL 7, 2023 | 1NN

INSIDE
IRS pledges more
audits of wealthy,
better customer
service. 6NN

2 Dems
Military strikes Lebanon, expelled
Gaza after rocket attacks by Tenn.
House
Republican move
is retaliation after
gun control protest
Kimberlee Kruesi
and Jonathan Mattise
ASSOCIATED PRESS

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – In an extraordi-

nary act of political retaliation, Tennes-
see Republicans on Thursday expelled
two Democratic lawmakers from the
state Legislature for their role in a pro-
test calling for more gun control in the
aftermath of a deadly school shooting in
Smoke rises above buildings in the Gaza Strip as Israel launches airstrikes on the Palestinian enclave late Thursday. Nashville. A third Democrat was nar-
MOHAMMED ABED/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES rowly spared by a one-vote margin.
The split votes drew accusations of

ISRAEL VOWS
racism, with lawmakers ousting Reps.
Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, who
are both Black, while Rep. Gloria John-
son, who is white, survived the vote on
her expulsion. Republican leadership
denied that race was a factor, however.
Banishment is a move the chamber

‘HEAVY PRICE’
has used only a handful times since the
Civil War. Most state legislatures have
the power to expel members, but it is
generally reserved as a punishment for
lawmakers accused of serious miscon-
duct, not used as a weapon against po-
litical opponents.
Josef Federman and Fares Akram Jones, Pearson and Johnson joined
ASSOCIATED PRESS in protesting last week as hundreds of
The fighting comes during a demonstrators packed the Capitol to call
JERUSALEM – Israel struck targets in southern Lebanon for passage of gun-control measures. As
early Friday and resumed airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, the delicate time – when Jews are the protesters filled galleries, the three
Israeli military said, marking a further escalation in the re- approached the front of the House
gion following violence this week at Jerusalem’s most sensi- celebrating the Passover holiday chamber with a bullhorn and participat-
tive holy site. ed in a chant.
The military said it targeted installations of the Palestin-
and Muslims are marking the The protest unfolded days after the
ian militant group Hamas in southern Lebanon. The Leba-
nese TV station Al Mayadeen reported explosions in the
Ramadan holy month. shooting at the Covenant School, a pri-
vate Christian school where six people
southern port city of Tyre. were killed, including three children.
The strikes in southern Lebanon came after militants The current round of violence began Wednesday after Is- “We are losing our democracy. This is
from Lebanon fired nearly three dozen rockets at Israel on raeli police twice raided the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem’s not normal. This is not OK,” Pearson told
Thursday. Old City. That led Thursday to rocket fire from Gaza and, in a reporters Thursday. The three “broke a
Meanwhile, Gaza militants resumed rocket fire toward significant escalation, an unusual barrage of nearly three House rule because we’re fighting for
southern Israel early Friday following Israeli attacks there. dozen rockets from Lebanon into northern Israel. kids who are dying from gun violence
The fighting comes during a delicate time – when Jews As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened and people in our communities who
are celebrating the Passover holiday and Muslims are mark- his Security Cabinet for a three-hour meeting late Thursday, want to see an end to the proliferation of
ing the Ramadan holy month. Similar tensions spilled over and his office put out a short statement saying a series of weaponry in our communities.”
into an 11-day war between Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers in Johnson, a retired teacher, said her
2021. See ISRAEL, Page 11NN concern about school shootings was
personal, recalling a day in 2008 when
students came running toward her out
of a cafeteria because a student had just
been shot and killed.
“The trauma on those faces, you will
never, ever forget. I don’t want to forget
it,” she said.
Thousands of people flocked to the
Capitol to support Jones, Pearson and
Johnson on Thursday, cheering and
chanting outside the House chamber
loudly enough to drown out the pro-
ceedings.
The trio held hands as they walked
onto the floor, and Pearson raised a fist
during the Pledge of Allegiance.
Offered a chance to defend himself
Police remove the remains of an intercepted rocket fired An Israeli soldier guides a tank on the border with
from Lebanon in Shlomi, Israel, on Thursday. ARIEL SCHALIT/AP Lebanon on Thursday. ARIEL SCHALIT/AP See TENNESSEE, Page 7NN

US would bar full bans

on transgender athletes
But proposed rule allows some exceptions
Collin Binkley More inside
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kansas OKs bill on opting kids out of
WASHINGTON – Schools and col- LGBTQ-themed lessons; High court says
leges across the U.S. would be forbidden W.Va. trans girl can run girls track. 8NN
from enacting outright bans on trans-
gender athletes under a proposal re- sports that align with their gender iden-
leased Thursday from the Biden ad- tities.
ministration, but teams could create If finalized, the proposal would be-
some limits in certain cases – for exam- come enshrined as a provision of Title
ple, to ensure fairness. IX, the landmark gender equity legisla-
The proposed rule sends a political tion enacted in 1972. People attend a Transgender Day of Visibility rally near the U.S. Capitol in
counterpunch toward a wave of Repub- It must undergo a lengthy approval Washington on March 31. Schools and colleges would be forbidden from enacting
lican-led states that have sought to ban outright bans on trans athletes under a Biden administration proposal.
trans athletes from competing in school See ATHLETES, Page 9NN JACQUELYN MARTIN/AP FILE

SUBSCRIBER-EXCLUSIVE SPECIAL EDITION

2NN | FRIDAY, APRIL 7, 2023 | NATION & WORLD EXTRA - USA TODAY NETWORK

In the digital e-edition, you can click anywhere on the US map to get up-to-date forecasts, radar, MinuteCast® and more.
NATIONAL SUMMARY
Rounds of rain and thun- Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation for Friday. Temperature bands are highs for the day.
derstorms will extend
from central and southern
Winnipeg
Texas to the Carolinas and 33/18
southern Virginia today. Seattle Montreal
Localized flooding can 53/43 38/23
occur. Much of Florida and Billings
southern Georgia will re- 61/39
Minneapolis Toronto
main dry. Areas of rain and 44/25
53/36
mountain snow will affect
Washington, Oregon and
Detroit
Northern California. Most
51/31
other areas across the
New York
nation will be dry. 61/38
Chicago
San Francisco 52/37 Washington
Denver 59/44
58/48 66/40
Kansas City
Los Angeles 66/39
69/51
Fairbanks
23/2
Atlanta
El Paso 73/46
Anchorage 69/47
35/20 Houston
Juneau 61/56
46/36
Honolulu Chihuahua
83/73 73/48
Miami
Hilo Monterrey 85/74
78/67 65/53
-10s -0s 0s 10s 20s 30s 40s 50s 60s 70s 80s 90s 100s 110s Showers T-storms Rain Flurries Snow Ice Cold front Warm front Stationary front

THURSDAY EXTREMES TODAY IN HISTORY WEATHER TRIVIA™

NATIONAL (for the 48 contiguous states) INTERNATIONAL (excludes Antarctica) Lightning struck an oil refinery on April 7, Q: Flowers can sprout even when the air is still
High: 93 at Plant City, FL High: 114 at N’guigmi, Niger 1926, at San Luis Obispo, Calif. The resulting cold; why?
Low: -19 at Yellowstone N.P., WY Low: -34 at Sebyan-Kyuyol, Russia fire lasted five days, scorched 900 acres and
Precip: 3.51” at Caldwell, TX Precip: 4.38” at Kochi, Japan burned more than 6 million barrels of oil.

A: Increased solar radiation warms the soil

NATIONAL CITIES FRIDAY O Denotes possible travel delays

Air Air Air Air
High/low/W Quality High/low/W Quality High/low/W Quality High/low/W Quality
Aberdeen, SD 36/21/s 37 Evansville, IN 62/40/pc 25 Levittown, PA 60/37/pc 40 Rochester, NY 42/25/pc 41
Abilene, TX 63/46/sh 40 Fall River, MA 61/32/pc 25 Lincoln, IL 61/36/s 25 Rockford, IL 58/35/s 25
Accomac, VA 53/43/r 33 Farmington, NM 67/39/s 49 Louisville, KY 61/43/pc 25 Ruidoso, NM 57/35/pc 41
Adrian, MI 52/29/s 25 O Fayetteville, NC 67/46/r 30 Lubbock, TX 66/40/c 25 Salem, OR 57/42/r 50
Akron, OH 51/29/pc 25 Fond du Lac, WI 48/35/pc 25 O Manitowoc, WI 38/32/pc 25 Salina, KS 69/37/s 48
Alamogordo, NM 69/41/pc 59 Fort Myers, FL 90/68/pc 25 Mansfield, OH 51/29/pc 40 Salinas, CA 63/52/c 25
Alexandria, VA 58/43/c 38 Fort Smith, AR 67/46/pc 45 O Marshall, NC 56/44/r 30 Salisbury, MD 55/42/c 21
Alliance, OH 52/28/pc 25 Framingham, MA 57/30/pc 25 O Marshfield, WI 48/31/pc 25 San Angelo, TX 54/46/c 37
Amarillo, TX 64/37/pc 25 Freeport, IL 56/34/s 25 Massillon, OH 53/28/pc 25 Sarasota, FL 85/68/pc 25
Ames, IA 65/35/s 25 Fremont, OH 48/30/s 40 McLean, VA 57/43/c 38 O Savannah, GA 83/58/t 41
O Anderson, SC 67/45/t 33 Fort Collins, CO 63/35/s 25 Melbourne, FL 84/68/pc 25 O Sheboygan, WI 39/35/pc 25
O Appleton, WI 44/31/pc 25 O Gadsden, AL 63/48/t 34 Memphis, TN 60/50/pc 31 O Shelby, NC 63/42/r 30
O Asheville, NC 60/42/r 30 Gainesville, FL 88/65/c 25 Middletown, NY 53/30/pc 42 Sherman, TX 63/48/c 29
Ashland, OH 50/28/pc 25 Galesburg, IL 59/32/s 25 Milford, MA 55/30/pc 25 O Shreveport, LA 53/49/t 27
O Athens, GA 72/46/t 33 O Gastonia, NC 64/44/r 30 Milwaukee, WI 42/35/s 25 Silver City, NM 66/40/s 48
O Augusta, GA 80/49/t 32 Glen Rose, TX 55/49/t 27 Monroe, MI 48/34/s 25 Sioux Falls, SD 62/36/s 26
O Austin, TX 54/51/t 25 O Gonzales, LA 74/66/t 33 O Monroe, LA 54/52/t 28 Somerset, PA 48/27/pc 17
Bartlesville, OK 68/33/pc 60 Great Falls, MT 61/36/c 46 O Montgomery, AL 80/57/t 34 Somerville, NJ 60/35/pc 35
Battle Creek, MI 53/31/s 25 O Green Bay, WI 43/31/pc 25 Muncie, IN 57/36/pc 46 South Bend, IN 55/33/s 25
Bedford, IN 59/38/pc 44 O Greenville, SC 65/42/r 33 Murfreesboro, TN 56/47/r 44 O Spartanburg, SC 64/43/r 33
Binghamton, NY 43/23/pc 44 Hackensack, NJ 59/37/pc 43 O Naples, FL 88/68/sh 25 Springfield, IL 61/35/s 25
O Bluffton, SC 80/59/t 34 Hagerstown, MD 56/37/pc 21 Nashville, TN 58/48/pc 44 Springfield, MO 61/36/pc 53
Bremerton, WA 54/41/r 34 O Hattiesburg, MS 74/62/t 23 Neptune, NJ 59/39/pc 35 St. Augustine, FL 82/68/pc 25
Brockton, MA 60/32/pc 25 Henderson, KY 60/40/pc 25 New Bedford, MA 61/32/pc 25 St. Cloud, MN 43/28/pc 50
Brownwood, TX 55/46/t 34 O Hendersonville, NC 62/41/r 30 O New Bern, NC 66/47/sh 30 St. George, UT 69/46/pc 25
Burlington, IA 61/35/s 44 Herkimer, NY 44/25/pc 42 New Philadelphia, OH 55/28/pc 25 Staunton, VA 53/37/r 35
O Burlington, NC 58/44/r 30 Hillsdale, MI 52/30/s 39 Newark, OH 57/29/pc 43 O Stevens Point, WI 47/30/c 25
Burlington, VT 43/26/pc 45 Holland, MI 44/36/s 25 Newton, NJ 55/30/pc 35 Stockton, CA 62/46/c 38
Cambridge, OH 57/31/pc 33 Hornell, NY 46/25/s 40 New York, NY 61/38/pc 43 Stroudsburg, PA 54/29/pc 35
Camdenton, MO 61/35/pc 49 O Houma, LA 79/68/t 29 Norwich, CT 59/29/pc 25 Stuart, FL 83/69/pc 25
Canandaigua, NY 43/25/pc 44 Howell, MI 49/29/s 25 Ocala, FL 90/65/pc 25 Sturgis, MI 53/32/s 25
Canton, OH 52/29/pc 25 Hutchinson, KS 67/35/s 47 Oklahoma City, OK 66/43/pc 55 O Tallahassee, FL 87/66/t 25
Carlsbad, NM 61/41/c 48 O Hyannis, MA 60/35/pc 25 O Opelousas, LA 67/60/t 29 O Thibodaux, LA 76/67/t 29
Chambersburg, PA 56/35/pc 21 Indianapolis, IN 57/36/pc 25 O Oshkosh, WI 44/33/pc 25 Topeka, KS 67/37/s 51
Cherry Hill, NJ 60/39/pc 40 Iowa City, IA 62/35/s 40 Palm Beach, FL 83/75/pc 25 O Tuscaloosa, AL 63/55/t 27
Cincinnati, OH 58/37/pc 36 Ithaca, NY 43/24/pc 44 Palm Springs, CA 84/57/s 93 Utica, NY 43/24/pc 41
Clarksville, TN 59/44/pc 44 O Jackson, MS 60/56/t 42 O Panama City, FL 81/68/t 75 Ventura, CA 60/48/s 44
Coldwater, MI 53/31/s 25 Jackson, TN 59/49/pc 22 Pekin, IL 62/36/s 25 Victorville, CA 72/44/s 77
Columbus, OH 57/32/pc 43 Jacksonville, FL 85/67/sh 25 O Pensacola, FL 81/68/t 25 Vineland, NJ 60/39/pc 35
Corning, NY 49/25/pc 44 O Jacksonville, NC 71/47/sh 30 Peoria, IL 61/36/s 25 Visalia, CA 69/48/pc 46
O Corpus Christi, TX 62/57/t 25 Kent, OH 50/27/s 25 Petersburg, VA 53/44/r 25 Washington, DC 59/44/c 38
Daytona Beach, FL 84/66/pc 25 Kewanee, IL 59/34/s 25 Phoenix, AZ 84/57/s 67 Watertown, SD 35/27/s 33
Deming, NM 70/42/s 46 Keyser, WV 56/33/pc 17 Port Huron, MI 42/25/s 40 O Wausau, WI 46/31/pc 25
O DeRidder, LA 61/54/t 29 O Kinston, NC 64/46/r 30 O Portsmouth, NH 54/29/pc 25 Waynesboro, PA 55/37/pc 21
Des Moines, IA 64/38/s 25 O Knoxville, TN 55/47/r 48 Poughkeepsie, NY 55/31/pc 42 White Plains, NY 56/33/pc 25
Detroit, MI 51/31/s 25 Lafayette, IN 60/35/s 42 Providence, RI 59/33/pc 25 Wichita Falls, TX 68/46/pc 45
Devils Lake, ND 30/21/pc 42 O Lafayette, LA 72/63/t 29 Pueblo, CO 72/37/s 25 Wilmington, DE 59/39/pc 21
Dover, NH 52/27/pc 25 Lakeland, FL 91/66/pc 25 O Quincy, MA 58/33/pc 25 O Wilmington, NC 78/48/t 30
O El Paso, TX 69/47/pc 75 Lansing, MI 49/30/s 25 O Redding, CA 56/51/sh 41 O Wisconsin Rapids, WI 50/32/pc 25
Elmira, NY 50/25/pc 44 Las Cruces, NM 71/43/s 47 Reno, NV 54/37/pc 25 Wooster, OH 49/26/pc 25
Erie, PA 43/29/s 35 Lebanon, PA 56/36/pc 35 Ravenna, OH 50/27/s 25 Worcester, MA 52/29/pc 25
Eugene, OR 57/38/r 25 Leesburg, FL 90/67/pc 25 Richmond, IN 56/33/pc 41 York, PA 57/37/pc 35
Air Quality Index: 0-50, Good; 51-100, Moderate; 101-150, Unhealthy for sensitive groups; 151-200, Unhealthy; 201-300, Very unhealthy; 301-500, Hazardous
INTERNATIONAL CITIES
Friday Saturday Friday Saturday Friday Saturday Friday Saturday
High/low/W High/low/W High/low/W High/low/W High/low/W High/low/W High/low/W High/low/W
Acapulco 87/69/s 88/69/s O Cape Town 66/56/c 67/52/pc La Paz 55/36/sh 53/34/c San Jose 84/64/sh 86/65/sh
Addis Ababa 74/54/sh 75/54/sh Caracas 88/74/t 88/74/c Lagos 91/79/t 89/79/t San Salvador 88/66/s 88/68/s
Algiers 70/40/s 74/45/s Casablanca 81/53/s 77/54/c Lima 83/74/pc 83/73/s Santiago 87/50/s 86/49/s
Amman 81/59/s 83/64/pc Colombo 90/75/pc 89/75/sh Lisbon 75/53/s 77/54/s Sao Paulo 72/65/sh 72/62/t
Amsterdam 50/42/c 57/44/pc Copenhagen 46/38/r 54/39/r London 59/38/pc 61/39/c Sarajevo 54/33/pc 53/37/pc
Ankara 52/30/t 60/42/pc O Damascus 81/48/s 83/56/pc Madrid 77/41/s 80/44/s Shanghai 65/44/s 68/45/s
Asuncion 83/64/pc 85/62/s Dublin 55/39/pc 55/44/c Manila 93/78/s 93/78/s O Singapore 85/76/sh 87/76/sh
Athens 61/47/s 63/47/pc Geneva 52/37/sh 58/37/pc Mexico City 82/55/r 82/56/sh Stockholm 41/32/pc 46/21/pc
O Auckland 72/58/pc 67/54/r Guatemala City 83/60/pc 82/59/s Milan 56/39/sh 65/44/s Sydney 73/61/t 77/60/s
Baghdad 86/58/pc 91/61/pc Hanoi 79/70/pc 72/65/r Mombasa 92/77/pc 92/78/s O Taipei 66/58/r 72/58/c
Bangkok 98/83/t 94/79/r Harare 79/56/s 83/59/s Montevideo 74/56/pc 75/55/s Tegucigalpa 87/62/pc 87/63/pc
Beijing 62/38/s 72/44/s Havana 90/65/s 88/67/sh Montreal 38/23/pc 40/27/s Tehran 77/55/s 76/58/s
Beirut 77/60/s 73/63/c Helsinki 41/31/s 43/33/s Moscow 49/30/pc 51/36/pc O Tokyo 70/60/r 67/47/sh
Belgrade 42/38/c 45/36/sh O Hong Kong 75/67/c 72/66/sh O Nairobi 81/61/pc 81/60/t Toronto 44/25/pc 44/32/s
Berlin 45/41/c 54/40/sh Jakarta 90/74/t 90/75/pc New Delhi 91/68/pc 93/66/pc Tunis 66/46/pc 71/50/s
O Bogota 63/50/sh 63/50/sh Jerusalem 79/54/s 80/61/pc Panama City 93/70/r 92/71/pc Vancouver 55/44/r 50/45/sh
Brussels 51/42/sh 56/38/sh Johannesburg 78/58/s 79/58/s Paris 57/40/pc 59/39/c Vienna 47/38/c 44/38/r
Bucharest 49/36/c 56/39/pc Kabul 65/43/s 70/46/s Port-au-Prince 90/67/sh 91/68/pc Warsaw 55/34/r 56/41/sh
O Budapest 45/37/c 46/38/r Khartoum 102/75/s 101/76/s O Rio de Janeiro 80/72/c 80/74/r O Yerevan 58/43/t 60/34/c
Buenos Aires 74/63/s 75/64/s Kyiv 55/43/c 56/44/sh Riyadh 87/66/pc 83/59/pc Zagreb 59/38/pc 50/38/sh
Cairo 93/62/s 93/74/c Kingston 86/74/pc 86/75/s Rome 61/48/s 60/43/t O Zurich 48/39/sh 55/37/sh
O Denotes possible travel delays Friday Weather(W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice.
©2023; forecasts and graphics provided by
 NATION & WORLD EXTRA - USA TODAY NETWORK | FRIDAY, APRIL 7, 2023 | 3NN

2 teens among 5 killed in Mo. tornado

Jim Salter and Heather Hollingsworth
ASSOCIATED PRESS

Two teenagers in love. A retiree who

would “give you the shirt off his back.” A
woman with a fondness for her dog, and
pigs. A young man who was the “life of
the party.”
Those were the lives lost in the early-
morning darkness Wednesday when a
killer tornado tore through a remote vil-
lage in a hilly area of southeastern Mis-
souri. The Missouri State Highway Pa-
trol said Thursday that all five victims
were either in the same mobile home, or
divided between the trailer and a small
camper parked next to it.
“My baby,” Stormiee Mayberry, in a
direct Facebook message, said of her 18-
year-old son, Michael McCoy, one of the
victims. “He was such a strong wonder-
ful young man he was my everything.”
“I truly cannot talk right now,” she
added. “It’s too much. Too much hurt.”
The tornado strafed a 22-mile stretch
of land and destroyed much of the tiny
rural village of Glen Allen shortly after
3:30 a.m. Wednesday. It came during a
week of violent storms and tornadoes.
In fact, another twister Wednesday
night claimed a life in Kentucky, where
three EF-1 tornadoes touched down,
with maximum winds of 110 mph.
The Missouri victims were: Glenn
Burcks, 62, who lived in the mobile
home in Glen Allen. Susan Sullivan, 57,
also lived there, along with her 37-year-
old nephew, James Skaggs. Also killed
were Sullivan’s 16-year-old grand- Residents of Glen Allen, Mo., console each other at a community prayer event Wednesday evening in the aftermath of a
daughter, Destinee Nicole Koenig of Sik- deadly tornado. MEGAN BURKE/THE SOUTHEAST MISSOURIAN VIA AP
eston, Missouri, and McCoy, her boy-
friend.
Highway Patrol Sgt. Clark Parrott matic and funny and said he was “young Burcks had worked at a saw mill but victim as Billy Corum, 30, of Louisville.
said investigators aren’t sure if any of and in love” with Koenig, calling her Mc- was in ill health and was retired, Do- Moran said Corum was walking his dog
the victims were in the camper when Coy’s “whole world.” rothy Burcks said. near his home Wednesday when high
the tornado hit. “He basically had a bright future, you “He lived out in the country all his winds knocked over a tree that struck
The mobile home essentially explod- know, but he didn’t even get a chance to life,” she said. “He loved country. He Corum in the head.
ed, leaving only scattered debris and a have a family,” Kinder said. “And, you didn’t like the town life or the city life.” Preliminary findings on Thursday in-
rusted metal chassis. Some shards of know, it’s just sad, really.” Sullivan worked as a teacher for Head dicated that the tornadoes struck two
metal stuck to tree limbs. Tattered re- Koenig was a sophomore at New Ma- Start for about 15 years, according to her areas of Louisville, meteorologist Brian
mains of furniture sat in a field. A few drid High School and loved animals, es- obituary. She had a fondness for her Neudorff said. The storm toppled trees
old photos, videotapes and even base- pecially cats and dogs. Principal Justin dog, “Baby,” and for pigs. and power lines and tore the roof off an
ball cards dotted the mud near the Poley said the school is offering help for Skaggs “loved to take pictures, have apartment building. A separate tornado
home’s concrete pad. students dealing with the loss of their fun and be the life of the party,” his obit- with maximum winds of 110 mph
McCoy’s uncle, Rustin Kinder, said classmate. “She did have quite a few uary stated. touched down in the Brandonburg area
the teenager’s dad and another uncle friends that are having a difficult time A funeral service for Koenig, and me- of Mead County, less than an hour
hurried to the trailer once they heard right now,” Poley said. morial services for Sullivan and Skaggs, southwest of Louisville, Neudorff said.
about the tornado. The uncle found Mc- Burcks was “a sweet and giving man, will be Monday in nearby Marble Hill. Bob Oravec, a lead weather service
Coy badly injured in a field. Kinder said and he’d give the shirt off his back for Arrangements were incomplete for forecaster, said more severe weather
his nephew was rushed to a hospital but you,” his sister-in-law, Dorothy Burcks, Burcks and McCoy. was possible Thursday in an area
“just couldn’t hang on.” said. Glenn Burcks considered Sullivan In Kentucky, Jefferson County Depu- stretching from eastern Texas to the
Kinder described McCoy as charis- and her relatives family. ty Coroner Steve Moran identified the mid-Atlantic states.

Officials: Wildfire threat

growing as drought gets
steadily worse in Florida
Curt Anderson
ASSOCIATED PRESS

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The threat

of wildfires is growing in Florida over
the coming weeks as more than half the
state is experiencing severe to extreme
drought conditions likely to persist un-
til rainy season resumes around mid-
May, state and federal officials said
Thursday.
The National Weather Service’s Cli- A wildfire burns near Panama City,
In his veto message, President Joe Biden said the congressional measure would mate Prediction Center reported Fla., last year. State and federal
leave Americans without a clear definition of “Waters of the United States.” Thursday that 55% of Florida is in the officials said Thursday that the threat
PATRICK SEMANSKY/AP severe to extreme drought category, of wildfires is growing in Florida over
with most of the rest of the state listed the coming weeks.
as “abnormally dry.” The driest condi- MIKE FENDER/NEWS HERALD VIA AP FILE

Biden vetoes resolution tions are in southwest Florida, the

same region hammered by Hurricane
Ian in September. of destruction in 2018. Officials esti-
that targeted water rule “When you look at a drought map of
the state of Florida, you have very dry
conditions all across the state,” said Ag-
mated then that Michael, a Category 5
cyclone, left behind 72 million tons of
fallen trees in the area around Panama
Matthew Daly of the landmark Clean Water Act – riculture Commissioner Wilton Simp- City.
ASSOCIATED PRESS stretches across at least three presi- son, whose agency includes the Florida Two years before that, another 1,000
dential administrations. Forest Service. “We’ve had numerous homes were evacuated and some de-
WASHINGTON – Defending his ad- Environmentalists and Democratic fires already.” stroyed by another series of fires in an-
ministration’s actions on clean water, presidents have pushed to broaden the Indeed, since Jan. 1 more than 1,000 other part of the Panhandle.
President Joe Biden on Thursday ve- definition and protect more waterways wildfires in Florida have burned over Officials fear the southwest part of
toed a congressional resolution that from pollution, while right-leaning 33,000 acres, according to state statis- the state where Hurricane Ian’s
would have overturned protections for groups and the Trump administration tics. No evacuations, injuries or major 150 mph winds downed thousands of
the nation’s waterways that Republi- argued that protecting fewer water- damage to structures have been report- trees could also become a tinderbox.
cans have criticized as overly intrusive. ways would benefit builders, farmers ed from the fires so far, but that could It’s also the only area in Florida in the
Republicans – and some Democrats and business. quickly change as April temperatures “extreme” drought category, according
– targeted an Environmental Protec- “The increased uncertainty” caused heat up without the frequent rain- to the weather service.
tion Agency rule protecting thousands by the congressional action “would storms that occur in summer. “The further south you go, the drier
of small streams, wetlands and other threaten economic growth, including Rainfall totals so far this year are it is,” said Rick Dolan, chief of the state
waterways, labeling it an environmen- for agriculture, local economies and well below normal in most of Florida, Forest Service. “Wildfire activity in the
tal overreach that harms businesses, downstream communities,” Biden said agriculture department figures show. state is expected to increase.”
developers and farmers. in his veto statement. And as climate change overall raises Although lightning strikes often
In separate votes, the House and The Senate voted, 53-43, last week temperatures around the world, in cause wildfires, Simpson said arson
Senate used the Congressional Review to overturn the water rule. The Repub- Florida for February alone 82% of coun- and people losing control of backyard
Act to enact a measure blocking the lican-controlled House approved the ties were hotter than the typical levels or farm fires are a bigger danger. The
clean water rule, which was adopted at resolution 227-198. A Congressional in the 20th century – affecting an esti- state Forest Service has about 1,200
the end of last year. Review Act resolution requires a simple mated 19.5 million people. employees, half of whom are certified
In his veto message Thursday, Biden majority and can’t be filibustered. Last year, more than 1,100 people to fight wildfires.
said the bipartisan measure would In all, four Democratic senators and were evacuated during huge wildfires “Most people who start these fires,
leave Americans without a clear defini- one independent, along with nine in the Florida Panhandle, much of it the they’re unintentional,” he said. “This
tion of “Waters of the United States.” A Democratic House members, voted in result of dead timber and forest debris time of the year is when we’re more
dispute over the term – and the breadth favor of the resolution. left over from Hurricane Michael’s path concerned.”
4NN | FRIDAY, APRIL 7, 2023 | NATION & WORLD EXTRA - USA TODAY NETWORK

Okla. AG: Glossip should get new trial

Sean Murphy ation, I have concluded that I cannot Glossip’s attorney Don Knight said in tenable today.”
ASSOCIATED PRESS stand behind the murder conviction and a statement that Drummond’s filing A message left Thursday with Van
death sentence of Richard Glossip,” states what he has long maintained, Treese’s family seeking comment was
OKLAHOMA CITY – The conviction Drummond said in a statement. “This is which is that Sneed, the state’s key wit- not immediately returned. Drummond
and death sentence for Oklahoma death not to say I believe he is innocent. How- ness, is not credible. said he acknowledges the pain the fam-
row inmate Richard Glossip should be ever, it is critical that Oklahomans have “It is now clear that it would be un- ily must be going through.
thrown out and a new trial ordered, the absolute faith that the death penalty is conscionable for the state to move for- “My heart truly goes out to the Van
state’s new attorney general said Thurs- administered fairly and with certainty. ward with Mr. Glossip’s execution when Treese family, who have been waiting
day, as support has grown even among Considering everything I know about there is so much doubt surrounding his decades for a final measure of justice,”
death penalty supporters who say Glos- this case, I do not believe that justice is conviction,” Knight said. Drummond said.
sip is innocent. served by executing a man based on the Drummond’s motion comes on the Glossip’s case attracted international
In a filing with the Oklahoma Court of testimony of a compromised witness.” same day he released the findings of an attention after actress Susan Sarandon
Criminal Appeals, Attorney General Glossip, now 60, was convicted of the independent counsel’s review of Glos- – who won an Academy Award for her
Gentner Drummond said 1997 murder-for-hire killing of his boss, sip’s case. That report, conducted by portrayal of death penalty opponent
that although the state is motel owner Barry Van former District Attorney Rex Duncan, Sister Helen Prejean’s fight to save a
not suggesting Glossip is Treese, at two separate raised numerous concerns about his man on Louisiana’s death row in the
innocent, the key witness trials based largely on the conviction, including uncertainty about 1995 movie “Dead Man Walking” – took
against Glossip lied to the testimony of his co-de- whether an actual polygraph exam was up his cause in real life. Prejean herself
jury about his psychiatric fendant, Justin Sneed. administered to Glossip, evidence in the has served as Glossip’s spiritual adviser
treatment and reasons Sneed admitted robbing case that was destroyed and a failure by and frequently visited him in prison. His
Drummond for taking the mood-sta- and killing Van Treese, the state to disclose certain information case also was featured in a 2017 docu-
bilizing drug lithium. Glossip but claims he only did so to Glossip’s attorneys. mentary film titled “Killing Richard
That information was only recently after Glossip agreed to “The state’s murder case against Glossip.”
disclosed to Glossip’s defense team af- pay him $10,000. Sneed received a sen- Glossip was not particularly strong and Republican state Rep. Kevin McDu-
ter Drummond turned over a box of evi- tence of life in prison. would have been, in my view, weaker if gle, a death-penalty supporter, called on
dence, consisting largely of prosecutors’ The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Ap- full discovery had been provided,” Dun- the Court of Criminal Appeals to grant a
notes in the case, that Drummond’s peals must decide whether to vacate can wrote. “Given the passage of 26 new trial last year, after he said an in-
predecessor, John O’Connor, had previ- Glossip’s conviction and order a new years, death of witnesses, destruction dependent report produced by a Hous-
ously designated as “work product.” trial. Glossip is scheduled to be execut- and loss of evidence, and 2023 eviden- ton law firm suggested there were nu-
“After thorough and serious deliber- ed on May 18. tiary disclosures, it is, in my view, less merous problems with his conviction.

Few details in stabbing death of app founder

Matt O’Brien and Janie Har
ASSOCIATED PRESS

SAN FRANCISCO – Details of how

tech executive Bob Lee came to be fatal-
ly stabbed in downtown San Francisco
early Tuesday were scarce as friends
and family continued to mourn the man
they called brilliant, kind and unlike
others in the industry.
San Francisco police found Lee, 43,
on the sidewalk in front of a condomini-
um building with stab wounds shortly
after 2:35 a.m. Tuesday. He was taken to
a hospital, where he died. He leaves be-
hind two children.
The neighborhood where the stab-
bing occurred is near the Embarcadero
waterfront and full of tech offices, tow-
ering condominium buildings and not
much else late at night.
Lee is known for creating the widely
used mobile payment service Cash App
while working as chief technology offi-
cer of the payment company Square,
now known as Block. He was the chief
product officer for the cryptocurrency
firm MobileCoin at the time of his death.
Lee was back in San Francisco for a
visit after moving to Miami in October,
his father, Rick Lee, said on social
media. The two had been living in the
San Francisco suburb of Mill Valley.
“Bob would give you the shirt off his A woman walks past flowers left outside an apartment building Wednesday where a technology executive was fatally
back,” Rick Lee wrote. “He would never stabbed in San Francisco. ERIC RISBERG/AP
look down on anyone and adhered to a
strict no-judgment philosophy. Bobby
worked harder than anyone and was the raiser in Washington, D.C., where Sow- He just had real boundless energy.” on Twitter.
smartest person I have ever known.” ers, a former Green Beret and Iraq war Part of those late-night sessions in- “But it fit. Not in a way of being reck-
San Francisco Police Sgt. Adam veteran, was running for Congress. Lee, volved talking about technology, includ- less, but, he was kind of up for any-
Lobsinger said in a video message newly hired at Square, was touting an ing San Francisco’s unique role far away thing.”
Thursday that the investigation is still app that could help his campaign fund- from the political power in Washington Lee was also generous with his time
early and the department would not raising. Both men were from Missouri. and the big money in New York. coaching and championing fellow engi-
comment on evidence or speculate on Lee’s two children joined the men on “San Francisco is all about the idea, neers and entrepreneurs, said Wesley
circumstances. hikes and dinners. It was not unusual and you’re as good as your current or Chan, co-founder of FPV Ventures. The
Lee defied the arrogant and self-cen- for Lee to be out late, said Sowers, and next idea,” said Sowers, who, with Lee’s two met more than a decade ago when
tered “tech bro” stereotype affixed to he loved San Francisco. counsel, went on to start his own real they both worked at Google, where Lee
certain men in the San Francisco Bay “I’d want to go to bed at like 9. He estate technology company and now helped to build the Android smartphone
Area tech scene, and instead exuded an talked me into going someplace till mid- works for a North Carolina-based pri- operating system before its 2008 re-
“innate kindness,” said longtime friend night, and then he’d be like, ‘Well, vate jet company. lease.
Tommy Sowers. there’s another one,’ and you’d go to Sowers said he doesn’t know the ori- Sowers said it’s hard to picture what
Sowers and Lee first met at a fund- that. And he’s like, ‘There’s another one.’ gins of the “Crazy Bob” handle Lee used led to Lee’s violent death.

XXXTentacion’s convicted killers get life sentences

ASSOCIATED PRESS released – or as long as life, depending
partly on how much weight prosecutors
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Three give to his assistance.
men were given life sentences on Thurs- Defense attorneys accused Allen of
day for the 2018 killing of star rapper being a liar who was motivated by his
XXXTentacion, who was shot outside a desire to avoid a life sentence. They also
South Florida motorcycle shop while said prosecutors and detectives did a
being robbed of $50,000. poor job on the investigation and didn’t
Michael Boatwright, 28, Dedrick Wil- look at other possible suspects.
liams, 26, and Trayvon Newsome, 24, XXXTentacion, whose real name was
were each convicted last month of first- Jahseh Onfroy, had just left Riva Motor-
degree murder and armed robbery by a sports with a friend when an SUV
jury following eight days of delibera- swerved in front of him and blocked his
tions. BMW.
Prosecutors had not sought the death Surveillance video showed two
penalty, so life in prison was the only masked gunmen emerging and con-
sentence that Broward County Circuit Trayvon Newsome, from left, Dedrick Williams and Michael Boatwright were fronting the 20-year-old singer at the
Judge Michael Usan could impose for found guilty last month of first-degree murder in the 2018 killing of driver’s window, with one shooting him
the first-degree murder convictions. XXXTentacion. CARLINE JEAN/SOUTH FLORIDA SUN-SENTINEL VIA AP POOL repeatedly. They then grabbed a bag
During the month-long trial, prose- containing cash , got back into the SUV
cutors linked Boatwright, Williams and and sped away. The rapper’s friend was
Newsome to the June 18, 2018, shooting fuls of $100 bills hours after the slaying. der. not harmed.
outside Riva Motorsports in suburban Prosecutors also had the testimony His sentence was delayed until the Boatwright was identified as the pri-
Fort Lauderdale through extensive sur- of a fourth man, Robert Allen, a former conclusion of the other three defen- mary shooter and Newsome was ac-
veillance video taken inside and outside friend of the defendants who said he dants’ trial. cused of being the other gunman. Wil-
the store, plus cellphone videos the men participated in the robbery. He pleaded Allen’s sentence could be as little as liams was accused of driving the SUV
took showing themselves flashing fist- guilty last year to second-degree mur- time served – meaning he could soon be and Allen of being inside the vehicle.
 NATION & WORLD EXTRA - USA TODAY NETWORK | FRIDAY, APRIL 7, 2023 | 5NN

Mass. weighs letting judges order care

Steve LeBlanc they do better with treatment and con-
ASSOCIATED PRESS tinue that on their own,” she said. “Re-
search shows that it takes six months to
BOSTON – When Ashoke and Vinita stabilize on medication and no one is
Rampuria’s son returned home after staying anywhere near that long in a
taking a year off from college, to com- hospital.”
plete his course work, he didn’t seem But critics say forcing anyone into
like himself. mental health care can backfire. They
“He was unable to complete tasks. He say the mentally ill already face a range
was lying on the sofa,” said Ashoke of risks.
Rampuria, a resident of Acton, Massa- There are other strategies that are
chusetts. “He took some jobs, but could voluntary, from peer-to-peer counsel-
not hold them.” ing to creating spaces where people can
In 2011, his son was diagnosed with talk about their struggles, according to
what Rampuria described as a severe Sera Davidow, director of the Wildflow-
mental illness. He soon began cycling in er Alliance, a non-profit that opposes
and out of health care facilities, appear- mandated outpatient care.
ing to get his illness under control and “People who want resources can’t get
then slipping back once released. In them and people who don’t necessarily
2021, the couple said their son used a want them are being forced,” she said.
new medication and was able to hold a “Both of those are harmful.”
job for three months, but did not con- Eliot Olson, a Connecticut resident
tinue on the drug. Vinita Rampuria, left, and her husband, Ashoke Rampuria, show a photo of their who is also opposed to mandatory care,
All along, Rampuria said he and his son at their home in Acton, Mass., on Tuesday. STEVEN SENNE/AP said as a high school student he strug-
wife lacked a crucial tool – the power of gled with depression and was given an
a judge to order their now 36-year-old ultimatum to accept mandatory outpa-
son, currently at a psychiatric hospital part on what she called the “black robe” the street and into treatment. In Ore- tient care or leave school.
in Lynn, Massachusetts, into manda- effect – the idea that a treatment plan gon, some lawmakers have pushed to “I didn’t want to be there. Everyone
tory outpatient care. ordered by a judge is more likely to be expand the ability to force people into else I was with didn’t want to be there.
Massachusetts, along with Connecti- followed through by the patient. She mental health care. There was just a huge lack of under-
cut and Maryland, are the only states also dismissed criticism that mental In New York City, Democratic Mayor standing and empathy,” said Olson, 30,
that don’t give courts that authority. health care should only go to those who Eric Adams announced in November who works for the non-profit PeerPride,
“This is a revolving door. They will seek it. that he wanted police and city medics to which focuses in part on addressing
send him to a hospital for a while, then “You don’t solve the not enough more aggressively get severely mentally homelessness in the transgender com-
they will release him and if he doesn’t treatment problem by denying people ill individuals off the streets and sub- munity.
take his medicine, he will be back,” who need treatment, treatment,” she ways, and into treatment. Olson said he was in the program for
Rampuria said. “If our son could stay on said. “This is about a very specific sub- In Connecticut, Republican state about six months when the school rec-
the treatment continuously for a year, set of people who don’t know how sick Rep. John Piscopo proposed a bill this ommended he be institutionalized. His
he will achieve what he wants to they are.” year that would have let probate courts mother refused, he said.
achieve, to hold a job and live indepen- Friedman said there can be poten- order individuals with psychiatric dis- “I wasn’t going to participate in
dently.” tially tragic consequences when the abilities or substance use disorders into something I didn’t have a choice in,” he
A bill before Massachusetts lawmak- state lets the severely mentally ill fall an involuntary medical evaluation and said.
ers would let family members and men- through the cracks. She pointed to the assisted outpatient treatment. The bill In Boston, a voluntary treatment pro-
tal health professionals ask courts to or- 2018 stabbing death of a medical stu- failed to get enough support. gram aims to help individuals with a
der outpatient mental health care for dent at a public library in Winchester, “It’s a very, very small population major mental illness, who have a pend-
adults with a persistent mental illness Massachusetts, by a man who had been that would require this and I don’t un- ing criminal case or are on probation.
and significant history of serious phys- diagnosed with schizophrenia in high derstand the advocates’ opposition,” Started in 2020, the Boston Outpatient
ical harm to themselves or others. school and was later hospitalized mul- said Piscopo. Assisted Treatment initiative has
The court would be allowed to order a tiple times due to his mental illness. Some individuals with mental illness served 165 individuals with 33 success-
personalized treatment plan, including He was found not guilty by reason of don’t have the cognitive ability to follow fully completing the program.
a monthly assessment by a mental insanity in 2021. through with treatment, while others Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, a
health professional to see if the person Other states have also grappled with don’t recognize that they have a disabil- Democrat, said she welcomes the ongo-
should remain in court-ordered com- the issue, driven in part over concerns ity, according to Lisa Dailey, executive ing debate about access to mental
munity treatment, according to the bill’s about homeless people who have a director of the Treatment Advocacy health care.
author, Democratic state Sen. Cindy mental illness. Center, a national non-profit aimed at “It’s really important that people
Friedman. The bill is still in the very California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a eliminating barriers to treatment for have access to the mental health care
early stages of making its way through Democrat, last year signed legislation to people with mental illness. that they need and also that we balance
the Legislature. create new “Care Courts” aimed at forc- “You want someone to remain stable individual rights in the process,” Healey
Friedman said the legislation relies in ing those with mental health issues off a long enough amount of time to realize said.

Catholic church in Md. slammed after report

Lea Skene sexual attraction toward young people
ASSOCIATED PRESS of the opposite sex” and said he “had
yielded to temptation from time to
BALTIMORE – While the Catholic time,” according to the report, which
Archdiocese of Baltimore has long tout- cites a 1970 letter from the archdiocese
ed its transparency in publishing the to Vatican authorities. Julian received
names of clergy credibly accused of sex- psychiatric treatment and was assigned
ual abuse, a report released this week by to desk work “where he would not be ex-
the Maryland attorney general’s office posed to temptation,” the report says.
raises questions about the integrity of He requested to leave the church in 1970
the church’s list. and get married.
Following the report’s long-awaited Further allegations against Julian
release Wednesday, victims and advo- came to light in 2002, but he was never
cates called on the Baltimore archbish- listed on the archdiocese’s list.
op to address discrepancies – their lat- Yet another priest, Father Thomas M.
est demand for transparency in a dec- Kelly – whose heavy drinking, overt rac-
adeslong fight to expose the church’s ism and “bad habit of pawing women”
coverup tactics. came up during a 1971 meeting of his col-
They also celebrated a major step to- leagues and superiors – was hospital-
ward potential legal recourse: state leg- ized for psychiatric treatment and al-
islation passed Wednesday that would lowed to continue ministering, accord-
eliminate the existing statute of limita- ing to the report.
tions on civil litigation against institu- Kurt Rupprecht speaks about the abuse he suffered after the release of a report In 1982, he caused a car crash that
tions like the archdiocese in cases of on child sexual abuse in the Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore on Wednesday. KIM killed another priest and escaped crimi-
child sexual abuse. Similar proposals HAIRSTON/BALTIMORE SUN VIA AP nal charges. He died in 1987.
failed in recent years, but the attorney When a woman reported in 2006 that
general’s investigation brought re- Kelly had sexually abused her as a child
newed attention to the issue this legisla- teachers; they were never assigned to ing.” in 1971, church officials deemed her ac-
tive session. The bill has been sent to ministry in the Archdiocese of Balti- Several of the clergy members not on count not credible, the report says. He
Gov. Wes Moore, who has said he sup- more; or they were first accused posthu- the church’s list admitted to abusing also was never included on the archdio-
ports it. mously and received only a single, un- children and teens, according to the re- cese’s list.
The report reveals the scope of over corroborated allegation. port. Sometimes they were asked to “They talk about being transparent,
eight decades of abuse and coverup Kendzierski said the archdiocese is leave the ministry but often avoided se- but it’s time for this diocese to take re-
within the Archdiocese of Baltimore. reviewing its list “in light of the Attorney rious consequences. sponsibility,” said David Lorenz, direc-
More than 150 Catholic priests and oth- General’s report” and expects to add In some cases, church officials tor of the Maryland chapter of SNAP.
ers associated with the archdiocese sex- more names soon. The report recom- agreed to financial settlements with vic- Lorenz and others advocated strong-
ually abused over 600 children and of- mended expanding the list to include tims – actions that suggest the allega- ly for the legislation passed Wednesday
ten escaped accountability, the investi- non-priests, which officials are also re- tions were considered credible, McKier- to eliminate the statute of limitations
gation found. viewing. nan said. for civil lawsuits.
The report also names 39 people who When Cardinal William Keeler re- For example, one victim repeatedly Currently, victims of child sex abuse
aren’t included on the archdiocese’s list, leased the Baltimore list in 2002, his de- contacted church officials in the late in Maryland can’t sue after they turn 38.
which officials first published in 2002 cision earned the diocese a reputation 1990s and early 2000s to report abuse The bill, if signed into law by Moore,
and have continued to update since. for transparency at a time when the na- he experienced in the 1930s at the hands would eliminate the age limit and allow
The Survivors Network of Those tionwide scope of wrongdoing re- of Father Alphonsus Figlewski, who for retroactive lawsuits. However, the
Abused by Priests, known as SNAP, said mained largely unexposed. But years would take altar boys on Baltimore’s measure includes a provision that
in a statement Wednesday that some later, a Pennsylvania grand jury accused streetcars and touch them inappropri- would pause lawsuits until the Supreme
omissions “might be understandable,” Keeler himself of covering up abuse alle- ately, according to the report. The dio- Court of Maryland can determine
but called for the archbishop to “err on gations in the 1980s. cese ultimately engaged in mediation whether it’s constitutional.
the side of being more transparent” for While Baltimore was among the first, and reached a settlement, the report The Maryland Catholic Conference,
the sake of victims and others. other dioceses across the country have says – but Figlewski was never listed as which represents the three dioceses
The archdiocese acknowledged the since published similar lists. a credibly accused priest. serving Maryland, opposed the mea-
discrepancies Thursday, saying none of “But there’s always the concern that One of the church officials who re- sure, contending it was unconstitution-
the 39 people are currently serving in even credibly accused people have been viewed the case, Father Michael Kolod- al to open an unlimited retroactive win-
ministry in the Baltimore area, and at left off these lists,” said Terence McKier- ziej, was himself later accused of abuse dow for civil cases.
least 33 have died. Archdiocese spokes- nan, president of BishopAccountabili- and included on the list. Several other states have passed
person Christian Kendzierski said most ty.org, which tracks clergy abuse na- Allegations in another case surfaced similar legislation in recent years, and
didn’t make the list because they are tionwide. “Now, in Baltimore, we have in 1968 and Father Albert Julian admit- in some cases, the resulting lawsuits
laypeople, including deacons and confirmation that’s what was happen- ted to having an “almost uncontrollable have driven dioceses into bankruptcy.
6NN | FRIDAY, APRIL 7, 2023 | NATION & WORLD EXTRA - USA TODAY NETWORK

BUSINESS
DOW JONES INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE S&P 500 • STANDARD & POOR’S NASDAQ COMPOSITE RUSSELL 2000
Closing: 33,485.29 Closing: 4,105.02 Closing: 12,087.96 Closing: 1,754.46
+2.57 Change: +.0%
YTD % Chg: +1.0% +14.64 Change: +.4%
YTD % Chg: +6.9% +91.10 Change: +.8%
YTD % Chg: +15.5% +2.33 Change: +.1%
YTD % Chg: -.4%

MARKET PERFORMANCE BY SECTOR MARKET NOTEBOOK TOP 10 EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS COMMODITIES
Sector Close Chg. 4wk 1 YTD 1 Issues NYSE NASDAQ ETF, ranked by volume Ticker Close Chg. % Chg %YTD Commodities Close Prev. Chg. % Chg. % YTD
Telecom 65.30 +0.85 +10.9% +19.9% Advancing 1,265 1,957 ProShs UltraPro QQQ TQQQ 27.43 +0.54 +2.0% +58.6% Cattle (lb.) 1.71 1.68 +0.03 +1.6% +10.5%
Declining 1,097 1,455 ProShs UltPro ShtQQQ SQQQ 30.21 -0.63 -2.0% -44.1% Corn (bushel) 6.44 6.53 -0.09 -1.4% -5.2%
Technology 149.07 +0.84 +7.9% +19.8%
Unchanged 79 256 Direx SOX Bull 3X SOXL 15.66 -0.26 -1.6% +61.9% Gold (troy oz.) 2,011.90 2,020.90 -9.00 -0.5% +10.6%
Consumer discret. 144.93 +0.03 +3.8% +12.2%
Total 2,441 3,668 SPDR S&P500 ETF Tr SPY 409.19 +1.59 +0.4% +7.0% Hogs, lean (lb.) .74 .73 +0.01 +1.0% -15.5%
Materials 79.63 -0.19 -0.3% +2.5% Natural Gas (Btu.) 2.01 2.15 -0.14 -6.7% -55.1%
Issues at Invesco QQQ Trust QQQ 318.05 +2.13 +0.7% +19.4%
Consumer staples 75.36 +0.06 +5.5% +1.1% Direx Biotech Bull LABU 4.97 +0.23 +4.9% -29.7% Oil, heating (gal.) 2.66 2.73 -0.07 -2.6% -20.9%
New 52 Week High 25 41
Industrials 97.77 -0.03 -3.1% -0.4% Direx SOX Bear 3X SOXS 18.94 +0.27 +1.4% -52.1% Oil, lt. swt. crude (bar.) 80.70 80.61 +0.09 +0.1% +0.6%
New 52 Week Low 32 159
Utilities 69.81 +0.49 +6.7% -1.0% SPDR Financial XLF 31.99 +0.12 +0.4% -6.5% Silver (troy oz.) 25.03 24.96 +0.07 +0.3% +4.9%
Share Volume
Health care 133.52 +0.33 +6.8% -1.7% Total 3,178,035,914 3,544,903,725 iShs iBoxx HY CpBd HYG 74.84 +0.33 +0.4% +1.6% Soybeans (bushel) 14.93 15.11 -0.18 -1.2% -1.8%
US Nat Gas Fund UNG 6.41 -0.38 -5.6% -54.5% Wheat (bushel) 6.76 6.82 -0.06 -1.0% -14.7%
Energy 84.98 -1.31 +1.5% -2.8% Advancing 1,798,420,754 2,199,780,043
Financials 31.99 +0.12 -4.6% -6.5% Declining 1,318,796,984 1,303,321,107
Unchanged 60,818,176 41,802,575 FOREIGN CURRENCIES FOREIGN MARKETS
Currency per dollar Close Prev. 6 mo. ago Yr. ago Country Close Prev. Change %Chg. %YTD
S&P 500’S BIGGEST GAINERS S&P 500’S BIGGEST LOSERS British pound .8029 .8024 .8966 .7651 Frankfurt 15,597.89 15,520.17 +77.72 +0.5% +12.0%
Company (ticker) Price $ Chg . % Chg. YTD Company (ticker) Price $ Chg . % Chg. YTD Canadian dollar 1.3471 1.3457 1.3749 1.2522 Hong Kong 20,331.20 20,274.59 +56.61 +0.3% +2.8%
Catalent Inc (CTLT) 64.95 +3.33 +5.4 +44.3 Mosaic Co (MOS) 43.67 -2.62 -5.7 -.5 Japan (Nikkei) 27,472.63 27,813.26 -340.63 -1.2% +5.3%
Chinese yuan 6.8759 6.8795 7.1160 6.3596
Fst Republic Bank (FRC) 14.03 +.59 +4.4 -88.5 FMC Corp (FMC) 116.92 -4.96 -4.1 -6.3 London 7,741.56 7,662.94 +78.62 +1.0% +3.9%
Marathon Petroleum (MPC) 128.68 -4.03 -3.0 +10.6 Euro .9149 .9167 1.0210 .9174
Alphabet Inc A (GOOGL) 108.42 +3.95 +3.8 +22.9 Mexico City 53,498.40 54,176.02 -677.62 -1.3% +10.4%
Alphabet Inc C (GOOG) 108.90 +3.95 +3.8 +22.7 Ulta Salon Cosmetics (ULTA) 520.95 -13.17 -2.5 +11.1 Japanese yen 131.77 131.11 145.07 123.78
Comerica Inc (CMA) 41.28 +1.36 +3.4 -38.2 Applied Matls (AMAT) 114.45 -2.87 -2.4 +17.5 Mexican peso 18.2350 18.3088 20.1256 20.1641 SOURCE Morningstar, Dow Jones Indexes, The Associated Press

IN BRIEF
Stocks tick higher to close out
shortened trading week

Stocks ticked higher on Wall Street

Thursday, offering a quiet end to a
shortened trading week dogged by
worries about a slowing economy.
The S&P 500 rose 14.64 points, or
0.4%, to 4,105.02. It ended with a 0.1%
loss for the week, its first down week in
the last four. The U.S. stock market will
be closed in observance of Good Fri-
day.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average
edged up by 2.57 points, or less than
0.1%, to 33,485.29, while the Nasdaq
composite gained 91.10, or 0.8%, to
12,087.96. The Russell 2000 index of
smaller companies rose 2.33 points, or
0.1%, to 1,754.46.
The stock market has remained rel-
atively resilient in the face of recession
worries, even as analysts expect the
upcoming earnings reporting season
to show the worst drop since the
spring of 2020.

Average 30-year mortgage rate

dips as spring season opens

The average long-term U.S. mort-

gage rate dipped for the fourth straight
week, a good sign for potential home
buyers and a real estate market that’s
been mostly cold since the Federal Re-
serve began raising interest rates more The newly released strategic operating plan lays out the specifics of how the IRS will allocate an infusion of $80 billion
than a year ago. through fiscal year 2031. SUSAN WALSH/AP FILE
Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac re-
ported Thursday that the average on
the benchmark 30-year rate dipped to
6.28% from 6.32% the previous week.
The average rate last year at this time
IRS pledges more audits of
was 4.72%.
The rate for a 15-year mortgage,
popular with those refinancing their
homes, rose this week to 5.64% from
wealthy, better customer service
5.56% last week. It was 3.91% one year Fatima Hussein report says more than half of the new
ago. ASSOCIATED PRESS money – $45.6 billion – will be devoted
to pursuing high-wealth individuals
Arnault tops Forbes list of world WASHINGTON – The IRS released and companies.
billionaires details Thursday on how it plans to use “Given the size and complex nature
an infusion of $80 billion for improved of these tax filings, this work often re-
There’s a new No. 1 atop Forbes’ an- operations, pledging to invest in new quires specialized approaches, and we
nual World Billionaires List: Bernard technology, hire more customer ser- will make these resources available,” the
Arnault, owner of luxury goods brands vice representatives and expand its report said. “We will use data and ana-
such as Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior ability to audit high-wealth taxpayers. lytics to improve our understanding of
and Tiffany & Co. While some Republicans have sug- the tax filings of high-wealth individ-
Arnault has added $53 billion to his gested without evidence that the mon- IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel said uals.”
fortune over the past year, according to ey from the Democrats’ landmark cli- new funding for the agency will not Treasury and IRS officials have in re-
Forbes’ 25 Richest People in the World, mate change and health care bill would include spending for new agents with cent months promoted the impact of the
released this week. help create a mob of armed auditors to guns. MARIAM ZUHAIB/AP FILE new spending on internal processes.
Elon Musk, founder of Tesla and harass middle-class taxpayers, new Robert Nassau, director of the Low
SpaceX, last year topped Forbes’ annu- IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel said Income Taxpayer Clinic at Syracuse
al list of the 25 Richest People in the it will not include spending for new use the new money to hire an army of University College of Law, said he has
World, but saw his fortune decline agents with guns. 87,000 tax agents with weapons. seen some noticeable differences.
from $219 billion last year to $180 bil- The agency’s newly released strate- That claim comes from a plan the “The phone line is amazingly im-
lion. gic operating plan lays out the specif- Treasury Department proposed in 2021 proved, that part of the IRS is working
At No. 3: Jeff Bezos at $114 billion. ics of how the IRS will allocate the to bring on that many IRS employees amazingly better,” he said. “But I can see
That’s about $57 billion less than a $80 billion, through fiscal year 2031, over the next decade if it got the money. the processing time of written submis-
year ago, the largest loss of anyone on that was approved in that legislation. At least 50,000 IRS employees are ex- sions is not back to pre-pandemic suffi-
the list, Forbes said. Some improvements have been pected to retire over the next five years. ciency.”
long expected, such as bringing more The strategic plan does not include Additional money for the IRS has
Honda recalls CR-Vs in cold paper-based systems online and an- final numbers on long-term hiring. been politically controversial since
states to fix frame rust problem swering taxpayers’ phone calls During the call with reporters, Trea- 2013, when the agency during the Oba-
promptly. Others are more ambitious: sury Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo ma administration was found to have
Honda is recalling nearly 564,000 continuing to explore ways to create a said the plan “is heavily driven by the scrutinized political groups that applied
older small SUVs because road salt can government-operated electronic free- fact that we need to make technology in- for tax-exempt status. A report by the
cause the frame to rust and rear sus- file tax return system, for example. vestments that will improve productiv- Treasury Department’s internal watch-
pension parts to come loose. No hiring boost is foreseen for the ity, which will mean that over time the dog found that both conservative and
The recall covers certain CR-Vs criminal investigation unit, which rep- number of employees and the mix of liberal groups were chosen for close re-
from 2007 through 2011 that were sold resents 3% of the agency’s workforce employees at the IRS will change.” view.
or registered in states where salt is and employed roughly 2,077 special After Congress passed the legislation Erin Collins, the national taxpayer
used to clear roads in the winter. agents as of the 2022 budget year, ac- last summer, Treasury Secretary Janet advocate, wrote in a blog post that the
U.S. safety regulators say in docu- cording to the IRS’ annual report. Yellen directed the IRS to develop a plan while plan focuses disproportionately
ments posted Thursday that salt can Those are the agents who may be outlining how the tax agency would on enforcement, “for the first time in my
accumulate and cause corrosion, and armed. overhaul its technology, customer ser- 40 years as a tax professional, the tax
the rear trailing arm can detach. That There are “no plans to increase” that vice and hiring processes. Her memo administration stars seem to be align-
can cause drivers to lose control, in- division, Werfel said during a call with sent instructions to IRS leadership not ing,” with the newly released plan.
creasing the risk of a crash. Rear trail- reporters. “That will stay at its current to increase audit rates on people making Jean Ross, senior fellow at the Center
ing arms connect the rear axle to the rate.” less than $400,000 a year annually. for American Progress, said in an
chassis. Dealers will inspect the SUVs Since President Joe Biden signed Officials are promising not “to raise emailed statement that “the funding
and install a support brace or repair the measure, known as the “Inflation audit rates on small businesses and will more than pay for itself by ensuring
the rear frame if needed. Reduction Act,” in August, some Re- households making under $400,000 that the IRS can hold the very wealthy
From wire reports publicans have claimed the IRS would per year, relative to historic levels.” The and large corporations accountable.”
 NATION & WORLD EXTRA - USA TODAY NETWORK | FRIDAY, APRIL 7, 2023 | 7NN

EPA plan takes on health risks near chemical plants

Michael Phillis weren’t able to sue and reduce the waiting to review the proposed lan- batteries to sterilized medical equip-
ASSOCIATED PRESS threat. guage before commenting. Data show ment,” said council spokesman Tom
The proposed measure is also in- the plant has drastically reduced its Flanagin, adding that the EPA may be
In what could prove a significant tended to address short-term emissions emissions over time and it already con- rushing its work on significant regula-
move for communities facing air pollu- spikes when plants start up, shut down ducts fence line monitoring. In docu- tions.
tion, the Environmental Protection and malfunction. If the proposal is final- ments, however, EPA said the plant re- Regan visited this same parish in
Agency proposed on Thursday that ized, it would impact roughly 200 chem- mains a danger to those who live nearby. 2021 on a five-day trip from Mississippi
chemical plants nationwide measure ical plants, the agency said. The changes also focus on manufac- to Texas to highlight low-income and
certain hazardous compounds that Fence line monitoring has long been a turers of ethylene oxide, which is com- mostly minority communities harmed
cross beyond their property lines and priority of the environmental justice monly used in medical sterilization by industrial pollution.
reduce them when they are too high. movement and a number of refinery plants. Long-term exposure to that Then last year, the EPA said it had ev-
The proposed rules would reduce communities have won it in recent chemical can increase the risk of lym- idence that Black residents face an in-
cancer risk and other exposure for com- years. This measure would extend some phoma and breast cancer. The agency creased cancer risk from the Denka
munities that live close to harmful emit- of those changes nationwide. plans to issue proposed regulations for chemical plant and state officials were
ters, the EPA said. The data would be EPA Administrator Michael Regan medical sterilization plants soon. allowing pollution to remain too high.
made public and the results would force announced the plan in St. John the Bap- According to the agency, the proposal The agency’s letter was part of an inves-
companies to fix problems that increase tist Parish, Louisiana, home to the Den- would slash ethylene oxide emissions tigation under the Civil Rights Act of
emissions. ka chemical plant, which makes syn- nationwide by about two-thirds and 1964, which says anyone who received
“This is probably the most significant thetic rubber and emits chloroprene, chloroprene by three-quarters from federal funds cannot discriminate
rule I’m experiencing in my 30 years of listed as a carcinogen in California. Den- 2020 levels. Emissions that worsen based on race or national origin.
working in cancer alley,” said Beverly ka is less than a half mile from an ele- smog would be reduced as well. Next, federal officials sued Denka in
Wright executive director of the Deep mentary school and has been targeted The American Chemistry Council February, demanding it cut its emis-
South Center for Environmental Justice by federal officials for allegedly increas- said industry emissions have declined sions. Now, they’ve proposed tighter
and member of the White House Envi- ing the cancer risk for the nearby, major- over the last decade. It is concerned regulations on chemical plants.
ronmental Justice Advisory Council. ity-Black community. about the EPA’s proposal for reducing “This is a day to celebrate,” Wright
She referred to an area dense with pet- “For generations, our most vulnera- ethylene oxide, and says it is based on a said.
rochemical development along the Gulf ble communities have unjustly borne faulty EPA risk assessment. AP receives support from the Walton
coast. the burden of breathing unsafe, pollut- “Overly conservative regulations on Family Foundation for coverage of envi-
In the past, Wright said, even when ed air,” Regan said. ethylene oxide could threaten access to ronmental policy. The AP is solely re-
emissions caused harm, residents A spokesperson for Denka said it is products ranging from electric vehicle sponsible for all content.

Tennessee
Continued from Page 1NN

before the vote, Jones said the GOP re-

sponded to the shooting with a different
kind of attack.
“We called for you all to ban assault
weapons, and you respond with an as-
sault on democracy,” he said.
Jones vowed that even if expelled, he
would continue pressing for action on
guns.
“I’ll be out there with the people ev-
ery week, demanding that you act,” he
said.
Republican Rep. Gino Bulso said the
three Democratic representatives “ef-
fectively conducted a mutiny.”
“The gentleman shows no remorse,”
Bulso said of Jones. “He does not even
recognize that what he did was wrong.
So not to expel him would simply invite
him and his colleagues to engage in mu-
tiny on the House floor.”
The two expelled lawmakers may not
be gone for long. County commissions
in their districts get to pick replace-
ments to serve until a special election
can be scheduled, and they also would Former Rep. Justin Jones, D-Nashville, raises his fist on the floor of the House as he walks to his desk to collect his
be eligible to run in the special election. belongings after being expelled from the Legislature on Thursday in Nashville, Tenn. PHOTOS BY GEORGE WALKER IV/AP
Under the Tennessee Constitution,
lawmakers cannot be expelled for the
same offense twice.
During discussion, Republican Rep.
Sabi Kumar advised Jones to be more
collegial and less focused on race.
“You have a lot to offer, but offer it in a
vein where people are accepting of your
ideas,” Kumar said.
Jones said he did not intend to as-
similate in order to be accepted. “I’m not
here to make friends. I’m here to make a
change for my community,” he replied.
Fielding questions from lawmakers,
Johnson reminded them that she did
not raise her voice nor did she use the
bullhorn – as did the other two, both of
whom are new lawmakers and among
the youngest members in the chamber.
But she also suggested that race was
likely a factor on why Jones and Pearson
were ousted but not her, telling report-
ers that it “might have to do with the col-
or of our skin.”
That notion was echoed by state Sen.
London Lamar, a Democrat represent-
ing Memphis.
Lawmakers “expelled the two black
men and kept the white woman,” Lamar,
a Black woman, said via Twitter. “The
racism that is on display today! Wow!”
However House Speaker Cameron
Sexton, a Republican who voted to expel
all three, denied that race was at play Then-Rep. Justin Pearson, D-Memphis, raises his fists on the floor of the House to recognize his supporters before the
and said Johnson’s arguments might start of the legislative session Thursday in Nashville, Tenn. Republicans voted to oust Pearson from the House.
have swayed other members.
“Our members literally didn’t look at
the ethnicity of the members up for ex- cused on? Punishing lawmakers who
pulsion,” Majority Leader William Lam- joined thousands of peaceful protesters
berth added. He alleged that Jones and calling for action. It’s shocking, undem-
Pearson were trying to incite a riot last ocratic, and without precedent,” Biden
week, while Johnson was more sub- tweeted.
dued. Many of the protesters traveled from
After sitting quietly for hours and Memphis and Knoxville, areas that
hushing anyone who cried out during Pearson and Johnson represent, and
the proceedings, people in the gallery stood in a line that wrapped around the
erupted in screams and boos following Capitol to get inside.
the final vote. There were chants of Protesters outside the chamber held
“Shame!” and “Fascists!” up signs that said, “School zones
Lawmakers quickly adjourned for the shouldn’t be war zones,” “Muskets
evening. didn’t fire 950 rounds per minute” with a
GOP leaders told journalists after- photo of George Washington, and “You
ward that Thursday’s actions were nec- can silence a gun … but not the voice of
essary to avoid setting a precedent that the people.“
lawmakers disrupting House proceed- Before the expulsion votes, House
ings through protest would be tolerated. members debated more than 20 bills,
In Washington, President Joe Biden including a school safety proposal re-
criticized the GOP’s priorities. quiring public and private schools to
“Three kids and three officials submit building safety plans to the Rep. Gloria Johnson, D-Knoxville, is hugged by Rep. Jason Powell, D-Nashville, as
gunned down in yet another mass state. The bill did not address gun con- a resolution to expel Johnson fails on the floor of the House on Thursday in
shooting. And what are GOP officials fo- trol, sparking criticism from Democrats. Nashville, Tenn. Two other Democrats were expelled.
8NN | FRIDAY, APRIL 7, 2023 | NATION & WORLD EXTRA - USA TODAY NETWORK

Kansas OKs opting out of LGBTQ lessons

Bill gives parents
control on issue
John Hanna
ASSOCIATED PRESS

TOPEKA, Kan. – Kansas lawmakers

approved a bill Thursday aimed at help-
ing parents opt their children out of
public school lessons with LGBTQ-
themed materials, as a Democratic law-
maker whose vote was crucial to ban-
ning transgender female athletes from
girls’ and women’s sports faced calls to
resign.
The Republican-controlled Kansas
House voted 76-46 to approve a “paren-
tal rights” measure that would allow a
parent to place their child in an alterna-
tive to a public K-12 school lesson or ac-
tivity that “impairs the parent’s sincere-
ly held beliefs, values or principles.” The
GOP-dominated Senate approved the
measure last week, so it goes next to
Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly.
“If there is one family who are denied
their rights, we need to address it,” said
Republican state Rep. Susan Estes, of
Wichita.
While the measure covers lessons
and materials dealing with race and
possibly even evolution, it also is in line Kansas state Rep. Marvin Robinson, D-Kansas City, explains why he voted to override a veto of a bill on transgender
with the push by Republicans in state- athletes Wednesday in Topeka, Kan. EVERT NELSON/TOPEKA CAPITAL-JOURNAL VIA AP
houses across the U.S. to roll back
LGBTQ rights, particularly transgender
rights. State Rep. Heather Meyer, a Kan- ing gender affirming care for minors. Robinson represents a heavily Dem- Kelly of lying about her record. LGBTQ-
sas City-area Democrat, called the mea- Kelly vetoed a bill last year that would ocratic district and replaced a retiring rights advocates interpreted her com-
sure a “perfect vehicle” for anti-LGBTQ have made it easier for parents to try to lawmaker who voted against overriding ment as saying men playing girl’s sports
discrimination. remove classroom or library materials. Kelly’s veto in 2022. Kansas Young wasn’t an issue because transgender
“We can see what’s been done in oth- Supporters of this year’s bill still were Democrats and the state Democratic girls and women are female.
er states across the country where they short of the two-thirds majorities in Party’s LGBTQ+ and Progressive cau- Robinson told The Associated Press
have used this as a vehicle to attack the both chambers necessary to override a cuses demanded that he step down af- that no one in the Democratic Party told
LGBTQ community,” said Meyer, who is veto. ter Wednesday’s vote. him last year that he was expected to
bisexual and has a 13-year-old trans- “What we heard in committee were Robinson also supported the parents’ vote against bills on transgender ath-
gender son. parents who not only went to their rights measure. Kansas House Demo- letes. He also said a female Democratic
The Legislature on Tuesday ap- teacher, they went to their principal and cratic Leader Vic Miller said he would be colleague that he declined to name “told
proved a broad bathroom bill and on higher up in their school district and did “pleased” if Robinson resigned. me I should die.”
Wednesday voted to override Kelly’s ve- not have their concerns addressed,” Es- “Right now, he’s voting more with the He rejected criticism that his vote is
to of the measure on transgender ath- tes said. other party than he is with ours,” Miller “hurting people’s kids.”
letes. Meanwhile, conservative Republi- said. “He ran as a Democrat, but he “Who could mistreat and look down
Kansas is the 20th state to enact such cans were able to override Kelly’s third doesn’t seem to be serving as a Demo- on anybody?” he said. “You know, ev-
a sports ban, and its law applies to club veto of a bill on transgender athletes in crat.” erybody is God’s creation.”
and school sports from kindergarten three years because of the “yes” vote Robinson told a conservative Kansas He told the radio host that friends
through college starting July 1. from a single Democrat, freshman Rep. City radio talk show Thursday morning told him: “Man, you’re up there with a
GOP lawmakers also hoped to pass a Marvin Robinson, of Kansas City. that he thought he was “on the same bunch of demons.”
bill Thursday that would require Kansas That Kansas vote came a day before page” as Kelly because of a television Meyer said “absolutely none” of Rob-
public schools to keep transgender girls President Joe Biden’s administration commercial she aired during her reelec- inson’s fellow Democrats would have
from rooming with cisgendered girls announced a proposal to bar schools tion campaign. In that ad, Kelly looked told him after the vote that he should
and transgender boys, with cisgendered and colleges from enacting outright into the camera and said: “Of course die.
boys, on overnight school trips. bans on transgender athletes but allow men should not play girls’ sports. OK, “We care about mental health and we
GOP conservatives also hadn’t given them to set some limits to preserve fair- we all agree there.” care about our colleagues, even if we
up on trying to pass a bill aimed at end- ness. At the time, Republicans accused disagree,” Meyer said.

High court: Trans girl can run girls track in WV

Mark Sherman
ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court

on Thursday allowed a 12-year-old
transgender girl in West Virginia to con-
tinue competing on her middle school’s
girls sports teams while a lawsuit over a
state ban continues.
The justices refused to disturb an ap-
peals court order that made it possible
for the girl, Becky Pepper-Jackson, to
continue playing on her school’s track
and cross-country teams, where she
regularly finishes near the back of the
pack.
Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence
Thomas would have allowed West Vir-
ginia to enforce its law against Pepper-
Jackson.
Pepper-Jackson is in the middle of
the outdoor track season. She had filed a
lawsuit challenging the law, the Save
Women’s Sports Act, which West Vir-
ginia lawmakers adopted in 2021. A fed-
eral appeals court had allowed her to
compete while she appealed a lower
court ruling that upheld the West Vir-
ginia law.
In an emailed statement issued by
the ACLU’s West Virginia chapter to The
Associated Press on Thursday night,
Pepper-Jackson said: “I am so happy The Supreme Court refused to disturb an appeals court order that made it possible for a transgender girl in West Virginia
that the Supreme Court saw that this to continue competing on girls sports teams. PATRICK SEMANSKY/AP FILE
stay was not an emergency. I still get to
play with my friends and teammates on
the track team. That’s all I want to do, be West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, a Re- action, West Virginia Attorney General U.S. District Court Judge Joseph
with my friends and be the girl that I publican, also recently signed legisla- Patrick Morrisey said he “is deeply dis- Goodwin initially barred West Virginia
am.” tion banning gender-affirming care for appointed at the U.S. Supreme Court’s from enforcing its law and allowed Pep-
The high court announcement came minors, part of an effort in Republican- decision.” per-Jackson to compete on the girls’
the same day the Biden administration led states across the country to curb Organizations that have backed Pep- teams while the case continued.
proposed a new rule that would prevent LGBTQ+ rights this year. per-Jackson said they were “grateful.” But Goodwin ultimately found that
schools and colleges from enacting out- West Virginia’s law on schools sports “This was a baseless and cruel effort to the law does not violate the Constitu-
right bans on transgender athletes, but competition bars transgender athletes keep Becky from where she belongs – tion or Title IX, the landmark 1972 gen-
would allow certain exceptions to pro- from female teams. Signed by Justice, playing alongside her peers as a team- der equity legislation. Goodwin, an ap-
mote fairness or reduce injuries. the law defines male and female by look- mate and as a friend,” the American Civ- pointee of former President Bill Clinton,
Two weeks ago, track and field ing to the student’s “reproductive biolo- il Liberties Union, the ACLU of West Vir- ruled the law could remain in place as
banned transgender athletes from in- gy and genetics at birth.” It applies to ginia and Lambda Legal said in a joint appeals continued.
ternational competitions. West Virginia middle and high schools, as well as col- statement. Lawyers for the girl, known in the
is among 20 states that ban transgender leges. Tennis great Martina Navratilova lawsuit by the initials B.P.J., appealed. A
athletes from participating in sports Under the law, male athletes can play was among dozens of female athletes three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit
consistent with their gender identity, on male or co-ed teams and female ath- backing West Virginia at the Supreme Court of Appeals voted 2-1, without is-
according to Movement Advancement letes can play on all teams. Court, along with Republican attorneys suing any opinion, to put the law on hold
Project, a pro-LGBTQ rights think tank. In a statement after the high court general in 21 states. while it considers the case.
 NATION & WORLD EXTRA - USA TODAY NETWORK | FRIDAY, APRIL 7, 2023 | 9NN

People attend a Transgender Day of Visibility rally in Washington on March 31. Republican-led states have sought to ban trans athletes from competing in school
sports that align with their gender identities. JACQUELYN MARTIN/AP FILE

Athletes
Continued from Page 1NN

process, however, and it’s almost cer-

tain to face challenges. While oppo-
nents sharply criticized the proposal,
some advocates for transgender ath-
letes were concerned that it did not go
far enough.
The proposal comes on the same day
that the Supreme Court said a 12-year-
old transgender girl in West Virginia can
continue competing on her middle
school track and cross-country teams
while legal battles over the state’s trans-
gender law continue. The law bans
transgender athletes from female
teams.
All told, at least 16 states now have
bans in effect covering at least high
school interscholastic sports. Some also
extend to intramural, club or college
sports. Enforcement of bans in at least
three states has been put on hold by
courts, and one more has adopted a ban
that doesn’t take effect until July.
Under the Education Department’s
proposed rule, no school or college that
receives federal funding would be al-
lowed to impose a “one-size-fits-all”
policy that categorically bans trans stu-
dents from playing on sports teams con-
sistent with their gender identity. Such A flag supporting LGBTQ rights decorates a desk at the Kansas Statehouse in Topeka on March 28. A new law in Kansas
policies would be considered a violation banning transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s sports from kindergarten through college takes effect July 1.
of Title IX. JOHN HANNA/AP FILE
Still, it leaves room for schools to de-
velop team eligibility rules that could ul-
timately result in restrictions around make it easier for schools to tell trans- At the same time, international track and field events.
trans athletes’ participation. gender athletes they can’t play on a sports-governing bodies are instituting The Biden administration has made
That would be allowed only if it team. “That’s the direction things have policies that ban all trans athletes from it a priority to bolster the rights of trans
serves “important educational objec- been going,” he said in a phone inter- competing in track and field and effec- students. Last year it proposed a sepa-
tives,” such as fairness in competition view. tively ban trans women from swimming rate federal rule that for the first time
and reduction of injury risks. Hirsch competed on the women’s events. would extend Title IX rights to LGBTQ
Any limits would have to consider the team in the 2021-22 season, and began Donna de Varona, a two-time Olym- students, broadly protecting them from
sport, the level of competition and the transitioning socially in high school and pic gold medalist in swimming and a discrimination in education.
age of students. Elementary school stu- medically last summer. member of the Women’s Sports Policy That rule – which drew sharp opposi-
dents would generally be allowed to Eli Bundy, an 18-year-old transgen- Working Group, said her hope is to find a tion from conservatives – is expected to
participate on any teams consistent der resident of Charleston, South Caro- “nuanced approach” to finding space for be finalized as soon as next month.
with their gender identity, for example. lina, said they welcomed the proposal transgender athletes while allowing for The new proposal doesn’t offer ex-
More competitive teams at high schools but were stopping short of celebrating. Title IX to make sure girls and women amples of acceptable limits that can be
and colleges could add limits, but those “I have a hard time feeling relief when have “fairness, opportunity and safety.” placed on school sports, but it clarifies
would be discouraged in teams that positive stuff happens at the national “There’s plenty of room. … Why does that restrictions can’t be directed at
don’t have tryouts or cuts. level because there’s still so much at the it have to be in the women’s category? trans students only. Schools will be left
“Every student should be able to have state level from the South Carolina Leg- We’re already being compromised in our to navigate that tricky legal terrain, with
the full experience of attending school islature that is antagonistic and sends a reproductive rights and now we have the knowledge that any violation could
in America, including participating in really harmful message to trans youth,” the other spectrum with sports,” de Va- bring a federal civil rights investigation
athletics, free from discrimination,” Mi- said Bundy, who testified in 2021 rona said in a phone interview. or lawsuits.
guel Cardona, Biden’s education secre- against the state’s ban on transgender Sasha Buchert, Lambda Legal senior Schools that choose to impose limits
tary, said in a statement. students’ participation in girls’ or wom- attorney and director of the group’s must “minimize harms” to students who
The Biden administration used “fair- en’s sports at public schools and col- Nonbinary and Transgender Rights Pro- lose out on athletics opportunities, the
ness of competition” as criteria, which leges. ject, said the rule provided “critical rec- proposal says. If a school can achieve
has been part of the debate both in the Asked about the state bans now in ognition of the importance of partici- objectives like fairness in ways that
U.S. and globally. But officials offered no place, a senior Education Department pating in sports for transgender youth.” cause less harm, then the school could
specifics on how this could be done. official briefing reporters on condition At the same time she expressed concern be deemed to be violating Title IX.
Of the tens of millions of high school of anonymity said Title IX is the law of about whether it would eliminate dis- “Preventing students from partici-
students in the U.S., about 300,000 the land and they would work to ensure crimination against transgender stu- pating on a sports team consistent with
youth between the ages of 13 to 17 identi- it’s being followed in all the states. dents. their gender identity can stigmatize and
fy as transgender, according to a 2022 Critics argue transgender athletes But an attorney for cisgender runners isolate them,” according to background
study from the Williams Institute, a have an advantage over cisgender wom- decried the proposal as “as slap in the information provided by the admini-
think tank at UCLA focused on LGBTQ+ en in competition. Last year, Lia Thom- face to female athletes who deserve stration. “This is different from the ex-
issues. The number of athletes within as became the first transgender woman equal opportunity to compete in their perience of a student who is not select-
that group is much smaller; a 2017 sur- to win an NCAA swimming title. College sports.” ed for a team based on their skills.”
vey by Human Rights Campaign sug- sports’ governing body, however, adopt- “The Biden administration’s rewrit- Schools that violate Title IX can face
gested fewer than 15% of all transgender ed a sport-by-sport approach to trans- ing Title IX degrades women and tells penalties up to a compete loss of federal
youth play sports. gender athletes in January 2022, which them that their athletic goals and place- funding, although no school has ever
Asked about the proposal, Bobbie was to bring the organization in line ments do not matter,” said Christiana been dealt that punishment.
Hirsch, a transgender man and sopho- with the U.S. and International Olympic Kiefer, senior counsel at Alliance De- The Associated Press education team
more on the Wayne State men’s fencing committees, though recently the fending Freedom. She represented Con- receives support from the Carnegie Cor-
team, said “anything helps” but he NCAA’s board decided it won’t be fully necticut runners who sued over the par- poration of New York. The AP is solely re-
feared the language in the rule would implemented until 2023-24. ticipation of two transgender girls in sponsible for all content.
10NN | FRIDAY, APRIL 7, 2023 | NATION & WORLD EXTRA - USA TODAY NETWORK

UN: 3,300 Afghan staff protest ban

Edith M. Lederer
ASSOCIATED PRESS

UNITED NATIONS – The United Na-

tions said the 3,330 Afghan men and
women it employs stayed home for a
second day Thursday to protest the Tali-
ban’s ban on U.N. female staff working
in the country as it continued to press
for the decision to be reversed.
The U.N. Security Council held an
emergency meeting on the Taliban’s ac-
tion and pushed its calls for the ban to
be overturned.
U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric
reiterated the U.N.’s insistence that all
U.N. staff are needed to deliver life-sav-
ing aid to millions and stressed again
that “Afghan women will not be re-
placed by men.” He also said the United
Nations doesn’t want to get into a situa-
tion where it replaces Afghan women
with international women, who are not
banned from working in the country.
He explained that culturally it is al-
ways better to have nationals from a
country delivering aid to their local pop-
ulation. The U.N. has a staff of about
3,900 in Afghanistan, including approx-
imately 3,300 Afghans and 600 interna-
tional personnel. The total also includes
600 Afghan women and 200 women
from other countries. Afghan women protest in Kabul last year. The U.N. said its Afghan staff stayed home Thursday to protest the Taliban’s ban
At the closed U.N. Security Council on U.N. female staff working in the country. MOHAMMED SHOAIB AMIN/AP FILE
meeting on the Taliban ban, members
were briefed by the secretary-general’s
special representative for Afghanistan, by the Taliban to erase Afghan women Despite initial promises of a more special representative and humanitar-
Roza Otunbayeva, who led talks and girls from society.” moderate rule than during its previous ian coordinator for Afghanistan, said in
Wednesday with the Taliban’s foreign The United Nations on Wednesday stint in power in the 1990s, the Taliban a statement Thursday that Afghanistan
minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, to call for called the ban an “unparalleled” viola- have imposed harsh measures since is the world’s largest aid operation, with
a reversal of its decision. tion of women’s rights, unlawful under taking over the country in 2021 as U.S. a record 28.3 million people in need of
Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily international law, and unacceptable to and NATO forces were pulling out of Af- assistance this year including 20 mil-
Nebenzia, the current council president, the 193-member international organiza- ghanistan after two decades of war. lion facing severe hunger and 6 million
told reporters afterward that “every- tion. Girls are banned from education be- of them “one step away from famine.”
body was appalled by the decision the The Taliban decision drew condem- yond sixth grade. Women are barred The U.N. appealed for $4.6 billion to
Taliban made.” nation from the world’s most recog- from working, studying, traveling with- provide humanitarian aid for Afghani-
“The question is how to approach it, nized organizations and on Thursday out a male companion, and even going stan in 2023 but the appeal is less than
and we agreed to work on a product by more than a dozen U.N. experts also de- to parks or gyms. And women must also 5% funded, receiving only $213 million
the council … that would be useful and manded the immediate reversal of the cover themselves from head to toe. In which makes it the lowest funded U.N.
balanced,” he said. countrywide ban on Afghan women December, the Taliban banned female aid operation globally, he said.
U.S. deputy ambassador Robert working with the United Nations, in- workers for humanitarian organiza- “The world cannot abandon the peo-
Wood said the Biden administration cluding the U.N. special investigator on tions. ple of Afghanistan at this precarious
sees the ban “basically as another effort human rights in Afghanistan. Ramiz Alakbarov, the U.N. deputy moment,” Alakbarov said.

Doctors: Berlusconi has leukemia, infection

Frances D’Emilio combatting leukemia. Another treat-
ASSOCIATED PRESS ment would involve controlling the
white blood cell count.
ROME – Former Italian Premier Sil- Berlusconi’s doctors said they were
vio Berlusconi is being treated for a lung aiming to “get back the pre-existing
infection that is a result of chronic leu- clinical conditions.”
kemia, his doctors said Thursday, re- Without citing any sources, Italian
vealing the latest of string of health set- news agency ANSA reported that Ber-
backs for the 86-year-old media mogul. lusconi had received chemotherapy.
Berlusconi’s personal physician, Al- Berlusconi’s party whip in the lower
berto Zangrillo, signed off on a medical chamber of the Italian Parliament, Pao-
bulletin that said Berlusconi has had lo Barelli, told reporters that Berlusconi
leukemia “for some time” but that the “is responding to treatment,” but Barelli
cancer of the blood cells was in a “per- declined to specify what kind.
sistent chronic phase.” A statement from Forza Italia said
The statement was the first official Berlusconi on Thursday morning had
word from doctors since Berlusconi was telephoned several party officials about
admitted to Milan’s San Raffaele Hospi- political matters.
tal on Wednesday. Dr. Fabio Ciceri, who Meanwhile family members con-
is head of hematology, bone marrow tinued to visit Berlusconi. Spotted arriv-
transplation and blood cancer at the ing at the hospital were his brother, Pao-
hospital, co-signed it. lo, his eldest daughter, Marina, and his
“The current treatment strategy en- Former Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi was admitted to an intensive care unit younger son, Luigi.
visions treatment of the pulmonary in- on Wednesday for treatment of what aides indicated was a respiratory problem. LaPresse news agency quoted Ber-
fection” as well as specialized treatment ANDREW MEDICHINI/AP FILE lusconi’s brother Paolo as saying that
“aimed at limiting the negative effects” the family was “relieved” and “hopeful”
of the chronic leukemia, the bulletin amid signs of improvement in his condi-
stated. Forza Italia, the political party that Ber- that his leukemia was in a “persistent tion.
Berlusconi is a media mogul who lusconi created some 30 years ago. chronic phase” and that tests have Fedele Confalonieri, Berlusconi’s
served three terms as Italy’s premier Zangrillo, Berlusconi’s longtime phy- found an “absence of evolving charac- longtime confidant and chairman of his
and now serves in the Senate. He was sician, is a chief anesthesiologist at San teristics of acute leukemia,” which de- media empire Mediaset, told reporters
admitted to an intensive care unit at San Raffaele Hospital. The former three- velops more quickly. Thursday that “we’re more optimistic.”
Raffaele Hospital on Wednesday for time premier and now senator had left Doctors said the kind of leukemia af- The last years have seen Berlusconi
treatment of what aides indicated was a the same hospital a week ago after sev- flicting Berlusconi usually appears in suffer numerous health problems, in-
respiratory problem stemming from a eral days of tests. people of advanced age and is charac- cluding heart ailments and COVID-19 in
previous infection. The medical bulletin didn’t specify terized by an increase in white blood 2020, which saw him hospitalized then
Earlier Thursday, a close political al- which treatment Berlusconi was receiv- cells known as monocytes. in critical condition with pneumonia.
ly, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, ing. Treatment for older patients could He has had a pacemaker for years,
quoting Zangrillo, reported that Berlus- Berlusconi “is currently in intensive involve a stem cell transplant. But that underwent heart surgery to replace an
coni was alert and in stable condition at care for the treatment of a pulmonary could be difficult, according to an Italian aortic valve in 2016 and overcame pros-
the hospital. Tajani is the coordinator of infection,” the bulletin said. It noted non-profit association dedicated to tate cancer decades ago.

US ambassador, Russian diplomat discuss reporter

ASSOCIATED PRESS caught red-handed while trying to ob- Russia’s Federal Security Service ac- from around the world. We continue to
tain secret information, using his jour- cused Gershkovich of trying to obtain call for his immediate release,” Tucker
The U.S ambassador to Russia and a nalistic status as a cover for illegal ac- classified information about a Russian said in a note to the newsroom Tuesday.
top Russian diplomat met Thursday to tions,” the statement said. arms factory. The Journal has denied Gershkovich was ordered held be-
discuss a Wall Street Journal reporter The ministry added that “the hype in the accusations. hind bars for two months in Russia
who was arrested last week on espio- the United States around this case, Lawyers representing Gershkovich pending an investigation. A Moscow
nage charges, the Russian Foreign Min- which is aimed at putting pressure on met with him Tuesday for the first time court said Monday that it had received a
istry said. the Russian authorities and the court, since his detention, according to The defense appeal of his arrest; the appeal
In the meeting with U.S. Ambassador which should decide the fate of Gersh- Wall Street Journal. Editor-in-Chief is to be heard on April 18, Russian news
Lynne T. Tracy, Russian Deputy Foreign kovich, is hopeless and senseless.” Emma Tucker said the paper was en- agencies reported.
Minister Sergei Ryabkov stressed “the Gershkovich, 31, was arrested in Ye- couraged by the visit and Gershkovich’s U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blin-
serious nature of the charges” against katerinburg, Russia’s fourth-largest family is “relieved to know we finally kenurged Russian Foreign Minister Ser-
American journalist Evan Gershkovich, city, on March 29. He is the first U.S. cor- have contact with Evan.” gey Lavrov on Sunday to release Gersh-
according to a ministry statement. respondent since the Cold War to be de- “Evan’s health is good, and he is kovich immediately, as well as another
“It was emphasized that he was tained for alleged spying. grateful for the outpouring of support imprisoned American, Paul Whelan.
 R1 NATION & WORLD EXTRA - USA TODAY NETWORK | FRIDAY, APRIL 7, 2023 | 11NN

Smoke rises from a fire after rockets fired from Lebanon struck northern Israel on Thursday. FADI AMUN/AP

Israel
Continued from Page 1NN

decisions had been made.

“Israel’s response, tonight and be-
yond, will extract a heavy price from our
enemies,” Netanyahu said in the state-
ment. It did not elaborate.
Almost immediately, Palestinian mil-
itants in Gaza began firing rockets into
southern Israel, setting off air raid si-
rens across the region. Loud explosions
could be heard in Gaza from the Israeli
strikes, as outgoing rockets whooshed
into the skies toward Israel.
The airstrikes came after militants in
Lebanon fired some 34 rockets into Isra-
el, forcing people across Israel’s north-
ern frontier into bomb shelters and
wounding at least two people.
The Israeli military said the rocket
fire on its northern and southern fronts
was carried out by Palestinian militants
in connection to this week’s violence at
the Al-Aqsa Mosque, where Israeli po-
lice stormed into the building with tear
gas and stun grenades to confront Pal-
estinians barricaded inside on two
straight days. The violent scenes from
the mosque ratcheted up tensions
across the region.
The military said some 25 of the rock- Israeli self-propelled howitzers are stationed at a base in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights on Thursday.
ets were intercepted. But two people RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
were wounded and property was dam-
aged in several communities in north-
ern Israel. Lebanon-based Palestinian militant lant, but then backtracked as he put the nights, Palestinians barricaded them-
The rare attack from Lebanon raised group, not by Hezbollah. overhaul on hold for several weeks. selves in the mosque with stones and
fears of a wider conflagration as Israel’s Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister, Critics could also accuse him of trying to firecrackers.
bitter enemy, the Iran-backed militant Najib Mikati, condemned the firing of use the crisis to divert attention from his Worshippers have been demanding
group Hezbollah, holds sway over much rockets from Lebanon, adding that Leb- domestic woes. the right to pray overnight inside the
of southern Lebanon. anese troops and U.N. peacekeepers Netanyahu said that the domestic di- mosque – which authorities typically
In a briefing with reporters, Lt. Col. were investigating and trying to find the visions had no impact on national secu- only permit during the last 10 days of the
Richard Hecht, an Israeli military perpetrators. Mikati said his govern- rity and that the country would remain monthlong Ramadan holiday. They also
spokesman, said the army drew a clear ment “categorically rejects any military united in the face of external threats. have stayed in the mosque in protest
connection between the Lebanese rock- escalation” and the use of Lebanese ter- Tensions have simmered along the over threats by religious Jews to carry
et fire and the recent unrest in Jerusa- ritories to stage acts that threaten sta- Lebanese border as Israel appears to out a ritual animal slaughter at the sa-
lem. bility. have ratcheted up its shadow war cred site for Passover.
“It’s a Palestinian-oriented event,” he Hezbollah, which has condemned against Iranian-linked targets in Syria, Israel did not try to prevent people
said, adding that either the Hamas or Is- the Israeli police raids in Jerusalem, did another close ally of Iran, Israel’s arch- from spending the night in the mosque
lamic Jihad militant groups, which are not respond for a request for comment enemy in the region. early Friday – apparently because it was
based in Gaza but also operate in Leba- on the rocket fire. Both Israel and Hez- Suspected Israeli airstrikes in Syria the weekend, when Jews do not visit the
non, could be involved. But he said the bollah have avoided an all-out conflict in recent weeks have killed two Iranian compound. But tensions could re-ignite
army believed that Hezbollah and the since a 34-day war in 2006 ended in a military advisers and temporarily put Sunday when Jewish visits resume.
Lebanese government were aware of draw. the country’s two largest airports out of Israel bars ritual slaughter on the
what happened and also held responsi- Netanyahu could be constrained by service. Hecht, the military spokesman, site, but calls by Jewish extremists to re-
bility. his own domestic problems. For the past said Thursday’s rocket fire was not be- vive the practice, including offers of
The mosque – the third-holiest site in three months, hundreds of thousands of lieved to be connected to events in Syr- cash rewards to anyone who even at-
Islam – stands on a hilltop revered by Israelis have been demonstrating ia. tempts to bring an animal into the com-
Jews as the Temple Mount, the holiest against his plans to overhaul the coun- In Washington, the principal deputy pound, have amplified fears among
site in Judaism. The competing claims try’s judicial system, claiming it will State Department spokesman, Vedant Muslims that Israel is plotting to take
to the site have repeatedly spilled over lead the country toward authoritarian- Patel, said, “Israel has legitimate securi- over the site
into violence over the years. ism. ty concerns and has every right to de- In this week’s violence, Israeli police
No faction in Lebanon claimed re- Key military units, including fighter fend themselves.” fired stun grenades and rubber bullets
sponsibility for the salvo of rockets. A pilots, have threatened to stop reporting But he also urged calm in Jerusalem, to evict worshippers who had locked the
Lebanese security official, who spoke on for duty if the overhaul is passed, draw- saying that “any unilateral action that doors of the building. Palestinians
the condition of anonymity because he ing a warning from Defense Minister jeopardizes the status quo to us is unac- hurled stones and fireworks at officers.
was not authorized to speak to media, Yoav Gallant that Israel’s national secu- ceptable,” he said. After a few hours of scuffles that left a
said the country’s security forces be- rity could be harmed by the divisive In Jerusalem, the situation remained trail of damage, police managed to drag
lieved the rockets were launched by a plan. Netanyahu said he was firing Gal- tense at Al-Aqsa. For the previous two everyone out of the compound.
 SPORTS EXTRA - USA TODAY NETWORK | FRIDAY, APRIL 7, 2023 | 1NS

SPORTS EXTRA

NFL DRAFT

Levis among high-risk,

high-reward prospects
Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz of the biggest high-risk, high-reward
USA TODAY players:

Volatility is a baked-in feature of ev- Will Levis, QB, Kentucky

ery NFL draft.
With each pick comes a degree of By any measure, the 6-4, 229-pound
surrender to uncertainty, as the task of passer is a confounding study. Levis ac-
projecting how any player will fare in the es some feats that few others can
transition from college to pro entails an match, slinging off-platform throws on
untold number of variables. For some point and squeezing tight-window
prospects, however, there’s a wider passes to the sideline or deep downfield.
spectrum of possible outcomes. But Yet he too often botches intro-to-quar-
while a visible gulf between a player’s terbacking-level assignments with
apparent potential and their demon- sloppy footwork and bewildering deci-
strated ability might be an alluring sign sion-making.
of unrealized upside to some, the same
discrepancy can prove fatal to teams if a Anthony Richardson, QB, Florida
coaching staff assigned to bridge that
gap is unable to do so. Something doesn’t add up when a
And just like in years past, the 2023 6-4, 244-pound quarterback with
NFL draft class features plenty of boom- Louisville defensive lineman YaYa Diaby wraps ups Kentucky quarterback Will
or-bust prospects. Here’s our look at 13 See DRAFT, Page 8NS Levis during a game on Nov. 26. MATT STONE/LOUISVILLE COURIER JOURNAL

THE MASTERS MLB

Batboys
under
scrutiny
amid rule
changes
Josh Peter
USA TODAY

The first week of the MLB season

produced more jitters than usual
around numbers, but not the statistics
fans crave.
Instead, the pitch clock, the timer
between batters and scrutiny of how
quickly batboys and batgirls perform
their duties, as spelled out in a Major
League Baseball memo before the sea-
son began, are the new numbers to
note.
Batboys and batgirls are on notice.
“I think it’s a little crazy,” said Tino
Vigil, 24, a batboy for the Colorado
Rockies. “I think trying to speed every-
thing up probably isn’t the best thing
in the world.”
But now it’s reality.
“ … batboys are going to be a big
deal,” New York Mets manager Buck
Showalter said during spring training.
“You better have a good batboy. A bad
batboy is going to make it tougher.”
Even before the new scrutiny, Vigil
said, batboys and batgirls faced pres-
Jon Rahm lines up a putt on the 18th hole during the first round of the Masters on Thursday in Augusta, Ga. sure.
MICHAEL MADRID/USA TODAY NETWORK “The whole crowd and the whole
stadium is waiting on you,” he said. “It

Off to a flying start

gets intense for sure.”
It’s about to get even more intense.

The memo

Vigil and other batboys said they

Rahm, Hovland, Koepka atop electric Augusta leaderboard learned about the changes on social
media.
The memo, released March 22, also
Adam Schupak Leaderboard usually do and moved on with my day.” instructs batboys and batgirls to have
USA TODAY Rahm moved on to the tune of seven a player’s bat ready if he’s due up to
Viktor Hovland ..........................................-7 birdies and an eagle at the par-5 eighth lead off an inning.
AUGUSTA, Ga. – Jon Rahm spotted Brooks Koepka ..........................................-7 hole. He hit 17 greens in all and at the Players and clubs brought up the is-
the field two strokes, making a four- one he missed, No. 7, he chipped in for sue of batboy performance during
putt double bogey at the first hole, but Jon Rahm ....................................................-7 birdie. Rahm tied his lowest round at their regular discussions with MLB
rebounded to shoot 7-under 65 at Au- Jason Day ...................................................-5 the Masters in 25 career trips around over new rules, according to a person
gusta National Golf Club and share the Augusta National. familiar with the discussions. The per-
opening-round lead at the 87th Masters Cameron Young ........................................-5 After posting a bogey-free 65 on son spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the
with Viktor Hovland and Brooks Koep- 7 tied at -4 Thursday, Hovland was asked how he condition they not be identified be-
ka. would’ve fared if he had opened his cause they were not authorized to
“If you’re going to make a double or tournament with a four-putt double- speak publicly about the matter.
four-putt or anything, it might as well Rahm remembered that former Masters bogey? The person stressed the success of
be the first hole, 71 holes to make it up,” champion Seve Ballesteros, a fellow “Is that what Jon Rahm did? That’s the new rules during spring training
Rahm said. “After that, it was more, I Spaniard and an idol of Rahm’s, fam- pretty impressive – not the 4-putt but and said the issue of batboys and bat-
was focused on the fact that all the ously had four-putted once at the Mas- the remaining golf after that. I mean, I girls’ performance is a small facet of a
strokes were good. The reads were ters and delivered a memorable quote. feel like now that I have worked on my much larger picture.
good. The roll was good. Obviously the “I remembered Seve’s quote,” Rahm game, and I feel very confident about Through Monday, the average time
speed was off on the first two putts, so said. “Just kept thinking to myself, my game, I’ve done a way better job of of game was 2 hours, 38 minutes, com-
once I kind of accepted that there was ‘Well, I miss, I miss, I miss, I make.’ not letting the bad shots affect me as pared to 3:09 at the same point last
nothing really to look into, I just got to Move on to the next. I carried a little bit much because I think if you’re a little year. The average time of game for the
work and I had 17 holes to make up.” of that negative energy into the tee shot
As he walked to the second tee, on 2, hit it about ten yards further than I See MASTERS, Page 2NS See BATBOYS, Page 4NS

SUBSCRIBER-EXCLUSIVE SECTION
2NS | FRIDAY, APRIL 7, 2023 | SPORTS EXTRA - USA TODAY NETWORK

THE MASTERS

THURSDAY’S PAR SCORES

At Augusta National Tom Kim.............................34-36—70 (-2) Harold Varner III ................34-38—72 (E) Kurt Kitayama ..................38-37—75 (+3)
Augusta, Ga. Chris Kirk ...........................38-32—70 (-2) Mike Weir ............................35-37—72 (E) Bernhard Langer .............38-37—75 (+3)
Yardage: 7,545; Par: 72 Cameron Smith ................34-36—70 (-2) Corey Conners .................36-37—73 (+1) Min Woo Lee ....................36-39—75 (+3)
First Round Scott Stallings..................35-35—70 (-2) Russell Henley..................36-37—73 (+1) Keith Mitchell...................37-38—75 (+3)
Viktor Hovland .................31-34—65 (-7) Sepp Straka.......................39-31—70 (-2) Billy Horschel ...................36-37—73 (+1) Vijay Singh........................38-37—75 (+3)
Brooks Koepka .................32-33—65 (-7) Justin Thomas..................35-35—70 (-2) Si Woo Kim........................37-36—73 (+1) Adam Svensson ...............41-34—75 (+3)
Jon Rahm...........................33-32—65 (-7) Patrick Cantlay..................35-36—71 (-1) Jason Kokrak ....................38-35—73 (+1) Danny Willett ...................38-37—75 (+3)
Jason Day ..........................34-33—67 (-5) Fred Couples .....................38-33—71 (-1) Adrian Meronk .................35-38—73 (+1) Cameron Champ .............41-35—76 (+4)
Cameron Young ...............34-33—67 (-5) Harris English ....................37-34—71 (-1) Taylor Moore ....................37-36—73 (+1) M. Frnandz de Oliveira ..39-37—76 (+4)
Sam Bennett.....................32-36—68 (-4) Tyrrell Hatton ....................35-36—71 (-1) Seamus Power .................35-38—73 (+1) Kazuki Higa.......................36-40—76 (+4)
Sam Burns .........................31-37—68 (-4) Max Homa..........................38-33—71 (-1) Sahith Theegala...............37-36—73 (+1) Mackenzie Hughes .........39-37—76 (+4)
Shane Lowry .....................33-35—68 (-4) Sungjae Im .........................35-36—71 (-1) Bryson DeChambeau .....38-36—74 (+2) Louis Oosthuizen ............37-39—76 (+4)
Xander Schauffele ..........34-34—68 (-4) Dustin Johnson.................36-35—71 (-1) Sergio Garcia....................34-40—74 (+2) Brian Harman ...................39-38—77 (+5)
Scottie Scheffler .............33-35—68 (-4) Hideki Matsuyama ...........34-37—71 (-1) Tom Hoge .........................37-37—74 (+2) Matthew McClean...........37-40—77 (+5)
Adam Scott .......................34-34—68 (-4) Phil Mickelson ...................34-37—71 (-1) Kyoung-Hoon Lee...........39-35—74 (+2) Jose Maria Olazabal .......40-37—77 (+5)
Gary Woodland ................35-33—68 (-4) Joaquin Niemann .............32-39—71 (-1) Mito Pereira......................39-35—74 (+2) Aldrich Potgieter ............40-37—77 (+5)
Tony Finau.........................35-34—69 (-3) Patrick Reed ......................35-36—71 (-1) Thomas Pieters ...............37-37—74 (+2) Gordon Sargent ..............39-38—77 (+5)
Collin Morikawa ...............34-35—69 (-3) Abraham Ancer..................39-33—72 (E) J.T. Poston ........................37-37—74 (+2) Bubba Watson .................40-37—77 (+5)
Justin Rose .......................36-33—69 (-3) Tommy Fleetwood ............35-37—72 (E) Charl Schwartzel .............38-36—74 (+2) Alex Noren ........................41-37—78 (+6)
Jordan Spieth...................32-37—69 (-3) Talor Gooch ........................36-36—72 (E) Tiger Woods.....................38-36—74 (+2) Larry Mize..........................38-41—79 (+7)
Keegan Bradley................35-35—70 (-2) Kevin Kisner........................36-36—72 (E) Ben Carr ............................38-37—75 (+3) Sandy Lyle .........................40-41—81 (+9)
Matt Fitzpatrick ...............37-33—70 (-2) Rory McIlroy........................37-35—72 (E) Harrison Crowe ...............36-39—75 (+3) Kevin Na..................................................WD
Ryan Fox ............................36-34—70 (-2) Francesco Molinari............38-34—72 (E) Zach Johnson ..................36-39—75 (+3) Will Zalatoris ..........................................WD

Can Woods recapture Augusta magic?

appearances, fans stream to him as they
do no one else, and many stick around
no matter what, gazing toward the sol-
Christine Brennan itary figure in the fairway as if they were
Columnist looking at a masterpiece in a museum.
USA TODAY His five wins here include his most
improbable triumph in 2019 at 43. Can
he do it again? It’s highly unlikely, but
AUGUSTA, Ga. – Frustration was Ti- with Tiger, you never want to say never.
ger Woods’ constant companion Thurs- The issue for him, be it on a Thursday at
day at the 2023 Masters. There was pain the Masters or forevermore, is not so
in his rebuilt right leg, the kind of pain much the golf. It’s the leg. Over the
that never goes away, Tiger said. There course of a four-round tournament, his
were approach shots that fell short and scores almost always get worse because
putts that lipped out. There were too of the cumulative wear and tear his leg
many bogeys at the beginning and after suffers from walking the course.
a burst of momentum, one last bogey at Last year, when he staged a stunning
the end. comeback just 14 months after his Feb-
All in all, it was not the Tiger we re- ruary 2021 car crash, his scores went the
member but the Tiger we’ve come to wrong direction: 71-74-78-78.
know. His scores in the only other tourna-
Woods finished with an unsatisfying ment he has played this year, the Gene-
first round two-over-par 74, well behind Tiger Woods reacts to his shot from the 15th fairway during the first round of sis Invitational nearly two months ago,
the leaders, and the nagging knowledge the Masters on Thursday in Augusta, Ga. DANIELLE PARHIZKARAN/USA TODAY NETWORK where he finished tied for 45th, were a
that he couldn’t take advantage of Au- bit different, but still illustrative of the
gusta National when the conditions issue: 69-74-67-73.
were most welcoming. golf, Woods was rusty. There were bo- a bum leg. “I think my game is better than it was
“I just didn't do the job I needed to do geys on No. 3, No. 5 and No. 7. All that But there are always moments for Ti- last year at this particular time,” Woods
to get the ball close,” Woods, a five-time early misery occurred in the first two ger when the golf gods wake up and de- said earlier this week. “I think my en-
Masters champion, said afterward. "To- hours on a course that he absolutely cide his fortunes are about to change. durance is better. But (the right leg)
day was the opportune time to get the loves, and still on occasion loves him When a delicate chip on the par-5 eighth aches a little bit more than it did last
round under par, and I didn't do that. back. Perspiration beaded on his face nestled just a few inches from the cup, year just because at that particular time
Most of the guys are going low today. and soaked through his white shirt on a Tiger collected his first birdie and all of a when I came back, I really had not
This was the day to do it. Hopefully to- warm, humid day. This was a grind, and sudden, there was a bounce in that lum- pushed it that often. … I can hit a lot of
morrow I'll be a little bit better, a little bit he knew it. bering, often-labored step of his. shots but the difficulty for me is going to
sharper, and kind of inch my way “I didn't have very good speed early,” After another bogey on 11, he rattled be the walking going forward. It is what
through it.” he said. “I had two three-putts and con- off back-to-back birdies on 15 and 16 and it is. I wish it could be easier.”
Tiger did have a front-row seat for 25- sequently I'm a couple over par. I didn't a quick thought flashed through your In three years, when he is 50, he will
year-old co-leader Viktor Hovland’s hit my irons close enough today. I didn't mind: might he birdie in? This being be eligible for the PGA Tour Champions
scintillating seven-under 65, and Xan- give myself very good looks. I need to do 2023, not 2001 or 2002, the answer was senior circuit, where he won’t have to
der Schauffele’s four-under perfor- a better job of that going forward to a definite no. He ended on 18 not with a walk nearly as much.
mance that also found him on the lea- hopefully get myself back in this tour- bang, but with one last bogey. “I've got three more years where I get
derboard. It was both ironic and a sign nament.” Tiger and the Masters have the most the little buggy (golf cart) and be out
of the times that Tiger’s threesome in- No matter what happens or how far fascinating relationship. If ever a golfer there with Fred (Couples),” he said with
cluded the first-round co-leader and an- behind he is, some things never change: was made for a golf course, it’s Woods at a smile, "but until then, no buggy.”
other player near the lead, and neither Tiger still thinks he can be in the mix on Augusta National. He loves it here. To So on he walks, enduring both mis-
was Tiger. the weekend, which is supposed to be him, it’s home. So when he says, as he takes and constant pain, hoping there
But it all made sense. After taking rainy, cold and miserable, not exactly did this week, “I don’t know how many might be one last slice of magic for him
nearly two months off from competitive prime conditions for a 47-year-old with more I have in me,” meaning Masters at this place of all places.

Masters National.
Koepka, the 32-year-old winner of
four majors, missed the cut at his last
Continued from Page 1NS two Masters. He also shot the lowest
round of the 18 LIV golfers in the field
insecure about your game, you start off Thursday. After winning last week at
with a double-bogey, and, ‘Oh, here we the LIV Orlando event, he proved to be
go’, and it’s going to be hard to get all in good form, making birdie on his final
those shots back. But if you feel good two holes to tie for the lead and set a ca-
about your game, you’ve just got to keep reer-low at Augusta National with that
pushing, and that’s obviously what Jon 65.
Rahm did.” “I thought the course was quite get-
Hovland, 25, made an eagle at the table today,” said Koepka, who last held
second hole and “before I knew it, the first round lead at a major at the 2019
somehow I was 6-under through 11, and PGA Championship.
yeah, just kind of coast in to 65. So that On a warm, mostly sunny day, the
was awesome.” majority of the field agreed with Koep-
So was being grouped with Tiger ka, taking advantage of the receptive
Woods for the first time. He found out greens to go low.
Tuesday while on the range from his But not everyone did. Tiger Woods
caddie Shay Knight. struggled to shoot 2-over 74, as did Bry-
“When he said we were paired with son DeChambeau. Rory McIlroy, who is
Tiger, my heart kind of went a little bit trying to complete the career Grand
further up in the throat, and I just Slam for the ninth time, had gotten off to
thought, ‘Wow, this is going to be excit- a slow start, too, and got into red figures
ing’. Heart rate started going up. After but finished with an even-par 72 after a
that, I calmed myself down and bogey-par finish.
thought, this is going to be very exciting. Rain and cold weather are forecasted
You’ve just got to embrace it. You can’t in the days to come making a good start
be scared or anything like that,” Hov- doubly important.
land said. “If you want to win this tour- “I think I might be able to squeak out
nament, you can’t be scared about play- a few more holes than everybody else
ing with Tiger. So you’ve just got to over- before it starts dumping,” Koepka said.
come things like that.” “I would say that’s probably the biggest
Hovland hadn’t shot a round in the advantage I’ve got going for me right Brooks Koepka hits his third shot on the 13th hole during the first round of the
60s in his previous 12 rounds at Augusta now.” Masters on Thursday in Augusta, Ga. ROB SCHUMACHER/USA TODAY NETWORK
 SPORTS EXTRA - USA TODAY NETWORK | FRIDAY, APRIL 7, 2023 | 3NS

THE MASTERS

FRIDAY’S TEE TIMES

8 a.m. — Mike Weir 9:36 a.m. — Shane Lowry, Mackenzie Cameron Champ 12:48 p.m. — Zach Johnson, Jason
8:12 a.m. — Vijay Singh, Scott Stall- Hughes, Thomas Pieters 11:18 a.m. — Charl Schwartzel, Taylor Day, a-Gordon Sargent
ings, a-Matthew McClean 9:48 a.m. — Bubba Watson, Seamus Moore, a-Aldrich Potgieter 1 p.m. — Brian Harman, Joaquin Nie-
8:24 a.m. — Sandy Lyle, Jason Kokrak, Power, a-Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira 11:30 a.m. — J.T. Poston, Francesco mann, Tyrrell Hatton
Talor Gooch 10:06 a.m. — Abraham Ancer, Chris Molinari, Bryson DeChambeau 1:12 p.m. — Dustin Johnson, Corey
8:36 a.m. — Fred Couples, Russell Kirk, Keegan Bradley 11:42 a.m. — Bernhard Langer, Mito Conners, Justin Rose
Henley, Alex Noren 10:18 a.m. — Tiger Woods, Viktor Hov- Pereira, a-Ben Carr 1:24 p.m. — Matt Fitzpatrick, Collin
8:48 a.m. — Adrian Meronk, Kevin land, Xander Schauffele 11:54 a.m. — Danny Willett, Gary Morikawa
Kisner, Louis Oosthuizen 10:30 a.m. — Adam Scott, Patrick Can- Woodland, Brooks Koepka 1:36 p.m. — Scottie Scheffler, Max
9 a.m. — Larry Mize, Min Woo Lee, tlay, Kurt Kitayama 12:12 p.m. — Sepp Straka, Harold Var- Homa, a-Sam Bennett
a-Harrison Crowe 10:42 a.m. — Justin Thomas, Jon ner III, K.H. Lee 1:48 p.m. — Tom Kim, Rory McIlroy,
9:12 a.m. — Sergio Garcia, Kazuki Higa, Rahm, Cameron Young 12:24 p.m. — Phil Mickelson, Tom Sam Burns
Keith Mitchell 10:54 a.m. — Hideki Matsuyama, Cam- Hoge, Si Woo Kim 2 p.m. — Jordan Spieth, Tommy Fleet-
9:24 a.m. — Patrick Reed, Adam eron Smith, Sungjae Im 12:36 p.m. — Billy Horschel, Harris wood, Tony Finau
Svensson, Sahith Theegala 11:06 a.m. — Jose Maria Olazabal, English, Ryan Fox

Mickelson lost his huge, adoring crowds

Dan Wolken
Columnist
USA TODAY

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Phil Mickelson

flashed a huge smile to the crowd
around the first tee at Augusta National,
slapping hands with some of the pa-
trons who had been waiting for him to
arrive.
There was a “Go get ‘em, Phil!” here
and a “Let’s go Devils” there, a nod to his
Arizona State roots. And when he
placed his first tee shot in the fairway,
there was little more than a smattering
of polite applause.
For the 52-year-old Mickelson, it was
a thoroughly uneventful and unusually
quiet way to start his Masters. But that’s
exactly what made it so remarkable.
Mickelson is usually a happening un-
to himself — especially here at a tourna-
ment he’s won three times. Over the
course of his 30 years playing the Mas-
ters, only one player has drawn bigger,
more enthusiastic galleries.
In a fascinating bit of timing, throngs
of fans were lining up along the ninth
fairway just a few steps away in antici-
pation of that player — Tiger Woods, of
course — passing through shortly after Phil Mickelson takes a shot in front of the gallery on the second fairway during the first round of the Masters on Thursday
Mickelson’s round began. in Augusta, Ga. MICHAEL MADRID/USA TODAY NETWORK
Just a couple of years ago, the sport’s
two most popular players crossing
paths on Thursday at the Masters would grated. The question is whether it’s going to area where he didn’t have many options.
have caused a human traffic jam. But So Mickelson is now wearing the logo help him win back any of the love and So in a typical Mickelson move, he
these days, only one of them is as big of of the HyFlyers, the LIV team he cap- admiration that has clearly been lost chose the one few would expect: A driv-
a draw as they used to be. tains with James Piot, Brendan Steele over the last year. er that he wanted to keep under tree
It’s not that Mickelson, now the face and Cameron Tringale. Though Mickelson said the fans have branches and get back into play. But
of LIV Golf and the existential crisis that But let’s be real. Besides his out-of- “been great all week” to him, they were Mickelson couldn’t avoid all the foliage,
enveloped the sport over the last year, nowhere triumph at the 2021 PGA not the same size and fervor you’d have and the ball careened to another area of
was received poorly in his return to Au- Championship that gave him a sixth found following him a few years ago. patrons on the opposite side of the fair-
gusta after taking a hiatus last year. major title, there’s been little reason to And he denied reports of awkwardness way. He still got up-and-down for the
It just wasn’t your typical Mickelson take Mickelson’s golf seriously over the at the Tuesday dinner for past champi- first of his six birdies.
gallery, even on a day where he put to- last couple of years. Since making the ons, saying it was “a really special night But, also typical of Mickelson, there
gether something that at least vaguely move to LIV, he’s had one top-10 finish in and fun to be a part of.” were some mind-numbing mistakes. On
resembled a vintage Mickelson roller 10 events. This season, he’s finished Maybe the relationship between No. 3, he tried to bump-and-run a short
coaster round of 71, including three 27th, 32nd and 41st, with just three of Mickelson and the wider world of pro approach shot up the hill and onto the
missed eagle putts, two trips into the nine rounds in the 60s. Both before and golf will never be normal again. But you green where the pin was in front. He
water on the back nine, a driver off pine immediately after his PGA win, Mickel- can imagine that just being here Thurs- never made it and paid the price with a
straw and a right-handed eight iron on son wasn’t contending for much of any- day was perhaps the most normal thing bogey. He flared one into the water left
14 that he couldn’t play lefty because his thing. he’s been a part of in a long while. on 11 and then missed a 10-footer for bo-
ball had nestled against a tree. In an attempt to turn that around, “I think it’s fun to be in the Masters gey. Then after a good birdie on 15, he
“I was actually enjoying it and appre- Mickelson lost a significant amount of every year, know you’re going to be in took a terrible swing on the par-3 16th
ciative of the opportunity to be here,” weight. Though his waistline has ex- this tournament, know you’re going to and went well left of his target into the
Mickelson said. “There was a lot of talk a panded and contracted at various be a part of this regardless of how you’re pond.
year ago guys wouldn’t be able to be points over the years, he is noticeably playing,” Mickelson said. “I feel like you “I hit a lot of good shots today and
here, and I’m very grateful for the op- slimmer than he has been in a very long can play this golf course and not have to had a chance to shoot a low round,” he
portunity to play and compete here and time. For a 52-year-old man, he looks be perfect. As long as you put it in the said. “But this is the issue I’ve been
be a part of it.” terrific. correct spots, you can kind of manage dealing with is I’ll make two swings and
“I’ve got to be in shape to be able to your game around and shoot a number. I it costs me four shots on 11 and 16. I just
Slimmer Phil have a (swing) speed that allows me to think that’s why I always enjoy playing need to keep working on eliminating it.
compete,” Mickelson said. “And also for here is because I feel a little bit more re- I’m hitting enough good shots to shoot
Of course, the reason Mickelson overall health. Everything I’m doing is laxed, like I don’t have to be perfect.” some good numbers, and I’m having fun
wondered if his future at the Masters for wellness, right? I want to be healthy He certainly wasn’t on Thursday. playing, and I’m having fun hitting the
might be in doubt was readily apparent and well and not have any issues and shots again and driving it well.
on his chest and hat. When Mickelson not have any cardiac issues. I want to be Mind-numbing mistakes “Just need to stay a little bit sharper
became the public ringleader for LIV, fit and be able to enjoy life, because this on one or two swings because in major
the Saudi-backed renegade league that is a really fun chapter right now for Amy After draining a tricky eight-footer championships, the punishment for a
was paying ridiculous amounts of guar- and I.” for par on the first hole, he sent his tee mis-hit is so severe.”
anteed money to poach PGA Tour play- So this Masters is, in a sense, golf ’s shot on the par-5 second well right of Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Dan Wol-
ers, his corporate sponsorships disinte- re-introduction to the new Mickelson. the fairway bunker and into a spectator ken on Twitter @DanWolken.

On-course interviews a change at Augusta

Doug Ferguson CBS, which is producing the Masters, he would be hitting into the ninth green. has come along, he’s really tried to push
ASSOCIATED PRESS first broke out the technology at the McIlroy said it wasn’t a distraction the envelope as well,” McIlory said. “So I
Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey because the interview was conducted think Augusta has a great balance of
AUGUSTA, Ga. – Augusta National Pines. Trevor Immelman was in the through an earpiece rather than having blending that history and that tradition
has taken another surprising step to- booth and held a Q-and-A with Homa as someone place a microphone in front of but also making sure we’re keeping up
ward modernization: The Masters al- he played the 13th hole. Homa went on him as he walked, so it felt more natural. with the times.”
lowed for a walk-and-talk during the to win. “It’s nice to provide the audience at Homa, no stranger to putting himself
opening round when Rory McIlroy an- NBC also did the walk-and-talk with home a little bit more insight into what’s out there on social media, is in favor of
swered questions for the ESPN telecast a player during the six weeks leading to going on out here,” McIlroy said. the move.
while playing the ninth fairway. the Masters. He wasn’t surprised when he was ap- “It does feel like that’s a good way to
Then, Max Homa later joined the fun, But the Masters? proached by Masters officials earlier maybe gain some perspective for the
making a live guest appearance during There was McIlroy, going so far as to this week about doing the interview. fans to enjoy golf a little bit easier,” Ho-
his round. tell viewers his yardage and what club “I think since Chairman (Fred) Ridley ma said.
4NS | FRIDAY, APRIL 7, 2023 | SPORTS EXTRA - USA TODAY NETWORK

MLB

Brewers’ new-look lineup delivers

Steve Megargee
ASSOCIATED PRESS

MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee Brew-

ers had confidence in their rookie class
well before the start of the season.
Those newcomers wasted no time re-
warding that faith.
The Brewers have won five straight
games while fielding a lineup that often
features three rookies in outfielders
Garrett Mitchell and Joey Wiemer and
second baseman Brice Turang. The trio
is batting a combined .321 (17 of 53) with
five homers, 13 runs and 13 RBIs through
the first six games of the season.
“I think it brings a different type of
energy when you have young guys,” said
Mitchell, whose walk-off homer
Wednesday capped a three-game
sweep of the New York Mets. “We’re go-
ing out there, and not only are we trying
to play, but we’re trying to stay here.
Nothing’s ever guaranteed in this game.
We’re working really hard, doing every-
thing to the best of our abilities and do-
ing it at a fast pace.”
Although Mitchell reached the ma-
jors late last season, Wiemer and Tu-
rang made their big league debuts last
week.
These rookies are showing that the
attention they received before the sea-
son was merited.
The Brewers spotlighted them Brewers left fielder Garrett Mitchell hits the game-winning home run in the ninth inning against the Mets on Thursday in
throughout spring training in a video Milwaukee. BENNY SIEU/USA TODAY SPORTS
series titled “The Freshmen” that aired
on social media.
“You could feel a little superstitious While it’s unrealistic to expect these off appearances. A couple of Milwau- All those new faces have helped the
that we put that out there, but we want- rookies to maintain such production at kee’s veteran newcomers also made Brewers succeed without getting big
ed to try to introduce the young guys to the plate, they’ve shown they also can quite the early statement. early contributions from some promi-
the fans, and you could see the impact contribute in other ways. Brian Anderson was nontendered by nent players.
they had on the game,” principal owner All three are quality fielders with the Miami Marlins after hitting .222 With Urías injured, the only three
Mark Attanasio said. “Especially with speed. Wiemer had an outfield assist with a .657 OPS last season. He is bat- starting position players who were with
the speed.” from right field Monday when Daniel ting .500 (9 of 18) with three homers for the team at the start of last season –
Attanasio made that comment Mon- Vogelbach attempted to stretch a single the Brewers, and his 10 RBIs put him in a Willy Adames, Christian Yelich and
day before the Brewers’ home opener. to a double and had a diving catch in tie for the major league lead. Rowdy Tellez – are hitting below .250.
The rookies spent the next three days center Wednesday. Anderson also has played both third Corbin Burnes, the 2021 Cy Young
making one heck of an impression on “The way they play, they all can do so base and right field, which has given the Award winner and 2022 NL strikeout
the home crowd. much on the field and are not one-di- Brewers flexibility they need with in- leader, has a 9.64 ERA through his first
Turang hit a grand slam in the open- mensional players,” manager Craig fielder Luis Urías out six to eight weeks two starts.
ing game of the Mets series. Wiemer de- Counsell said. “They’re players that can because of a hamstring strain. Yet the Brewers haven’t missed a
livered a three-run homer Wednesday. do a lot, and that means they can impact Jesse Winker hit just .219 during an beat, thanks in part to the spark the roo-
Mitchell homered three times, a remark- the game a lot, and that’s what they’re injury-riddled 2022 season with Seattle kies have provided.
able power surge for a guy who had just doing.” but is hitting .333 with a .409 on-base “They’re full of energy,” Burnes said.
13 homers in 557 career minor league The rookies have emerged as part of a percentage through his first six games in “They’re happy to be here. They’re play-
plate appearances. lineup overhaul the Brewers made after Milwaukee, a place where he hit well ing their butt off. It’s not like it’s just one
“We as his teammates knew,” Wiem- going 86-76 last season to end a fran- during five seasons with the Cincinnati guy shining. Every guy out there is shin-
er said. “He’s got a lot of juice in his bat.” chise-record string of four straight play- Reds. ing.”

Batboys
Continued from Page 1NS

2022 regular season was 3:03.

But there appears to be reason for
concern.

In-game adjustments

In addition to the pitch clock, there is

a timer allowing for 30 seconds between
batters. Batboys and batgirls will be ex-
pect to collect bats, protective gear and
scamper back to the dugout so as not to
slow play.
In an exhibition game between the
Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals,
a delay in collecting a bat and gear
prompted a Royals batboy to duck into
the Rangers’ dugout. The urgency: get
off the field to avoid slowing play as the
next batter prepared to hit.
“They’re like, ‘Hey, what are you do-
ing?’” recalled Tim Plummer, the batboy
who is employed by the Rangers but
works for the visiting team. (Most vis-
iting teams use batboys employed by
the home team.)
Plummer said he acted on the advice Reds bat boy Gus Bell, son of manager David Bell, jogs back to the dugout during a spring training game in 2022.
of the home plate umpire, who said it KAREEM ELGAZZAR/THE CINCINNATI ENQUIRER
was best to duck inside the home dug-
out if he couldn’t make it back to the vis-
itors’ dugout without slowing play. umpires. So there’s a lot of parts and game is over,” he said. boy for the Tampa Bay Rays between
pieces that are going into it.” It’s unlikely he’ll face the prospect of 2018 and 2021, said he routinely logged
Misnomers h There are plenty of ball girls sta- losing his job after an MLB evaluation. more than 10 hours on game days. The
tioned in foul territory and scooping up Plummer said he plans to give up the job involves far more than retrieving
h There are more men than boys re- foul balls. But three current batboys and job at the end of the season to spend bats. He said he arrived as early as nine
trieving bats. one former batboy said they were not more time with his family. hours before games scheduled to start
After Dusty Baker’s three-year-old aware of any girls or women working as at 7 p.m. and stayed as late as 3 a.m.
Darren narrowly avoided disaster in the batgirls. Reality of the job There was plenty of bat retrieving dur-
2002 World Series, MLB began requir- When asked how many batgirls are ing the game, but duties also include
ing that all batboys and batgirls be at employed by teams, MLB told USA TO- It’s worth learning a few things be- packing and unpacking equipment,
least 14. DAY Sports it does not keep track of that fore you apply for the job, which pays cleaning the clubhouse and doing laun-
But clubs usually hire people old information, saying it was a club issue. roughly minimum wage, plus tips and, dry.
enough to buy not just peanuts and Even fans may have trouble keeping for the lucky few, playoff shares when Kenrick, 19, said he quit after the 2021
cracker jack but also beer. track of their team’s batboys, as they of- teams qualify for the postseason. season and started a hauling company
h Nine innings of work as a batboy ten change, sometimes game-to-game A job listing for batboy posted by the that is far more profitable. But he also
looks easier than it is. or series-to-series. Royals this year on salary.com estimat- said he has no regrets about his stint as
“You can’t be sprinting out of the dug- Regardless of doing the work, it will ed the annual salary was $39,469 to a batboy.
out the first couple of innings because take its toll, according to Plummer. He $51,435. A job listing for “bat person” “It’s a cool job, don’t get me wrong,”
then you’ll get winded,” Vigil said. “An- joined the Rangers 12 years ago and (lis- posted by the Cincinnati Reds in 2022 he said. “But, dude, I’m not going to
other thing is if you have to use the rest- ten up, MLB evaluators) said it’s as fast on salary.com estimated the average hang up someone’s laundry for the rest
room, it’s kind of tough to add that break as ever. hourly wage was $16.21 to $20.95. of my life for 10 bucks an hour.”
in there, too. Or even deliver water to the “But my legs hurt more when the Joey Kenrick, who worked as a bat- Contributing: Bob Nightengale
 SPORTS EXTRA - USA TODAY NETWORK | FRIDAY, APRIL 7, 2023 | 5NS

MLB

THURSDAY’S ROUNDUP

Duvall breaks tie with 3-run homer, Red Sox win

ASSOCIATED PRESS

DETROIT – Adam Duvall hit a tie-

breaking, three-run homer in the sixth
inning and the Boston Red Sox went on
to beat the Detroit Tigers 6-3 Thursday.
Miguel Cabrera hit a two-out RBI sin-
gle in the third inning of his final home
opener to put Detroit up 3-1.
Boston, swept at home earlier in the
week by Pittsburgh, bounced back with
a run in the third and fourth before surg-
ing into the lead with a four-run sixth.
Chris Sale (1-0) gave up four hits and
three runs and three walks while strik-
ing out seven in five innings. John
Schreiber, Chris Martin, Ryan Brasier
and combined to throw three innings of
scoreless relief and Kenley Jansen
pitched the ninth for his first save with
Boston.
Spencer Turnbull (0-2) allowed five
runs and five hits and two walks over 5
2-3 innings. Jose Cisnero gave up the
three-run homer to Duvall, the first bat-
ter he faced.
Detroit catcher Jake Rogers fired up
fans – bundled up on a chilly afternoon
– by turning on an inside pitch and
sending it 414 feet to left to put Detroit
up 2-0 in the second.

Giants 16, White Sox 6

CHICAGO – J.D. Davis hit a grand

slam in the ninth off mop-up reliever
Hanser Alberto for his third hit, Michael
Conforto had a three-run homer among
three hits and San Francisco powered
past Chicago.
Mike Yastrzemski and Wilmer Flores
each launched a two-run shot in San Red Sox center fielder Adam Duvall hits a three-run home run in the sixth inning against the Tigers on Thursday in Detroit.
Francisco’s five-homer, 20-hit attack. RICK OSENTOSKI/USA TODAY SPORTS
Rookie catcher Blake Sabol hit the first
home run of his career and added two
singles to give him four total hits in his Josiah Gray (0-2) took the loss. The his third hit and Atlanta won its home home opener for the Diamondbacks.
first six games. Nationals have dropped four straight. opener. Arcia hit a third-inning homer May (1-0) gave up one run on just two
The Giants hit 13 home runs in the and also had a double. hits, striking out five and walking two.
three-game series on Chicago’s South Blue Jays 6, Royals 3 With two outs in the ninth, pinch-hit- The 25-year-old May – whose fast-
Side, starting with seven in a 12-3 win on ter Eddie Rosario doubled to the right- ball occasionally hits 100 mph – threw
Monday. They have 15 homers overall, KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Kevin Gausman field corner off right-hander Nabil Cris- seven scoreless innings against the D-
the most in franchise history through pitched six scoreless innings, Vlad matt (0-1). Arcia followed with the single backs last week in the season’s opening
their first six games since the team Guerrero Jr. and Cavan Biggio hit home to center field that drove in Rosario to series. The former top prospect had
started keeping records in 1901. runs and Toronto beat Kansas City for set off an on-field celebration. A.J. Mint- Tommy John surgery in 2021, which
Jakob Junis (2-0) threw four innings its third straight victory. er (1-0) pitched a scoreless ninth. briefly derailed his career, but looks like
of scoreless, two-hit relief. Lance Lynn Gausman (1-1) gave up just four hits to The Padres took a 6-4 lead in the he could be one of L.A.’s best pitchers
(0-1) was the loser. the struggling Royals, striking out seven eighth. Xander Bogaerts raced home this season.
and walking two. Kansas City did not from third base on a wild pitch from Kir- The Dodgers jumped on top 1-0 in the
Rockies 1, Nationals 0 have a runner reach second base until by Yates. José Azocar followed with a second on Chris Taylor’s two-out single
the sixth inning. The Royals scored bunt that Yates fielded before throwing that brought home Max Muncy, who led
DENVER – Kyle Freeland pitched three runs in the eighth to avoid their wide of first base for an error. Cronen- off the inning with a walk.
four-hit ball over 6 2/3 innings, Jurick- fourth shutout of the season. worth scored as Azocar raced to third Los Angeles pushed ahead 3-0 in the
son Profar made several nifty catches in On Wednesday, the Royals became base. third. Freeman, who got on base with a
left field and Colorado beat Washington just the ninth team since 1901 to be shut The Braves pulled even in the bottom one-out double, scored after a throwing
in its home opener out on two hits or fewer twice within of the eighth. Arcia doubled and scored error by D-backs shortstop Geraldo Per-
Kris Bryant drove in the only run with their first six games of a season. None of on Olson’s single off Tim Hill. Travis domo. J.D. Martinez added an RBI sin-
a single in the fifth. It was the 12th 1-0 the previous eight had it happen again d’Arnaud’s single to right field drove in gle. Evan Phillips threw the ninth for his
game in Denver – the 11th at Coors Field in their seventh game. Olson for a 6-6 tie. Juan Soto’s diving second save.
– and first since July 4, 2018, when Colo- Adam Cimber earned his first save. catch of Ozzie Albies’ pop fly to shallow It was another tough outing against
rado beat San Francisco. It was a quick Jordan Lyles (0-2) took the loss. He left field ended the inning. the Dodgers for D-backs righty Merrill
game at Coors Field, too, taking 2 hours, struck out nine but gave up five runs on Matt Carpenter hit a three-run homer Kelly (0-1), who gave up four runs over 5
18 minutes. Last season’s home opener eight hits in 5 2/3 innings. Five of the and Jake Cronenworth added a solo 2/3 innings, walking four and striking
lasted 3:09. eight hits were for extra bases, including shot for the Padres. out four.
Freeland (2-0), who is from Denver, a pair of homers.
struck out five and walked two before Diamondbacks 5, Dodgers 2 Marlins at Mets, ppd.
turning things over to the bullpen. An- Braves 7, Padres 6 Reds at Phillies, ppd.
other Denver product, Pierce Johnson, PHOENIX – Dustin May threw six Yankees at Orioles, ppd.
pitched a perfect ninth for his second ATLANTA – Orlando Arcia singled in dominant innings, Freddie Freeman hit Astros at Twins, ppd.
save. the winning run in the ninth inning for a solo homer and the Dodgers won in the

THURSDAY’S BOX SCORES

BLUE JAYS 6, ROYALS 3 RED SOX 6, TIGERS 3 ROCKIES 1, GIANTS 16, BRAVES 7, PADRES 6 DODGERS 5, D-BACKS 2
Toronto .......................210 110 100 — 6 Boston .......................001 104 000 — 6 NATIONALS 0 WHITE SOX 6 San Diego..................000 301 020 — 6 Los Angeles ...............012 001 100 — 5
Kansas City ..............000 000 030 — 3 Detroit ......................021 000 000 — 3 Washington .............000 000 000 — 0 San Francisco...........310 222 024 — 16 Atlanta........................101 200 021 — 7 Arizona ......................000 001 100 — 2
Toronto AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Boston AB R H BI BB SO Avg. San Diego AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Los Angeles AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
Bichette ss 5 1 2 1 0 1 .324 Verdugo rf 4 1 1 0 0 0 .333 Colorado....................000 010 00x — 1 Chicago .....................020 100 003 — 6 Grisham cf 4 0 1 0 1 3 .240 Betts 2b 4 0 0 0 0 3 .250
Guerrero Jr. dh 5 2 3 1 0 0 .407 Devers 3b 4 2 2 2 0 1 .323 Washington AB R H BI BB SO Avg. San Francisco AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Soto lf 4 0 0 0 1 1 .160 Freeman 1b 5 2 2 1 0 1 .385
Varsho lf 4 1 2 1 0 2 .357 Turner dh 3 0 0 0 0 0 .280 Thomas rf 3 0 1 0 1 1 .333 Wade Jr. lf 2 1 1 0 1 1 .250 Machado 3b 5 0 2 0 0 2 .280 Smith c 4 1 1 0 1 0 .391
M.Chapman 3b 4 0 1 2 0 1 .481 Yoshida lf 3 1 2 0 1 0 .250 Call lf 3 0 0 0 1 1 .214 Johnson cf 2 0 0 0 0 1 .333 Bogaerts ss 3 2 0 0 2 0 .360 Muncy 3b 3 2 0 0 1 1 .130
Merrifield 2b 4 0 1 0 0 0 .235 Duvall cf 3 1 1 3 1 0 .458 Candelario 3b 4 0 1 0 0 0 .185 Flores 1b 5 2 2 2 1 0 .364 Cronenworth 1b 2 3 1 1 2 0 .217 Martinez dh 3 0 1 1 1 1 .231
Belt 1b 4 0 0 0 0 3 .053 Casas 1b 4 0 0 0 0 0 .130 Meneses dh 4 0 0 0 0 2 .172 Pederson dh 4 0 1 2 1 2 .217 Carpenter dh 3 1 1 3 1 1 .250 Peralta lf 4 0 0 0 0 1 .188
Jansen c 4 0 0 0 0 3 .067 Arroyo 2b 3 1 0 0 1 0 .158 Smith 1b 4 0 1 0 0 1 .261 b-Beaty ph-p 1 1 1 0 0 0 .500 Nola c 4 0 0 0 0 2 .188 Outman cf 3 0 2 1 1 0 .353
Biggio rf 4 1 1 1 0 2 .231 McGuire c 3 0 1 0 1 2 .308 Ruiz c 4 0 0 0 0 1 .238 Villar 2b 5 3 2 0 0 1 .273 Odor rf 2 0 0 0 0 2 .111 Taylor ss 4 0 1 1 0 1 .111
Springer rf 0 0 0 0 0 0 .241 Hernández ss 4 0 0 1 0 0 .136 García 2b 4 0 1 0 0 0 .150 Conforto rf 4 3 3 3 2 1 .240 a-Azocar ph-rf 2 0 1 1 0 0 .333 Heyward rf 1 0 0 0 1 0 .300
Kiermaier cf 4 1 1 0 0 0 .381 Totals 31 6 7 6 4 3 Robles cf 3 0 0 0 0 1 .300 Davis 3b 6 2 3 5 0 1 .313 Kim 2b 4 0 1 0 0 1 .286 a-Thompson ph-rf 1 0 0 0 1 0 .250
Totals 38 6 11 6 0 12 Detroit AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Abrams ss 3 0 2 0 0 1 .200 Yastrzemski cf-lf 6 1 1 2 0 0 .240 Totals 33 6 7 5 7 12 Totals 32 5 7 4 6 8
Kansas City AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Vierling rf-3b 4 0 1 0 1 0 .333 Totals 32 0 6 0 2 8 Estrada ss 6 1 3 1 0 1 .409 Atlanta AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Arizona AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
Witt Jr. ss 5 1 2 1 0 1 .154 Báez ss 4 0 0 0 1 1 .080 Colorado AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Sabol c 6 2 3 1 0 1 .222 Acuña Jr. rf 4 1 1 0 1 0 .355 J.Rojas 3b 4 0 1 1 0 1 .286
Melendez c 3 1 0 0 2 2 .095 Greene cf 4 0 0 0 0 2 .296 Profar lf 4 0 1 0 0 1 .133 Totals 47 16 20 16 5 9 Olson 1b 4 1 2 2 1 0 .333 Marte 2b 4 0 1 0 0 2 .179
Perez dh 4 1 1 0 0 0 .261 Torkelson 1b 4 1 1 0 0 2 .222 Bryant rf 4 0 2 1 0 0 .357 Chicago AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Riley 3b 3 0 1 1 1 1 .280 Gurriel Jr. dh 4 0 0 0 0 2 .179
Pasquantino 1b 4 0 1 1 0 1 .143 Haase lf 3 0 1 0 0 2 .130 Blackmon dh 3 0 0 0 1 0 .292 Anderson ss 5 0 1 2 0 2 .276 d'Arnaud dh 5 0 1 1 0 2 .355 Walker 1b 4 0 0 0 0 1 .240
Olivares lf 4 0 2 1 0 1 .267 c-Carpenter ph-rf 1 0 1 0 0 0 .250 Cron 1b 4 0 0 0 0 3 .259 Robert Jr. cf 4 0 1 0 0 1 .323 Albies 2b 5 0 0 0 0 1 .250 Carroll lf-cf 4 0 0 0 0 0 .222
Massey 2b 3 0 1 0 0 1 .158 Cabrera dh 3 0 1 1 1 0 .176 McMahon 2b 4 0 1 0 0 3 .192 Colás cf 1 0 0 0 0 1 .273 Murphy c 3 1 2 0 2 0 .231 McCarthy rf 4 1 2 0 0 0 .250
a-Reyes ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .077 Schoop 3b 1 1 0 0 1 0 .111 Díaz c 4 0 1 0 0 0 .182 Vaughn 1b 3 0 1 1 2 0 .273 Harris II cf 1 0 0 0 0 0 .217 Moreno c 4 0 1 0 0 0 .176
Lopez 2b 0 0 0 0 0 0 .111 a-Maton ph-3b-2b 1 0 0 0 1 0 .067 Montero 3b 4 0 3 0 0 0 .333 Burger dh 2 0 1 0 0 0 .500 Hilliard cf 4 0 1 0 0 2 .250 Thomas cf 1 0 0 0 1 0 .000
Dozier 3b 3 0 0 0 1 3 .059 Rogers c 4 1 1 2 0 1 .250 Trejo 3b 0 0 0 0 0 0 .333 a-Sheets ph-dh-rf 1 1 0 0 2 0 .200 Pillar lf 3 1 1 1 1 1 .400 b-Lewis ph-lf 2 0 0 0 0 1 .133
Pratto rf 4 0 1 0 0 2 .143 Kreidler 2b 2 0 0 0 0 1 .154 Daza cf 3 0 0 0 0 1 .208 Alberto 3b-p 5 1 2 0 0 0 .333 b-Rosario ph 1 1 1 0 0 0 .286 Perdomo ss 1 1 0 0 2 1 .429
Eaton cf 4 0 0 0 0 1 .000 b-Meadows ph-rf-lf 2 0 0 0 0 0 .238 Tovar ss 3 1 1 0 0 1 .190 Benintendi lf 5 1 1 1 0 1 .267 Arcia ss 4 2 3 2 1 0 .370 Totals 32 2 5 1 3 8
Totals 35 3 8 3 3 12 Totals 33 3 6 3 5 9 Totals 33 1 9 1 1 9 Andrus 2b 4 1 2 2 1 1 .185 Totals 37 7 13 7 7 7 a-grounded out for Heyward in the 7th. b-grounded
a-grounded out for Massey in the 8th. a-grounded out for Schoop in the 6th. b-grounded LOB: Washington 7, Colorado 9. 2B: Bryant (3), Tovar Zavala c 5 2 1 0 0 2 .375 Two outs when winning run scored. out for Thomas in the 7th.
LOB: Toronto 5, Kansas City 8. 2B: Varsho (3), out for Kreidler in the 7th. c-doubled for Haase in the (1). RBIs: Bryant (2). CS: Abrams (1). González rf-3b 4 0 1 0 0 2 .333 a-grounded out for Odor in the 6th. b-doubled for E: Perdomo (1). LOB: Los Angeles 7, Arizona 6. 2B:
M.Chapman (6), Kiermaier (1), Olivares (1). HR: Biggio 8th. Totals 39 6 11 6 5 10 Pillar in the 9th.
Runners left in scoring position: Washington 1 Freeman (2), Martinez (3), Smith (3), J.Rojas (2), Moreno
(1), off Lyles; Guerrero Jr. (2), off Lyles; Witt Jr. (1), off E: Hernández (3). LOB: Boston 3, Detroit 8. 2B: Devers (Meneses); Colorado 3 (McMahon, Cron, Tovar). RISP: a-walked for Burger in the 4th. b-singled for E: Yates (1). LOB: San Diego 7, Atlanta 12. 2B: Machado (2), Marte (3). 3B: McCarthy (1). HR: Freeman (1), off
Richards. RBIs: M.Chapman 2 (7), Bichette (3), Biggio (1), (3), Yoshida (1), Carpenter (3). HR: Devers (2), off Washington 0 for 1; Colorado 2 for 9. Pederson in the 9th. (1), Acuña Jr. (2), Olson (4), Murphy (1), Arcia (2), Rosario K.Nelson. RBIs: Taylor (4), Martinez (5), Outman (6),
Guerrero Jr. (6), Varsho (4), Witt Jr. (3), Pasquantino (2), Turnbull; Duvall (3), off Cisnero; Rogers (2), off Sale. Runners moved up: Bryant, Blackmon, Díaz. E: Estrada (1), Sabol (1). LOB: San Francisco 11, Chicago (1). HR: Carpenter (1), off Strider; Cronenworth (1), off Freeman (1), J.Rojas (3).
Olivares (3). RBIs: Hernández (4), Devers 2 (4), Duvall 3 (12), Rogers 2 Washington IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA 11. 2B: Villar (1), Wade Jr. (1), Estrada (1), Burger (1), Luetge; Arcia (2), off Snell. RBIs: Carpenter 3 (6), Runners left in scoring position: Los Angeles 4 (Smith
Runners left in scoring position: Toronto 3 (Belt, (4), Cabrera (2). SB: Yoshida (2). Gray, L, 0-2 6 8 1 1 1 6102 4.91 Benintendi (2), Andrus (1). HR: Conforto (2), off Lynn; Cronenworth (1), Azocar (1), Riley (6), Arcia 2 (4), Pillar 2, Heyward, Taylor); Arizona 3 (Carroll, Walker, J.Rojas).
Merrifield, Biggio); Kansas City 5 (Pasquantino 2, Pratto Runners left in scoring position: Boston 2 (Hernández Thompson 2 1 0 0 0 3 25 1.29 Sabol (1), off Lynn; Yastrzemski (2), off Lynn; Flores (1), (1), Olson 2 (9), d'Arnaud (5). SB: Harris II (2). SF: Riley. RISP: Los Angeles 2 for 9; Arizona 0 for 8.
2, Eaton). RISP: Toronto 3 for 8; Kansas City 2 for 10. 2); Detroit 4 (Haase, Rogers, Greene, Schoop). RISP: off Ruiz; Davis (2), off Alberto. RBIs: Conforto 3 (4), Runners left in scoring position: San Diego 3 Runners moved up: Lewis. GIDP: Freeman.
Runners moved up: Jansen, M.Chapman, Perez. Boston 1 for 6; Detroit 1 for 8. Colorado IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Sabol (1), Pederson 2 (6), Yastrzemski 2 (5), Flores 2 (2), (Bogaerts, Kim 2); Atlanta 6 (Arcia 2, Albies, Riley 2, DP: Arizona 1 (Perdomo, Walker).
Toronto IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Runners moved up: Casas, Báez. GIDP: Casas, Yoshida, Freeland, W, 2-0 62⁄3 4 0 0 2 5 86 0.00 Davis 5 (6), Estrada (3), Anderson 2 (3), Vaughn (6), Pillar). RISP: San Diego 2 for 12; Atlanta 4 for 12. Los Angeles IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
Gausman, W, 1-1 6 4 0 0 2 7 86 0.00 Maton. Lawrence, H, 1 11⁄3 2 0 0 0 1 19 0.00 Benintendi (1), Andrus 2 (2). SB: Zavala (1), Andrus (2). Runners moved up: Azocar, Carpenter, Olson, Acuña May, W, 1-0 6 2 1 1 2 5 83 0.69
Bass 1 0 0 0 0 2 8 3.86 DP: Boston 1 (Casas); Detroit 2 (Báez, Torkelson; Báez, Johnson, S, 2-2 1 0 0 0 0 2 9 3.00 Runners left in scoring position: San Francisco 6 Jr.. GIDP: Bogaerts, d'Arnaud. Vesia 1
⁄3 2 1 1 0 0 15 13.50
Richards 0 2 3 3 1 0 16 13.50 Torkelson). Inherited runners-scored: Lawrence 1-0. (Yastrzemski, Pederson, Flores, Villar, Johnson 2); DP: San Diego 1 (Bogaerts, Kim, Cronenworth); Almonte, H, 1 2
⁄3 0 0 0 1 0 13 3.38
Mayza 1
⁄3 2 0 0 0 0 6 3.38 Boston IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Umpires: Home, Cory Blaser; First, Carlos Torres; Chicago 7 (Alberto 4, González, Vaughn, Zavala). RISP: Atlanta 1 (Albies, Olson). Bickford, H, 1 1 1 0 0 0 2 21 5.40
García, H, 2 2
⁄3 0 0 0 0 2 11 6.00 Sale, W, 1-0 5 4 3 3 3 7 74 11.25 Second, Jansen Visconti; Third, Ron Kulpa. San Francisco 5 for 14; Chicago 4 for 13. San Diego IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Phillips, S, 2-2 1 0 0 0 0 1 15 0.00
Cimber, S, 1-1 1 0 0 0 0 1 14 0.00 Schreiber, H, 2 1 0 0 0 1 1 17 2.25 Time: 2:18. Attendance: 48,230 (50,144). San Francisco IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Snell 32⁄3 6 4 4 4 2 88 7.88 Arizona IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
Kansas City IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Martin, H, 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 15 0.00 Wood 3 6 3 1 2 3 71 3.00 Tapia 11⁄3 1 0 0 2 2 35 4.15
Brasier, H, 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 21 6.75 Junis, W, 2-0 4 2 0 0 2 4 69 1.42 Wilson 2 0 0 0 1 2 28 1.69 Kelly, L, 0-1 52⁄3 6 4 4 4 4 99 3.86
Lyles, L, 0-2 5 ⁄3 8 5 5 0 9106 4.91
2
Jansen, S, 1-1 1 0 0 0 0 0 16 0.00 Brebbia 1 0 0 0 0 2 15 3.00 Hill, BS, 0-1 1 4 2 2 0 1 22 4.91 K.Nelson 1 1 1 1 0 1 13 3.00
Garrett 1
⁄3 0 0 0 0 1 5 6.00 Beaty 1 3 3 3 1 1 22 27.00 Crismatt, L, 0-1 2
⁄3 2 1 1 0 0 17 16.20 Ginkel 11⁄3 0 0 0 0 1 12 6.75
Cuas 2 3 1 1 0 1 28 3.86 Detroit IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA C.Vargas 1 0 0 0 2 2 24 6.75
Barlow 1 0 0 0 0 1 10 0.00 Turnbull, L, 0-2 52⁄3 5 5 5 2 1 72 13.50 Chicago IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Atlanta IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
Inherited runners-scored: Almonte 1-0, K.Nelson 2-0.
Richards pitched to 3 batters in the 8th Cisnero 11⁄3 1 1 1 0 1 19 9.00 Lynn, L, 0-1 41⁄3 9 8 8 3 5 99 9.00 Strider 5 4 3 3 3 9 101 2.45 HBP: C.Vargas (Betts). WP: Bickford. PB: Smith (1).
Inherited runners-scored: Bass 2-0, Mayza 2-2, García Englert 11⁄3 1 0 0 1 1 25 1.69 Ruiz 12⁄3 2 2 2 1 1 37 22.09 Luetge, BS, 0-1 1 1 1 1 1 0 24 9.00 Umpires: Home, Ramon De Jesus; First, Alfonso
2-0, Garrett 1-0. Lange 2
⁄3 0 0 0 1 0 8 3.38 Santos 2 5 2 2 0 3 33 7.36 Anderson 1 0 0 0 0 1 17 2.45 Marquez; Second, Doug Eddings; Third, Lance Barrett.
Umpires: Home, Manny Gonzalez; First, Adam Hamari; Inherited runners-scored: Cisnero 2-2, Lange 2-0. Alberto 1 4 4 4 1 0 18 36.00 Yates 1 1 2 2 2 1 21 9.00 Time: 2:43. Attendance: 48,034 (48,359).
Second, Jerry Layne; Third, Vic Carapazza. HBP: Turnbull (Turner). Inherited runners-scored: Junis 2-1. HBP: Ruiz (Wade Minter, W, 1-0 1 1 0 0 1 1 20 0.00
Time: 2:30. Attendance: 10,401 (38,427). Umpires: Home, Edwin Moscoso; First, Larry Vanover; Jr.), Santos (Villar). Inherited runners-scored: Tapia 3-0. WP: Luetge,
Second, Chris Guccione; Third, Dan Merzel. Umpires: Home, John Libka; First, Nate Tomlinson; Yates.
Time: 2:32. Attendance: 44,650 (41,083). Second, James Hoye; Third, D.J. Reyburn. Umpires: Home, Jeremie Rehak; First, Paul Emmel;
Time: 2:50. Attendance: 18,261 (40,241). Second, Chad Fairchild; Third, Nic Lentz.
Time: 3:14. Attendance: 42,803 (41,149).
6NS | FRIDAY, APRIL 7, 2023 | SPORTS EXTRA - USA TODAY NETWORK

NBA

THURSDAY’S ROUNDUP

Heat keep alive hopes of East No. 6 seed

ASSOCIATED PRESS They are 10th in the Western Confer-
ence, a half-game ahead of Dallas with
PHILADELPHIA – Jimmy Butler and one game remaining.
Tyler Herro each scored 24 points and Kris Dunn had 22 points, eight as-
the Miami Heat kept alive their hopes of sists and seven rebounds for the Jazz,
avoiding the NBA’s play-in tournament who were eliminated from postseason
with a 129-99 victory over the Philadel- contention.
phia 76ers on Thursday night.
Max Strus and Bam Adebayo both Cavaliers 118, Magic 94
added 14 points. Miami started fast,
leading 41-31 after a quarter and record- ORLANDO, Fla. – Danny Green
ed 39 assists, tying the franchise record scored 21 points, Cedi Osman added 19
for most in a game originally set on Feb. and Cleveland beat Orlando in a game in
15, 1997, against Philadelphia. which both teams rested their starters.
The Heat (43-37) would have to win Isaiah Mobley came off the bench
both of their remaining games (at with 18 points for the Cavaliers, who had
Washington and home against Orlando) clinched the fourth seed in the Eastern
and have Brooklyn lose both home Conference playoffs by beating the
games this weekend (to Orlando and Magic on Tuesday night.
Philadelphia) to move into the No. 6 spot Jalen Suggs led the Magic with 22
and avoid the play-in round. Miami took points in their home finale. Bol Bol add-
the Southeast Division title with the ed 18 points and eight rebounds in his
win. first start since Dec. 30.
Philadelphia (52-27) has already se- The 35-year-old Green, who signed
cured the third spot in the Eastern Con- as a free agent with the Cavaliers on Feb.
ference playoffs. 14 after being waived by Houston,
A win Thursday night would have played 26 minutes and shot 5 for 9 from
sealed a first-round matchup against behind the arc.
Brooklyn. Joel Embiid scored 21 points
despite not playing in the fourth quar- Spurs 129, Trail Blazers 127
ter. James Harden chipped in 14 in lim-
ited minutes. AUSTIN, Texas – Keita Bates-Diop
had 25 points, Julian Champagnie and
Suns 119, Nuggets 115 Keldon Johnson each added 24 and San
Antonio beat Portland in the first NBA
PHOENIX – Chris Paul made a ca- game in Texas’ capital city.
reer-high seven 3-pointers and Phoenix Tre Jones had 18 points and 10 assists
won its season-best seventh game in a for San Antonio, which is guaranteed to
row, holding off short-handed Denver. Heat guard Tyler Herro (14) is defended by 76ers center Joel Embiid during the finish with one of the NBA’s three-worst
Kevin Durant added six 3s and led the second quarter on Thursday in Philadelphia. ERIC HARTLINE/USA TODAY SPORTS records.
Suns with 29 points, while Paul scored Kevin Knox had 24 points to lead
25. Durant also had seven rebounds. Portland and Drew Eubanks added 23
Devin Booker made just 3 of 12 shots, points on 11-of-18 shooting. Reggie Jack- exander scored 22 points and Oklahoma points against his former team.
but still scored 15 as he was 8 for 8 from son had 20 points and six assists, while City strengthened its hopes of reaching The Trail Blazers have lost seven of
the free throw line. Booker also had DeAndre Jordan had 12 points and 11 re- the play-in tournament with a victory eight.
eight assists, while Deandre Ayton bounds. over short-handed Utah. The Spurs are playing their final two
scored 16 points and reserve Torrey Josh Giddey had 17 points, eight as- home games at the Moody Center in
Craig had 11. Thunder 114, Jazz 98 sists and eight rebounds, while Aaron Austin as part of what the franchise has
Bruce Brown led Denver (52-28), Wiggins scored 15 for the Thunder, who deemed a regional outreach.
playing without all five starters, with 31 SALT LAKE CITY – Shai Gilgeous-Al- snapped a three-game losing streak.

THURSDAY’S BOX SCORES

Cleveland 118, Orlando 94 PHILADELPHIA (101) 3-Point Goals—Portland 10-28 (Eubanks 3-4, Knox II 3-6, Butler Jr. Toscano-Anderson 0-5, Agbaji 0-8). Fouled Out—None.
CLEVELAND (118) Harris 4-8 2-2 11, Tucker 1-2 0-0 2, Embiid 9-13 2-4 21, Harden 5-12 2-6, Mays 1-3, Minaya 1-3, Watford 0-1, Williams 0-1, Harrison 0-2, Rebounds—Oklahoma City 50 (Saric 10), Utah 45 (Olynyk 14).
Stevens 5-14 1-2 13, Wade 3-7 0-0 7, Lopez 4-4 0-0 8, Osman 7-11 2-2 14, Melton 1-5 0-0 3, Niang 3-7 0-0 7, Reed 1-1 0-0 2, Harrell Walker 0-2), San Antonio 10-35 (Champagnie 5-9, Bates-Diop Assists—Oklahoma City 29 (Giddey 8), Utah 24 (Dunn, Olynyk 8).
1-1 19, Rubio 2-7 0-0 5, Diakite 5-7 2-2 13, I.Mobley 7-12 2-2 18, 2-2 4-4 8, McDaniels 4-8 0-0 10, Korkmaz 3-6 0-0 8, Milton 4-7 3-3 2-4, Collins 1-3, Jones 1-3, Kel.Johnson 1-8, Langford 0-1, Total Fouls—Oklahoma City 17, Utah 23. A—18,206 (18,206)
Green 8-14 0-0 21, Merrill 2-6 0-0 6, Neto 3-6 2-2 8. Totals 46-88 11, House Jr. 2-5 0-0 4. Totals 39-76 13-15 101. Mamukelashvili 0-2, Branham 0-5). Fouled Out—Portland 1
8-9 118. MIA 41 26 29 33 — 129 (Williams), San Antonio None. Rebounds—Portland 36 (Eubanks Phoenix 119, Denver 115
PHI 31 15 32 23 — 101 9), San Antonio 47 (Collins 10). Assists—Portland 34 (Harrison 9),
ORLANDO (94) 3-Point Goals—Miami 18-39 (Herro 5-8, Strus 4-8, Lowry 3-4, Love DENVER (115)
San Antonio 29 (Jones 10). Total Fouls—Portland 22, San Antonio
Bol 6-15 5-5 18, Okeke 1-6 0-0 2, M.Wagner 3-11 1-2 9, Houstan 3-9 2-6, D.Robinson 1-2, Butler 1-3, Vincent 1-3, Martin 1-4, Highsmith Braun 6-11 1-2 15, Watson 1-6 1-2 3, Jordan 6-6 0-0 12, Brown 11-18
12. A—16,023 (15,000)
0-0 8, Suggs 7-15 3-3 22, Schofield 2-6 2-2 7, Bitadze 3-7 1-2 7, 0-1), Philadelphia 10-36 (Korkmaz 2-4, McDaniels 2-5, Harden 9-9 31, Jackson 7-15 4-4 20, Cancar 1-3 0-0 2, Green 4-7 3-4 14,
Carter-Williams 1-2 0-0 2, K.Harris 3-6 2-3 8, Scrubb 4-6 1-2 11. 2-6, Embiid 1-2, Harris 1-3, Niang 1-4, Melton 1-5, Tucker 0-1, Nnaji 3-5 0-0 7, Smith 5-12 1-2 11. Totals 44-83 19-23 115.
Totals 33-83 15-19 94. Oklahoma City 114, Utah 98
House Jr. 0-3, Milton 0-3). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Miami PHOENIX (119)
CLE 33 34 28 23 — 118 OKLAHOMA CITY (114) Durant 9-18 5-7 29, Okogie 1-4 3-6 5, Ayton 7-9 2-2 16, Booker 3-12
ORL 42 15 16 21 — 94 42 (Adebayo 8), Philadelphia 32 (Embiid 6). Assists—Miami 39
(Lowry 7), Philadelphia 23 (Milton 10). Total Fouls—Miami 13, Dort 1-7 3-4 5, Jal.Williams 4-10 0-0 9, Jay.Williams 4-8 0-0 11, 8-8 15, Paul 9-15 0-0 25, Craig 5-8 0-0 11, Wainright 0-0 0-0 0,
3-Point Goals—Cleveland 18-38 (Green 5-9, Osman 4-6, I.Mobley Giddey 6-14 3-4 17, Gilgeous-Alexander 7-19 7-10 22, Dieng 0-2 Ross 3-4 0-0 8, Biyombo 1-3 2-2 4, Landale 1-1 0-0 2, Payne 1-2
Philadelphia 18. A—21,178 (20,478)
2-3, Stevens 2-5, Merrill 2-6, Diakite 1-2, Rubio 1-2, Wade 1-4, 0-0 0, Robinson-Earl 0-0 0-0 0, Waters III 4-7 0-0 10, Saric 5-10 0-0 2, Shamet 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 41-79 20-25 119.
Neto 0-1), Orlando 13-39 (Suggs 5-9, Scrubb 2-2, M.Wagner 2-5, 2-2 14, Sarr 0-0 0-0 0, Butler 0-0 0-0 0, Joe 3-11 2-2 11, Mann 0-0 DEN 25 30 31 29 — 115
Houstan 2-7, Schofield 1-2, Bol 1-7, Bitadze 0-1, K.Harris 0-3, San Antonio 129, Portland 127 0-0 0, Wiggins 5-9 4-4 15. Totals 39-97 21-26 114. PHX 27 29 33 30 — 119
Okeke 0-3). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Cleveland 42 (Diakite PORTLAND (127) UTAH (98) 3-Point Goals—Denver 8-23 (Green 3-6, Braun 2-5, Jackson 2-5,
8), Orlando 39 (Bol 8). Assists—Cleveland 31 (Neto 8), Orlando 21 Butler Jr. 4-11 2-2 12, Watford 7-12 2-2 16, Eubanks 9-13 2-3 23, Olynyk 6-10 4-6 16, Samanic 3-8 1-2 8, Azubuike 6-8 0-0 12, Agbaji Nnaji 1-2, Brown 0-1, Smith 0-1, Watson 0-1, Cancar 0-2), Phoenix
(Suggs 4). Total Fouls—Cleveland 21, Orlando 11. A—19,235 Mays 4-7 2-2 11, Williams 8-10 0-0 16, Knox II 9-15 3-4 24, Minaya 6-18 1-2 13, Dunn 9-10 2-2 22, Fontecchio 4-11 2-2 11, 17-36 (Paul 7-12, Durant 6-10, Ross 2-3, Craig 1-2, Booker 1-5,
(18,846) 3-8 0-0 7, Walker 4-12 0-0 8, Harrison 3-8 4-5 10. Totals 51-96 Toscano-Anderson 2-9 1-2 5, Jones 2-3 0-0 4, Potter 0-0 0-0 0, Payne 0-1, Shamet 0-1, Okogie 0-2). Fouled Out—None.
15-18 127. Juzang 3-6 0-0 7. Totals 41-83 11-16 98. Rebounds—Denver 38 (Jordan 11), Phoenix 33 (Durant 7).
Miami 129, Philadelphia 101 SAN ANTONIO (129) OKC 32 23 29 30 — 114 Assists—Denver 24 (Jackson, Smith 6), Phoenix 26 (Booker 8).
MIAMI (129) Bates-Diop 7-11 9-10 25, Kel.Johnson 10-24 3-3 24, Collins 9-14 UTA 25 27 24 22 — 98 Total Fouls—Denver 19, Phoenix 16. A—17,071 (18,422)
Butler 9-12 5-6 24, Strus 5-9 0-0 14, Adebayo 7-11 0-0 14, Herro 2-3 21, Branham 1-12 0-0 2, Jones 5-11 7-7 18, Barlow 2-4 1-1 5, 3-Point Goals—Oklahoma City 15-45 (Jay.Williams 3-5, Joe 3-9,
7-17 5-5 24, Vincent 2-7 0-0 5, Cain 1-1 0-0 2, D.Robinson 2-3 0-0 Champagnie 8-14 3-4 24, Mamukelashvili 2-8 0-0 4, Langford 2-5 Saric 2-4, Giddey 2-5, Waters III 2-5, Jal.Williams 1-4, Wiggins 1-4,
5, Highsmith 3-4 0-0 6, Martin 5-10 2-2 13, Love 2-7 1-2 7, 0-0 4, Wesley 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 47-106 25-28 129. Gilgeous-Alexander 1-5, Dieng 0-1, Dort 0-3), Utah 5-31 (Dunn
Yurtseven 2-2 0-0 4, Lowry 4-5 0-0 11. Totals 49-88 13-15 129. POR 37 24 39 27 — 127 2-2, Juzang 1-3, Samanic 1-5, Fontecchio 1-6, Olynyk 0-2,
SAS 32 37 29 31 — 129

Pelicans: Zion Williamson continuing rehab

Brett Martel jury. The latest provided no such time-
ASSOCIATED PRESS line or detail. The Pelicans are sched-
uled to practice on Saturday before their
NEW ORLEANS – The Pelicans have regular-season finale at Minnesota on
ruled out Zion Williamson for Friday Sunday.
night’s game against the New York The injury-plagued Williamson has
Knicks but have stopped short of pro- not played since leaving a game in Phila-
viding a timeline for how much longer delphia on Jan. 3.
the All-Star forward will be sidelined by But if Williamson were able to return
his right hamstring injury. to form for the playoffs and remain
“After further evaluation, it has been healthy, his addition to the lineup would
determined that Zion Williamson will make the Pelicans a more formidable
continue his rehabilitation and condi- postseason threat than their regular-
tioning regimen,” Pelicans executive season record or seeding would other-
vice president of basketball operations wise indicate.
David Griffin said in a statement Thurs- When the 6-foot-6, 280-pound Wil-
day evening. “We will continue to mon- liamson has played, he’s been among
itor his progression and updates will be the Pelicans’ most productive players,
provided as warranted.” averaging 26 points and seven rebounds
The announcement comes a day af- per game.
ter the Pelicans clinched a spot in the In the 29 games he has played this
NBA postseason with a victory over season, New Orleans went 17-12.
Memphis that guaranteed the team a Williamson has struggled to remain
top-nine finish in the Western Confer- reliably healthy since being selected
ence – good enough for at least a play-in first overall by New Orleans in the 2019
spot. New Orleans (41-39) still could fin- NBA draft.
ish in the top six and go straight to the Now in his fourth year as a pro, he has
playoffs if it wins its last two games and played in a total of 114 games. He ap-
receives help in the form of losses by peared in 61 games in his second NBA
Golden State (42-38) or the Los Angeles season, but that was the only season in
Clippers (42-38). which he played more than 30 games.
Previous updates provided by the He played in just 24 games as a rookie
Pelicans said Williamson would con- because of a knee injury and did not
tinue his rehabilitation for multiple play at all in his third season because of Pelicans forward Zion Williamson watches a game against the Grizzlies on
weeks before a re-evaluation of his in- a broken foot. Wednesday in New Orleans. MATTHEW HINTON/AP
 SPORTS EXTRA - USA TODAY NETWORK | FRIDAY, APRIL 7, 2023 | 7NS

NHL

THURSDAY’S ROUNDUP

Kraken playoff
bound for 1st time
after beating Coyotes
ASSOCIATED PRESS the Devils’ 50th win of the season, one
off tying the franchise record set in
SEATTLE – The Seattle Kraken 2008-09. Vitek Vanecek made 16 saves.
clinched the first playoff berth in fran-
chise history and set an NHL record for Stars 4, Flyers 1
victories in an expansion team’s second
season by beating the Arizona Coyotes DALLAS – Jason Robertson beat the
4-2 on Thursday night. first-period buzzer while scoring twice
Jared McCann, Jordan Eberle, Matty and Dallas beat Philadelphia to keep
Beniers and Vince Dunn scored for the pace in the tight Central Division playoff
Kraken, who earned their 44th win – the race.
most by a second-year NHL team since Joe Pavelski had a goal and two as-
the Original Six era, which ended in sists and Colin Miller scored as the Stars
1968. It’s a big turnaround for Seattle, reached 100 points.
which was 27-49-6 in its first season
and finished last in the Pacific Division. Golden Knights 5, Kings 2
Philipp Grubauer had 27 saves for Se- Kraken left wing Jared McCann, left, celebrates his goal against the Coyotes
attle, which won its third straight game. LAS VEGAS – Vegas scored four goals during the first period on Thursday in Seattle. LINDSEY WASSON/AP
Barrett Hayton and Laurent Dauphin on its first six shots and took a major
scored for Arizona. step toward clinching the Pacific Divi-
sion and the top seed in the Western Islanders 6, Lightning 1 Predators 3, Hurricanes 0
Bruins 2, Maple Leafs 1 (OT) Conference with a victory over Los An-
geles. NEW YORK – Adam Pelech, Brock NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Mark Jankow-
BOSTON – David Pastrnak scored his The third line shined for the Knights Nelson, Kyle Palmieri and Ryan Pulock ski had a goal and an assist in the first
57th goal of the season at 2:30 of over- with Phil Kessel, Ivan Barbashev and scored second-period goals, Ilya Soro- period and Nashville beat Carolina to
time to give history-chasing Boston a Chandler Stephenson each finishing kin made 29 saves and New York beat keep alive its improbable playoff hopes.
victory over Toronto. with a goal and an assist. Tampa Bay to keep pace in the Eastern Michael McCarron also scored as the
Pastrnak blasted a shot from inside Conference wild-card race. Predators won their second straight and
the left circle as the Bruins notched their Sabres 7, Red Wings 6 (SO) Simon Holmstrom and Bo Horvat third in four games after jumping out to
61st victory – one off the NHL season also scored for the Islanders. a 2-0 lead in the first.
record set by Detroit in 1995-96 and DETROIT – Tage Thompson scored
matched by Tampa Bay in 2018-19. his 45th goal of the season, Dylan Coz- Blues 3, Rangers 2 (OT) Canucks 3, Blackhawks 0
ens had two goals and Buffalo outlasted
Panthers 7, Senators 2 Detroit in a shootout. ST. LOUIS – Kasperi Kapanen scored VANCOUVER, British Columbia –
Henri Jokiharju, Zemgus Girgensons 1:16 into overtime to lift St. Louis past Thatcher Demko stopped 33 shots for
SUNRISE, Fla. – Alex Lyon set a fran- and Jordan Greenway also scored for New York. his first shutout of the season and third
chise record for saves in a regulation the Sabres, and Devon Levi made 26 Kapanen took a pass from Brayden overall in Vancouver’s victory over Chi-
game with 56 and Aleksander Barkov saves. Alex Tuch and Jack Quinn scored Schenn to score his 15th goal of the sea- cago.
scored twice and Florida beat Ottawa for in the shootout. son for St. Louis, which has won two in a Andrei Kuzmenko, Vitali Kravtsov
its fifth consecutive victory. row. and J.T. Miller – into the empty net –
Lyon surpassed the mark of 53 set by Penguins 4, Wild 1 scored and defenseman Akito Hirose
Craig Anderson on March 2, 2008. Canadiens 6, Capitals 2 had two assists to help the Canucks end
PITTSBURGH – Tristan Jarry a four-game losing streak.
Devils 8, Blue Jackets 1 stopped 27 shots and Pittsburgh beat MONTREAL – Joel Armia had his
Minnesota to keep pace in the race for second career hat trick and Montreal Avalanche 6, Sharks 2
NEWARK, N.J. – Jack Hughes scored one of the two wild-card spots in the beat Washington to snap a four-game
two goals and set up two by Timo Meier Eastern Conference. skid. SAN JOSE, Calif. – Mikko Rantanen
and New Jersey routed Columbus with Kris Letang beat Fleury, a good friend Nick Suzuki, Brendan Gallagher and had a hat trick to lead Colorado past San
its biggest offensive output in more than who won three Stanley Cups in Pitts- Mike Hoffman also scored for Montreal, Jose.
four years. burgh before leaving in the 2017 expan- Mike Matheson had two assists and Rantanen reached 52 goals on the
Tomas Tatar, Erik Haula, Damon Se- sion draft, over the glove in the first peri- Sam Montembeault made 24 saves. season and finished with four points in
verson and Ryan Graves also scored in od for his 11th goal of the season. the game.

THURSDAY’S SUMMARIES
New Jersey 8, Columbus 1 A—17,850 (17,565). T_2:29. Second Period—3, Florida, Barkov 22 (Forsling, 8-5-6-3_22. Vegas 4 1 0 — 5
Columbus 0 1 0 — 1 Referees—Francis Charron, Tom Chmielewski. Reinhart), 1:24 (sh). 4, Ottawa, Giroux 31 Power-play opportunities—N.Y. Rangers 2 of 2; St. First Period—1, Vegas, Kessel 14 (Barbashev,
New Jersey 1 3 4 — 8 Linesmen_Jonathan Deschamps, Jonny Murray. (Batherson), 4:25. 5, Florida, Reinhart 30 (Montour, Louis 0 of 1. Stephenson), 2:54. 2, Vegas, Barbashev 16
First Period—1, New Jersey, Hughes 41, 11:35. Barkov), 7:48 (pp). 6, Florida, Luostarinen 17 (Ekblad, Goalies—N.Y. Rangers, Halak 10-8-5 (22 shots-19 (Stephenson), 3:56. 3, Vegas, Stephenson 15
Penalties_McLeod, NJ (Slashing), 9:26; Wood, NJ Montreal 6, Washington 2 Montour), 9:25 (pp). 7, Florida, Cousins 9 (Gudas, saves). St. Louis, Binnington 27-25-6 (24-22). (Kessel, Whitecloud), 6:07. 4, Vegas, Roy 14 (Eichel,
(Roughing), 13:24. Washington 1 0 1 — 2 Ekblad), 15:38. 8, Florida, Forsling 13, 17:00. A—18,096 (18,096). T_2:24. Pietrangelo), 11:23 (pp). Penalties_Los Angeles
Second Period—2, New Jersey, Tatar 18 (Hischier, Montreal 0 4 2 — 6 Penalties_Tkachuk, FLA (Roughing), 3:13; Referees—Graham Skilliter, Furman South. bench, served by Kaliyev (Boarding), 8:28; Vegas
Graves), 1:20. 3, New Jersey, Hughes 42 (Hischier, First Period—1, Washington, Strome 20 (Ovechkin, Sanderson, OTT (Roughing), 3:13; Ottawa bench, Linesmen_Tommy Hughes, Bryan Pancich. bench, served by Amadio (Instigator), 8:28;
Meier), 2:20 (pp). 4, Columbus, Luoto 1 (Kuraly, Jensen), 5:30. Penalties_Washington bench, served served by Tkachuk (Unsportsmanlike Conduct), MacEwen, LA (Fighting), 8:28; Hague, LV (Fighting),
Robinson), 11:33. 5, New Jersey, Meier 39 (Bratt, by Ovechkin (Instigator), 10:27; Wilson, WSH 6:31; Brown, OTT (Fighting), 6:31; Gudas, FLA Nashville 3, Carolina 0 8:28; Hague, LV (Instigator), 8:28.
Hughes), 16:16 (pp). Penalties_Bjork, CBJ (Cross (Fighting), 10:27; Wilson, WSH (Misconduct), 10:27; (Fighting), 6:31; Watson, OTT (Misconduct), 6:31; Carolina 0 0 0 — 0 Second Period—5, Vegas, Marchessault 27, 1:02. 6,
Checking), 2:07; Sharangovich, NJ (Delay of Game), Pezzetta, MTL (Fighting), 10:27; Montreal bench, Tkachuk, FLA (Fighting), 8:24; Batherson, OTT Nashville 2 0 1 — 3 Los Angeles, Kopitar 27 (Doughty, Kempe), 11:24
8:46; New Jersey bench, served by Tatar (Delay of served by Pitlick (Too Many Men on the Ice), 12:26. (Fighting), 8:24; Tkachuk, OTT (Roughing), 8:24; First Period—1, Nashville, Jankowski 6 (Stastney), (pp). 7, Los Angeles, Gavrikov 5, 14:10 (sh).
Game), 11:33; Bjork, CBJ (Slashing), 14:51. Second Period—2, Montreal, Suzuki 24 (Edmundson, Tkachuk, OTT (Fighting), 8:24; M.Staal, FLA 7:47 (sh). 2, Nashville, McCarron 2 (Jankowski, Penalties_Barbashev, LV (Slashing), 10:55; Durzi, LA
Third Period—6, New Jersey, Haula 12 (Boqvist, Matheson), 3:42 (sh). 3, Montreal, Armia 5 (Evans, (Fighting), 8:24; M.Staal, FLA (Misconduct), 8:24; McDonagh), 10:47. Penalties_Evangelista, NSH (Hooking), 13:09.
Marino), 2:07. 7, New Jersey, Meier 40 (Marino, Matheson), 7:52 (sh). 4, Montreal, Gallagher 8 Tkachuk, OTT (Misconduct), 8:24; Ekblad, FLA (Delay of Game), 6:35; Sherwood, NSH (Hooking), Third Period—None. Penalties_Kaliyev, LA (Holding),
Hughes), 4:40. 8, New Jersey, Severson 7 (Haula), (Drouin), 9:23. 5, Montreal, Armia 6 (Suzuki, (Roughing), 13:27; Cousins, FLA (Holding), 13:27; 11:32; Aho, CAR (High Sticking), 19:35. 15:48.
6:36 (sh). 9, New Jersey, Graves 8 (Marino, McLeod), Matheson), 11:15. Penalties_Pezzetta, MTL Lundell, FLA (Tripping), 18:44. Second Period—None. Penalties_None. Shots on Goal—Los Angeles 11-9-12_32. Vegas
9:27. Penalties_Bahl, NJ (Clipping), 5:27; Bahl, NJ (Interference), 2:25; Edmundson, MTL (Hooking), Third Period—9, Ottawa, Greig 2 (Brown, Third Period—3, Nashville, Fabbro 2 (Stastney), 17:16 13-14-10_37.
(Misconduct), 10:47; Bahl, NJ (Roughing), 10:47; 6:59; Milano, WSH (Hooking), 12:43; Milano, WSH Brannstrom), 16:18. Penalties_White, FLA (en). Penalties_None. Power-play opportunities—Los Angeles 1 of 1; Vegas
Bjork, CBJ (Misconduct), 10:47; Bjork, CBJ (Tripping), 15:45. (Roughing), 8:16; Zub, OTT (Roughing), 11:25; Shots on Goal—Carolina 14-13-7_34. Nashville 1 of 4.
(Roughing), 10:47; Hischier, NJ (Roughing), 10:47; Third Period—6, Washington, Backstrom 7 (Strome, Kastelic, OTT (Misconduct), 11:25; Smith, FLA 8-6-9_23. Goalies—Los Angeles, Copley 24-5-3 (22 shots-22
Sweezey, CBJ (Roughing), 10:47; Sweezey, CBJ Carlson), 14:27 (pp). 7, Montreal, Armia 7 (Roughing), 11:25; Smith, FLA (Roughing), 11:25; Power-play opportunities—Carolina 0 of 2; Nashville saves), Los Angeles, Korpisalo 16-14-4 (15-10).
(Roughing), 10:47. (Harvey-Pinard), 16:58 (en). 8, Montreal, Hoffman 14 Kastelic, OTT (Roughing), 11:25; Ottawa bench, 0 of 1. Vegas, Brossoit 5-0-3 (32-30).
Shots on Goal—Columbus 5-8-4_17. New Jersey (Evans), 19:42. Penalties_Wideman, MTL served by Batherson (Roughing), 12:03; DeBrincat, Goalies—Carolina, Andersen 20-10-1 (22 shots-20 A—18,404 (17,367). T_2:38.
8-14-13_35. (Roughing), 1:02; Gallagher, MTL (Interference), OTT (Misconduct), 12:03; Tkachuk, FLA saves). Nashville, Saros 31-22-7 (33-33). Referees—Trevor Hanson, Kyle Rehman.
Power-play opportunities—Columbus 0 of 5; New 13:10. (Misconduct), 12:03; Ottawa bench, served by A—17,762 (17,113). T_2:26. Linesmen_Trent Knorr, Bevan Mills.
Jersey 2 of 3. Shots on Goal—Washington 6-8-12_26. Montreal Sokolov (Bench Penalty), 13:08; Sokolov, OTT Referees—TJ Luxmore, Kendrick Nicholson.
Goalies—Columbus, Gillies 1-0-0 (11 shots-8 saves), 13-12-10_35. (Misconduct), 13:08; Sokolov, OTT (Misconduct), Linesmen_Shandor Alphonso, Scott Cherrey. Colorado 6, San Jose 2
Columbus, Hutchinson 1-5-2 (24-19). New Jersey, Power-play opportunities—Washington 1 of 5; 13:08; Smith, FLA (Misconduct), 16:18; Stutzle, OTT Colorado 1 4 1 — 6
Vanecek 32-11-4 (17-16). Montreal 0 of 3. (Tripping), 17:36; Mahura, FLA (Misconduct), 17:36; San Jose 1 1 0 — 2
Dallas 4, Philadelphia 1
A—16,514 (16,514). T_2:26. Goalies—Washington, Kuemper 21-26-6 (31 shots-26 Brown, OTT (Misconduct), 17:36. Philadelphia 0 1 0 — 1 First Period—1, San Jose, Karlsson 23 (Labanc,
Referees—Chris Schlenker, Kelly Sutherland. saves). Montreal, Montembeault 16-16-3 (26-24). Shots on Goal—Ottawa 22-19-18_59. Florida Dallas 1 3 0 — 4 Peterson), 15:43. 2, Colorado, Rantanen 50 (Girard,
Linesmen_Ryan Gibbons, Dan Kelly. A—21,105 (21,288). T_2:36. 10-12-8_30. First Period—1, Dallas, Robertson 44 (Pavelski, MacKinnon), 16:45. Penalties_None.
Referees—Peter MacDougall, Michael Markovic. Power-play opportunities—Ottawa 0 of 6; Florida 3 of Seguin), 19:58 (pp). Penalties_Heiskanen, DAL Second Period—3, Colorado, Rantanen 51
Pittsburgh 4, Minnesota 1 Linesmen_Julien Fournier, Mark Shewchyk. 6. (Cross Checking), 3:41; Suter, DAL (Interference), (MacKinnon, Rodrigues), 2:32. 4, Colorado,
Minnesota 0 0 1 — 1 Goalies—Ottawa, Sogaard 7-6-2 (18 shots-14 saves), 13:20; Ristolainen, PHI (Tripping), 18:51. MacKinnon 37 (Rantanen, Girard), 7:19. 5, Colorado,
Pittsburgh 1 1 2 — 4 Ottawa, Merilainen 0-1-1 (12-9). Florida, Lyon 8-3-1 Second Period—2, Dallas, Pavelski 26 (Heiskanen, Rantanen 52 (Toews, MacKinnon), 8:06. 6, San Jose,
Buffalo 7, Detroit 6 (SO)
First Period—1, Pittsburgh, Letang 11 (Guentzel, Buffalo 3 1 2 1 — 7 (59-56). Benn), 1:04 (pp). 3, Dallas, Miller 6 (Dadonov, Lorentz 9 (MacDonald, Karlsson), 8:41. 7, Colorado,
Dumoulin), 15:02. Penalties_Dumba, MIN Detroit 2 2 2 0 — 6 A—16,675 (19,250). T_2:59. Johnston), 8:53. 4, Dallas, Robertson 45 (Pavelski), Meyers 2 (Nieto), 15:08. Penalties_Hertl, SJ
(Interference), 15:31. Buffalo won shootout 2-1 Referees—Jake Brenk, Dan O'Rourke. 10:55. 5, Philadelphia, Hayes 18 (Tippett, (Tripping), 2:54; Eller, COL (Hooking), 9:08.
Second Period—2, Pittsburgh, Rakell 28 (Letang, First Period—1, Buffalo, Thompson 45 (Power, Linesmen_Travis Gawryletz, Matt MacPherson. Ristolainen), 13:16. Penalties_Philadelphia bench, Third Period—8, Colorado, Meyers 3 (Nieto,
Guentzel), 10:53 (pp). Penalties_Brodin, MIN Cozens), 4:35. 2, Detroit, Czarnik 3 (Berggren, served by van Riemsdyk (Too Many Men on the Ice), Newhook), 3:12. Penalties_None.
(Interference), 3:47; Archibald, PIT (Interference), Walman), 10:38. 3, Detroit, Larkin 32 (Raymond, N.Y. Islanders 6, Tampa Bay 1 0:50. Shots on Goal—Colorado 7-15-9_31. San Jose
8:18; Brodin, MIN (Interference), 10:35; Guentzel, PIT Seider), 15:05 (pp). 4, Buffalo, Jokiharju 2 Tampa Bay 0 1 0 — 1 Third Period—None. Penalties_van Riemsdyk, PHI 6-8-9_23.
(High Sticking), 12:35; Zucker, PIT (Slashing), 19:13. (Mittelstadt, Tuch), 17:10. 5, Buffalo, Cozens 30 N.Y. Islanders 0 4 2 — 6 (Roughing), 9:28; van Riemsdyk, PHI (Roughing), Power-play opportunities—Colorado 0 of 1; San Jose
Third Period—3, Pittsburgh, Zucker 27 (Rakell, (Krebs, Power), 19:08 (pp). Penalties_Larkin, DET First Period—None. Penalties_Palmieri, NYI 9:28; Glendening, DAL (Interference), 9:28; 0 of 1.
Malkin), 2:58. 4, Minnesota, Johansson 17 (Interference on breakaway (Penalty Shot)), 4:00; (Slashing), 11:58. Glendening, DAL (Roughing), 9:28. Goalies—Colorado, Georgiev 37-16-5 (23 shots-21
(Zuccarello, Boldy), 7:39 (pp). 5, Pittsburgh, Carter Walman, DET (Holding), 7:02; Peterka, BUF Second Period—1, N.Y. Islanders, Pelech 6 (Pageau, Shots on Goal—Philadelphia 7-11-7_25. Dallas saves). San Jose, Kahkonen 9-19-7 (19-15), San Jose,
13 (O'Connor, Dumoulin), 13:08. Penalties_Petry, PIT (Hooking), 14:03; Skinner, BUF (Cross Checking), Fasching), 3:46. 2, N.Y. Islanders, Nelson 33 (Bolduc), 8-16-6_30. Reimer 12-18-8 (12-10).
(High Sticking), 6:48; Rust, PIT (Holding), 7:21; 17:10; Larkin, DET (Roughing), 17:10; Walman, DET 9:54. 3, N.Y. Islanders, Palmieri 16 (Nelson, Pulock), Power-play opportunities—Philadelphia 0 of 2; Dallas A—12,772 (17,562). T_2:22.
Foligno, MIN (High Sticking), 15:32. (Roughing), 17:10; Walman, DET (Roughing), 17:10. 10:43. 4, Tampa Bay, Kucherov 30 (Point), 16:47. 5, 2 of 2. Referees—Brandon Blandina, Justin St. Pierre.
Shots on Goal—Minnesota 5-13-10_28. Pittsburgh Second Period—6, Buffalo, Girgensons 10 (Okposo, N.Y. Islanders, Pulock 5 (Engvall, Nelson), 19:40. Goalies—Philadelphia, Hart 21-21-10 (30 shots-26 Linesmen_David Brisebois, Justin Johnson.
19-5-7_31. Power), 1:33. 7, Detroit, Chiasson 6 (Larkin, Penalties_Perbix, TB (Tripping), 13:26. saves). Dallas, Oettinger 33-11-11 (25-24).
Power-play opportunities—Minnesota 1 of 5; Raymond), 16:04 (pp). 8, Detroit, Edvinsson 2, 16:52. Third Period—6, N.Y. Islanders, Holmstrom 6 (Parise, A—0 (18,532). T_2:22. Seattle 4, Arizona 2
Pittsburgh 1 of 4. Penalties_Okposo, BUF (Tripping), 11:11; Jokiharju, Horvat), 15:14. 7, N.Y. Islanders, Horvat 38 (Dobson), Referees—Mitch Dunning, Pierre Lambert. Arizona 0 1 1 — 2
Goalies—Minnesota, Fleury 24-15-4 (31 shots-27 BUF (Holding), 15:00. 19:40. Penalties_Stamkos, TB (Tripping), 8:25; Linesmen_Michel Cormier, Ben O'Quinn. Seattle 1 2 1 — 4
saves). Pittsburgh, Jarry 23-12-6 (28-27). Third Period—9, Buffalo, Greenway 6 (Jokiharju, Hedman, TB (Cross Checking), 19:37; Pageau, NYI First Period—1, Seattle, McCann 38 (Eberle, Beniers),
A—18,417 (18,387). T_2:28. Mittelstadt), 3:20. 10, Buffalo, Cozens 31 (Dahlin, (Roughing), 19:37. 19:36. Penalties_Mackey, ARI (Cross Checking),
Vancouver 3, Chicago 0
Referees—Eric Furlatt, Kevin Pollock. Thompson), 4:32. 11, Detroit, Berggren 15 (Luff), Shots on Goal—Tampa Bay 3-14-14_31. N.Y. Islanders Chicago 0 0 0 — 0 12:48.
Linesmen_Derek Nansen, Andrew Smith. 8:02. 12, Detroit, Perron 23 (Seider, Raymond), 13-15-13_41. Vancouver 1 1 1 — 3 Second Period—2, Seattle, Eberle 19 (McCann), 5:52.
19:00. Penalties_None. Power-play opportunities—Tampa Bay 0 of 1; N.Y. First Period—1, Vancouver, Kuzmenko 38 3, Arizona, Hayton 18 (Crouse, Maccelli), 12:00.
Boston 2, Toronto 1 (OT) Overtime—None. Penalties_None. Islanders 0 of 2. (Pettersson, Hirose), 16:16. Penalties_Bear, VAN Penalties_Oleksiak, SEA (Delay of Game), 1:30;
Toronto 0 1 0 0 — 1 Shootout—Buffalo 2 (Thompson NG, Quinn G, Tuch Goalies—Tampa Bay, Elliott 11-7-2 (41 shots-35 (High Sticking), 10:23. O'Brien, ARI (Holding), 13:14; Donato, SEA (Hooking),
Boston 0 0 1 1 — 2 G), Detroit 1 (Raymond G, Perron NG, Larkin NG). saves). N.Y. Islanders, Sorokin 29-21-7 (31-30). Second Period—2, Vancouver, Kravtsov 4 (Hirose, 16:49.
First Period—None. Penalties_McAvoy, BOS Shots on Goal—Buffalo 16-7-10-3_36. Detroit A—17,255 (17,113). T_2:30. Garland), 3:53 (pp). Penalties_Toews, CHI (Hooking), Third Period—4, Seattle, Beniers 23 (McCann,
(Hooking), 11:33; Boston bench, served by Steen 8-14-8-2_32. Referees—Frederick L'Ecuyer, Jon Mclsaac. 2:06; Aman, VAN (Holding Stick), 12:06; Katchouk, Eberle), 3:37. 5, Arizona, Dauphin 1 (Keller), 19:20.
(Instigator), 14:33; Lafferty, TOR (Fighting), 14:33; Power-play opportunities—Buffalo 1 of 3; Detroit 2 of Linesmen_Brandon Gawryletz, Jesse Marquis. CHI (Tripping), 17:34. Penalties_Arizona bench, served by Dauphin
Greer, BOS (Fighting), 14:33; Greer, BOS 3. Third Period—3, Vancouver, Miller 30 (Boeser, (Roughing), 10:30; Tanev, SEA (Fighting), 10:30;
(Misconduct), 14:33. Goalies—Buffalo, Levi 2-1-0 (32 shots-26 saves). St. Louis 3, N.Y. Rangers 2 (OT) Myers), 19:35 (en). Penalties_Khaira, CHI Kelemen, ARI (Fighting), 10:30; Kelemen, ARI
Second Period—1, Toronto, Lafferty 12 Detroit, Husso 26-19-7 (36-30). N.Y. Rangers 0 0 2 0 — 2 (Interference), 5:45; Athanasiou, CHI (Roughing), (Misconduct), 10:30; Arizona bench, served by
(Aston-Reese), 11:34. Penalties_Kerfoot, TOR (High A—19,367 (20,000). T_2:50. St. Louis 0 1 1 1 — 3 13:00. Dauphin (Instigator), 13:55; Valimaki, ARI
Sticking), 4:43; Schenn, TOR (Kneeing), 12:32. Referees—Chris Rooney, Corey Syvret. First Period—None. Penalties_Trouba, NYR Shots on Goal—Chicago 11-8-14_33. Vancouver (Interference), 13:55; Gourde, SEA (Roughing), 13:55;
Third Period—2, Boston, Coyle 14 (Carlo), 11:32. Linesmen_Ryan Jackson, Brad Kovachik. (Tripping), 3:12. 8-12-9_29. O'Brien, ARI (Fighting), 13:55; Borgen, SEA
Penalties_Marchand, BOS (Interference), 4:52; Second Period—1, St. Louis, Toropchenko 10, 8:00. Power-play opportunities—Chicago 0 of 3; (Fighting), 13:55; O'Brien, ARI (Misconduct), 13:55.
McCabe, TOR (Tripping), 8:16. Florida 7, Ottawa 2 Penalties_None. Vancouver 1 of 3. Shots on Goal—Arizona 8-6-14_28. Seattle
Overtime—3, Boston, Pastrnak 57 (Coyle, Orlov), Ottawa 0 1 1 — 2 Third Period—2, N.Y. Rangers, Tarasenko 18 Goalies—Chicago, Stalock 9-14-1 (28 shots-26 saves). 13-6-14_33.
2:30. Penalties_Rielly, TOR (Hooking), 0:24. Florida 2 5 0 — 7 (Zibanejad, Fox), 1:55 (pp). 3, St. Louis, Pitlick 7 Vancouver, Demko 12-14-4 (33-33). Power-play opportunities—Arizona 0 of 2; Seattle 0
Shots on Goal—Toronto 7-15-10-0_32. Boston First Period—1, Florida, Montour 15 (Tkachuk, (Krug), 10:13. 4, N.Y. Rangers, Trocheck 21 (Panarin, A—18,945 (18,910). T_2:19. of 4.
11-11-8-3_33. M.Staal), 7:59. 2, Florida, Barkov 21 (Tkachuk, Tarasenko), 17:57 (pp). Penalties_Buchnevich, STL Referees—Chris Lee, Brandon Schrader. Goalies—Arizona, Vejmelka 18-24-5 (33 shots-29
Power-play opportunities—Toronto 0 of 3; Boston 0 Montour), 14:03 (pp). Penalties_Kastelic, OTT (Tripping), 0:57; Faulk, STL (Slashing), 17:40. Linesmen_Joseph Mahon, Kilian McNamara. saves). Seattle, Grubauer 16-13-4 (29-27).
of 4. (Fighting), 2:56; Smith, FLA (Fighting), 2:56; Overtime—5, St. Louis, Kapanen 15 (Schenn, Faulk), A—17,151 (17,100). T_2:37.
Goalies—Toronto, Samsonov 25-10-4 (33 shots-31 Brannstrom, OTT (Tripping), 13:54; Smith, FLA (High 1:16. Penalties_None. Referees—Ghislain Hebert, Brian Pochmara.
Vegas 5, Los Angeles 2
saves). Boston, Swayman 21-6-4 (32-31). Sticking), 14:22; Verhaeghe, FLA (Slashing), 19:24. Shots on Goal—N.Y. Rangers 6-12-5-0_23. St. Louis Los Angeles 0 2 0 — 2 Linesmen_Devin Berg, Kiel Murchison.
8NS | FRIDAY, APRIL 7, 2023 | SPORTS EXTRA - USA TODAY NETWORK

SOCCER ENGLISH PREVIEW

Interim coaches all the rage in EPL

Steve Douglas draw at Everton on Monday didn’t sug-
ASSOCIATED PRESS gest there was going to be a significant
change in playing style.
Chelsea is days away from playing That Brighton is the opponent this
Real Madrid in the Champions League weekend is fitting, given the team from
quarterfinals. the south coast is almost a model of how
Tottenham is engaged in a nip-and- to run a club. Brighton has also changed
tuck race for a finish in the English Pre- managers this season but only because
mier League top four. Chelsea enticed Potter away in Septem-
Leicester is in an even tighter fight to ber.
avoid dropping out of England’s lucra- It might have been a blessing in dis-
tive top division. guise, though, with Roberto De Zerbi
All three clubs have very different ob- gaining better results and lifting the
jectives heading into the final weeks of team up to sixth place, four points be-
the season. Yet, in one respect, they are hind fifth-placed Tottenham having
in the same position. played two fewer games.
None of them have a permanent Brighton, an FA Cup semifinalist, has
manager. lost just one of its 15 games in all compe-
In a crazy eight-day span, three of titions in 2023 and has a genuine shot at
English soccer’s biggest clubs thought it the top four given it still has to play
best to get rid of their widely respected third-placed Newcastle and fourth-
managers without having any real plan placed Manchester United.
to replace them. Not giving Potter until the end of the
No wonder so many say the business season at Chelsea, and instead putting
of soccer operates in a world of its own. Chelsea named former great Frank Lampard interim coach on Thursday. Lampard at the helm, is a strange one
So, Chelsea heads into its league STEVE LUCIANO/AP and adds to the sense of confusion and
match against Wolverhampton on Sat- chaos in the first year of the American
urday with Frank Lampardas temporary ownership.
cover for the fired Graham Potter. The Adam Sadler and Mike Stowell – who West Ham visits Fulham on Satur- The game at Wolves will mean more
same Lampard who wasn’t deemed ca- have no experience of managing teams day, and another loss might spell the to the relegation-threatened hosts, see-
pable enough to lead a team battling rel- at senior level – than under the fired end for Moyes. ing as Chelsea is languishing in 11th
egation – Everton fired him in January – Brendan Rodgers, who has previously Panic is spreading through the league place and surely out of the running for
and who Chelsea itself sacked two years been manager at Liverpool and Celtic, at both ends of the standings, mostly the top four. Expect Lampard to rotate
ago. two of Britain’s most high-profile clubs. because of stifling financial pressures. his team, likely keeping his most impor-
Tottenham goes into a huge home How bad must things have gotten un- Getting in the Champions League can be tant players fresh for the first leg against
game against top-four rival Brighton not der the guys who have departed? And worth approaching $100 million to Real Madrid in Spain on Tuesday.
with serial winner Antonio Conte in the can clubs at the top end of this multi- teams. Getting relegated, and therefore There’s no sign of a permanent re-
dugout – he was firedon March 26 – but billion-pound industry really be this missing out on the cash from prize mon- placement for Rodgers being an-
instead with his former assistant, Cris- chaotically run? ey and huge broadcasting deals offered nounced at Leicester before the arrival
tian Stellini, in charge. Stellini is a long- Twelve Premier League managers in the Premier League, doesn’t bear of Bournemouth, so it’s down to Sadler
time No. 2 who seemingly has the same have been fired this season already – an thinking about for clubs at or near the and Stowell again to lead the team to a
pragmatic approach as the man he has unprecedented number for a single bottom. first win in eight league games.
replaced. campaign – and it might not end there. The departure of Conte was perhaps It’s a massive match, with Leicester
As for Leicester, which hosts fellow West Ham’s David Moyes is under seri- the most understandable, given the ap- in next-to-last place and Bournemouth
struggler Bournemouth on Saturday, it ous pressure for his position after a 5-1 parent breakdown in his relationship two points better off in third-to-last
seems the club’s ownership believes the loss to Newcastle on Wednesday left his with the Tottenham players and the place. They are two of nine teams sep-
team is better off under the caretaker team out of the relegation zone only on board. Keeping Stellini on is confusing, arated by seven points at the bottom of
charge of unheralded assistant coaches goal difference. though, and the performance in a 1-1 the standings.

Draft
Continued from Page 1NS

4.43-second speed in the 40-yard dash

and a dazzling deep ball only completes
53.8% of his throws in his lone year as a
starter and is still considered a top-five
pick. Nevertheless, that’s the outlook
for Richardson, a sublimely gifted pass-
er whose rapid ascension seems to be
rooted primarily in his brief bursts of
brilliance.

Jalin Hyatt, WR, Tennessee

A five-touchdown performance in a
win over Alabama not only served as
Hyatt’s star turn at the collegiate level,
but it also helped legitimize his NFL out-
look as well. Before recording a 4.40-
second 40-yard dash at the scouting
combine, he raced to 15 touchdowns and
an average of 18.9 yards per catch as one
of the country’s premier deep threats.

Quentin Johnston, WR, TCU

For better or worse, Johnston doesn’t

consistently play in the manner one
might expect from a 6-3, 208-pound re-
ceiver. To his credit, Johnston is an elec-
tric after-the-catch threat one rarely Tennessee receiver Jalin Hyatt catches a pass at the NFL scouting combine on March 4 in in Indianapolis. MICHAEL CONROY/AP
sees in a player of his build, as he can
elude defenders in the open field with
his surprising agility and pick up yard- as the 6-8, 374-pounder can ragdoll a defensive tackle blazing a 4.67-second 6-2, 235-pounder is a well-rounded and
age in huge chunks. even the stoutest defenders to the 40-yard dash time at the combine, best- versatile piece that defensive coordina-
ground. He’s not merely a mauler, ing Aaron Donald’s record for the posi- tors covet to combat pass-heavy at-
Luke Musgrave, TE, Oregon State though, as it’s not easy to get around a tion. But when you’re answering for a tacks. But Simpson’s instincts are lack-
player with an 87 7⁄8-inch wingspan and 6-1, 281-pound frame and 30 5⁄8-inch ing, and he too often takes himself out of
Even in one of the deepest and most exceedingly difficult to push him back. arms – one of the shortest measure- plays through zone coverage gaffes or
talented tight end classes in years, Mus- But nimble pass rushers can get him off ments for an interior defensive lineman poor pursuit angles.
grave stands out as the most dynamic balance, and there likely will be plenty in years – standing out isn’t quite as fun.
athlete at the position. At the Senior of pliable players off the edge ready to Kancey might get pushed around early Emmanuel Forbes, CB, Mississippi
Bowl, he clocked a max speed of 20.05 test his subpar flexibility. and often in the run game by heftier State
miles per hour, a mark more commonly guards and centers.
seen from a running back than a 6-6, Adetomiwa Adebawore, DE/DT, One of the most astounding mea-
253-pound pass catcher. Still, he’s Northwestern Will McDonald IV, OLB, Iowa State surements from this year’s combine
much more inexperienced than many of came when Forbes tilted the scales at a
his peers after a knee injury limited him Perhaps no one else at the scouting Projecting McDonald’s NFL role re- mere 166 pounds, the lowest weight for
to just two games in 2022. combine did as much to boost their quires a leap of faith larger than needed any defensive back at the event since at
name, as Adebawore showcased his ex- for many other prospects, mainly due to least 2000, according to Pro Football
Jaelyn Duncan, OT, Maryland plosiveness with a 4.49-second 40-yard the role he likely will serve in. The 6-4, Reference. Forbes – who was up to 170
dash, 37 1⁄2-inch vertical leap and 10-5 239-pounder is a perfect fit as a 3-4 out- pounds at his pro day – is battle-tested
Demand always outstrips supply broad jump. At 6-2 and 282 pounds, side linebacker, with a devastating spin against the best of the best in the South-
when it comes to fleet-footed offensive Adebawore can resemble a full-speed move and impressive blend of pliability eastern Conference, and few can match
linemen, a phenomenon that annually bowling ball when barreling toward of- and rapid closing speed as an edge rush- the playmaking credentials of a corner-
pushes up athletic players whose body fensive linemen. The problem: His pass- er. But even though he tallied 34 sacks in back with 14 career interceptions.
of work has been underwhelming. At rush plan and finishing touch often have five years at Iowa State, McDonald was
6-6 and 306 pounds with fluid move- the same level of subtlety as that bowl- often played out of position along the Kelee Ringo, CB, Georgia
ment skills, Duncan fits the physical ing ball. Playing him at defensive tackle defensive line.
profile of what teams seek in their pass rather than on the edge should help At 6-2 and 207 pounds with 4.36-
protectors. When he has to lock onto a Adebawore tap into his best features, Trenton Simpson, LB, Clemson second speed in the 40, Ringo looks like
defender, though, his other gifts are of- but a dose of control and discipline will a cornerback built for an earlier era. His
ten neutralized by his inability to anchor be needed for him to become a consis- From chasing down ball carriers in size and speed allow him to match up
or drive them away. tent playmaker. the open field to dropping in man cov- with the most imposing downfield
erage or blowing up plays on the blitz, threats. Yet his struggles to change di-
Dawand Jones, OT, Ohio State Calijah Kancey, DT, Pitt Simpson has the physical tools to find rection and transition at the top of
the ball almost anywhere. Now, it’s on routes leave him vulnerable against
There’s a literal boom to Jones’ game, It’s good to be an outlier when you’re him to do so consistently as a pro. The shiftier receivers.
 SPORTS EXTRA - USA TODAY NETWORK | FRIDAY, APRIL 7, 2023 | 9NS

TENNIS

Top-seeded Pegula rallies to reach quarterfinals

ASSOCIATED PRESS 10-game win streak to turn things Rogers 4-6, 7-5, 6-2. who defeated two-time Australian
around. Pegula dug in to win the final six Pegula didn’t totally understand how Open champion Victoria Azerenka 6-4,
CHARLESTON, S.C. – Top-seeded game and the exhausting match. things went so wrong, then turned right 7-6 (5).
Jessica Pegula lost 10 straight games That was a pretty crazy match,” Peg- again. Jabeur, who reached the finals at
and trailed 4-0 in the final set before ral- ula said. “What was going through my mind is, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open a season
lying Thursday to reach the Charleston No doubt. Pegula will try to find more ‘I can’t believe I’ve lost six games in a ago, likes where her game early in the
Open quarterfinals. consistency against 12th-seeded Paula row, seven games in a row, eight, nine, run up to Roland Garros next month.
Pegula, an American ranked No. 3 in Badosa, a 6-3, 6-1 winner over Diana 10,’” she said. “I’m getting used to the clay more,”
the world, led the top four seeds includ- Snaider, for a spot in Saturday’s semi- “I can’t remember the last time I’ve she said. “And I’m just … the most im-
ing No. 4 seed and defending champion finals. been up like that and consecutively lost portant thing (is) I’m enjoying myself on
Belinda Bencic, into the round of eight Others moving on with No. 2 seed like that many games as well,” she con- the court and hopefully, it will continue
in the season’s first clay-court tourna- Ons Jabeur, No. 3 seed Daria Kasatkina tinued, “so I was just frustrated, but was to be better and better.”
ment. and Bencic, who topped Jabeur to win able to relax and played a pretty good Kasatkina will next play past
No match was the equal of Pegula’s last year’s event on the Charleston’s game (down 4-0 in the third).” Charleston winner, ninth-seeded Madi-
fight with Irina-Camelia Begu, who was green clay. Pegula thought is she could stop Be- son Keys, who got past No. 8 seed Mag-
down 4-0 in the second set and two Jabeur topped Caroline Dolehide 6-3, gu’s winning streak, she could come da Linette 6-2, 3-6, 6-1.
games away from a quick exit until find- 7-5; Kasatkina defeated Bernarda Pera back. “And then it just switched really Bencic will face Ekaterina Alexan-
ing her game. 6-3, 7-6 (3); and Bencic bounced back quickly,” Pegula said. drova, who defeated Julia Grabher 6-4,
Begu, the 15th seed, strung together a after losing to opening set to oust Shelby Jabeur will take on Anna Kalinskaya, 6-2.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Georgia leads schools in football recruiting spending

Adam Sparks and Texas A&M ($1.57 million) rounded
USA TODAY out the top five during that period.
But Tennessee didn’t sign a top-10
Georgia’s football recruiting budget class until a No. 9 ranking in 2023 under
skyrocketed under coach Kirby Smart coach Josh Heupel.
en route to back-to-back national titles
while counterpart Nick Saban has kept Some schools haven’t bounced
Alabama atop recruit rankings despite back from pandemic
stagnant spending.
It’s two paths to a similar result in the About one-third of Power 5 schools
ultra-competitive SEC, which spends saw their recruiting expenses decrease
more than any conference on recruiting in 2022 compared to 2019, the last fiscal
by a wide margin. year before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Georgia spent $4.51 million on foot- Schools like Penn State, UCLA and
ball recruiting during the 2022 fiscal Colorado experienced minor drops.
year. Its budget almost doubled from But LSU had a staggering 54% reduc-
the $2.27 million spent in 2017, the first tion in recruiting expenses from $1.61
fiscal year under Smart. The compari- million in 2019 to $742,713 in 2022. The
son is not adjusted for inflation. Tigers had a top-15 recruiting budget for
That data was revealed in NCAA fi- five years until ranking No. 45 in 2022.
nancial reports obtained by USA TODAY Georgia coach Kirby Smart speaks with Alabama’s Nick Saban before the first Florida State recruiting expenses
Sports Network in response to open rec- half of the SEC championship game in December. BRYNN ANDERSON/AP dropped 40% from pre-pandemic
ords requests and compiled in partner- spending. That continues the Semi-
ship with the Knight-Newhouse Data noles’ slide to No. 36 in 2022 spending
project at Syracuse University. Alabama, Ohio State got bang for $1.19 million, and the Pac-12 averaged since touting the largest recruiting bud-
Georgia’s spending far exceeded any the buck $1.06 million. get in college football in 2017.
other Power 5 public university. In fact, The exclusion of successful pro- Arkansas dropped 37% from pre-
its recruiting budget was at least double Alabama has slipped behind Georgia grams at private schools like Southern pandemic spending, and Nebraska
that of 45 of the 51 other public schools on the field. But Saban has held his own Cal, Miami, Notre Dame and TCU skew dropped 25%.
in Power 5 conferences. in recruiting while spending less money. the figures a little. But the SEC still
Smart spared no expense while uti- Alabama’s signing classes have reigns supreme, and that’s not surpris- Oklahoma State, Iowa, Wisconsin
lizing charter flights and helicopters to ranked in the top two in six of the past ing. among surprises
visit recruits. His aggressive recruiting seven years. But its recruiting budget In 2022, five SEC schools were in the
approach landed seven consecutive has remained virtually unchanged top 10 in recruiting expenses: No. 1 Geor- There were some head scratchers in
top-four signing classes in the while competitors have increased their gia ($4.51 million), No. 3 Texas A&M the reports.
247Sports Composite rankings. Georgia spending. ($2.98 million), No. 4 Tennessee ($2.92 In 2022, Rutgers was No. 11 nationally
utilized that talent to win the past two From 2018 to 2020, Alabama was No. million), No. 7 Alabama ($2.32 million) and No. 2 in the Big Ten in recruiting ex-
national championships and overtake 2 in recruiting expenses, averaging and No. 10 Florida ($1.64 million). penses. Only five SEC schools spent
Alabama as the premier program in col- $2.36 million per year. It dropped to No. But the SEC will add two top-10 more than the Scarlet Knights, who
lege football. 7 in 2022 while still spending $2.32 mil- spending teams in 2024. Oklahoma haven’t had a winning season since
Recruiting expenses cover transpor- lion. Alabama’s 2023 class ranked No. 1, ($2.63 million) and Texas ($2.44 mil- 2014. Rutgers has almost doubled its
tation, lodging and meals for recruits, slightly ahead of Georgia, according to lion) ranked No. 5 and No. 6, respective- recruiting budget to $1.61 million since
additional personnel for official and un- 247Sports Composite. ly, in 2022 recruiting expenses. Greg Schiano returned for his second
official visits, phone charges and post- Ohio State has stretched a dollar stint as coach.
age for pursuing recruits and the value even further. The Buckeyes ranked No. Tennessee spent a lot and got Conversely, Oklahoma State, Iowa
of schools’ vehicles and planes or those 21 in average recruiting expenses since NCAA investigation and Wisconsin have routinely played
used by the school for recruiting. Com- 2017. But they signed a top-five class in into the Top 25 polls during the season
pensation for coaches and recruiting every year except one in that period. Only Georgia and Alabama spent despite being among the thriftiest
support staff is not included in the more on recruiting than Tennessee over spenders in recruiting.
recruiting expenses. Varying account- SEC dominance will grow when the past six years. But the Vols didn’t Wisconsin averaged $392,723 in
ing systems for athletics departments Texas, Oklahoma join have much to show for it except an recruiting expenses over the past six
and/or university can result in a lack of NCAA investigation that alleges 18 Level years, the least among Power 5 public
uniformity in how these numbers are In the 2022 fiscal year, the SEC’s 13 1 recruiting violations under former schools. Iowa and Oklahoma State
compiled for financial reports. USA TO- public schools spent an average of $1.75 coach Jeremy Pruitt. spent only $459,128 and $473,500 per
DAY Sports Network obtained recruit- million on football recruiting. From 2017-22, Tennessee averaged year, respectively, while outplaying pro-
ing expenses for Power Five public uni- The ACC’s eight public schools aver- $1.79 million in recruiting expenses per grams that spent much more.
versities for the past six years. aged $1.27 million. The Big 12 spent $1.24 year. Georgia ($2.75 million), Alabama Contributing: Steve Berkowitz of USA
Here are the other key takeaways. million per school. The Big Ten averaged ($1.91 million), Clemson ($1.66 million) TODAY

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

LSU women’s team honored with parade

ASSOCIATED PRESS week.
She was unapologetic when ques-
BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU star for- tioned about waving her hand in front of
ward Angel Reese sat in the back of an her face while staring down Caitlin
orange convertible Corvette, waving to Clark during the game. Clark, The Asso-
thousands of fans lining the roadside – ciated Press Player of the Year, made a
and also waving her hand in front of her similar gesture to no one in particular
face from time to time, repeating a ges- during Iowa’s victory over Louisville in
ture that caused a stir at the end of the the Elite Eight.
national championship game. Reese also has said she would not ac-
The Tigers paraded across campus cept an apology from First Lady Jill Bi-
and into the Pete Maravich Assembly den for suggesting that both LSU and
Center on Wednesday night for cere- runner-up Iowa be invited to the White
monies to honor their first NCAA wom- House.
en’s national championship, captured President Joe Biden did not follow
Sunday with a 102-85 victory over Iowa through on that idea, inviting only LSU
in Dallas. and men’s national champion Connecti-
“I’m trying not to cry,” said coach Kim cut.
Mulkey, a Louisiana native who left be- LSU star guard Alexis Morris, an out-
hind the three-time national champion going senior who aspires to play in the
powerhouse she’d built at Baylor two WNBA, was among the players who ad-
years ago to take over at LSU. dressed the crowd inside the arena.
“This is my home,” she said, noting “LSU, thank you. I appreciate your
that her mother was in the arena. love, your unwavering support and for
Reese was not among the players believing in us,” she said. “I just want LSU guard Alexis Morris throws beads into the crowd as the national champion
who spoke at the event. But she has you all to know I love you with all my basketball team paraded across campus in Baton Rouge, La., on Wednesday.
been outspoken on several topics this heart.” HILARY SCHEINUK/THE NEW ORLEANS ADVOCATE VIA AP
10NS | FRIDAY, APRIL 7, 2023 | SPORTS EXTRA - USA TODAY NETWORK

COLLEGE HOCKEY FROZEN FOUR

Quinnipiac beats Michigan to reach title game

ASSOCIATED PRESS Logan Cooley added two empty-net
goals to reach 22 on the season.
TAMPA, Fla. – Jacob Quillan had a The five-time national champion Go-
two-goal game for the second time dur- phers (29-9-1) seek their first title since
ing the NCAA Tournament, Yaniv Perets 2003 against Quinnipiac on Saturday.
posted 29 saves and Quinnipiac beat Minnesota has outscored its opponents
Michigan 5-2 on Thursday night in the 19-5 in the NCAA Tournament.
Frozen Four. Minnesota took a 2-1 lead late in the
Quinnipiac (33-4-3), which set a pro- first period on back-to-back goals in 50
gram record for wins, advances to its seconds by Mike Koster and Rhett Pit-
third national title game in program his- lick.
tory against Minnesota on Saturday. Koster scored his sixth goal of the
The Bobcats seek their first title after year on a blast from the circle to extend
losing in 2013 and ‘16. Cooley’s point streak to 16 straight
Both of Quillan’s goals came in the games. Pitlick finished a between-the-
first period. He opened the scoring with legs pass from Aaron Huglen.
14:41 left on a bank shot from behind the Minnesota appeared to take a 3-1 lead
net that went off goaltender Erik Portil- with 44.5 seconds to go in the second
lo. Quillan added another on a break- period on Cooley’s rebound, but it was
away at 8:39 for his 18th goal of the sea- taken away after a challenge for goal-
son – and fourth of the tournament. tender interference.
Quinnipiac nearly scored again mo- Boston University (29-11-0) had its
ments later on a two-man breakaway, Quinnipiac forward Jacob Quillan passes the puck ahead of Michigan nine-game winning streak, dating to
but Portillo stretched to deny it with his defenseman Steven Holtz (24) during the second period on Thursday in Tampa, Feb. 24, snapped. The Terriers were
left pad. Fla. CHRIS O'MEARA/AP seeking their first national title since
Quinnipiac scored on another bank 2009.
shot early in the third period for a 3-2 BU entered unbeaten at 21-0-0 when
lead when freshman Sam Lipkin sent a his 30th goal of the season to tie Jason two-and-a-half minutes and top- scoring the game’s first goal. And the
rebound off the skate of Portillo. Polin of Western Michigan for the NCAA ranked Minnesota beat Boston Univer- Terriers led 1-0 when Sam Stevens sent
Zach Metsa, the Quinnipiac captain, lead. Fantilli one-timed a no-look pass sity 6-2 on Thursday night in the open- in a rebound for his eighth goal of the
scored on a long-range shot with seven from Luke Hughes to tie it at 2-all mid- ing game of the NCAA Frozen Four. season.
minutes left in the third for a two-goal way through the second period. Mittelstadt gave Minnesota a 3-2 BU tied it at 2-all on Jay O’Brien’s de-
lead and Ethan de Jong iced it at 1:45 lead on a power play with 18:20 left in flection in front of the net for the lone
with an empty-netter. Minnesota 6, Boston U 2 the third period and his second came goal of the second period.
Michigan (26-12-3) was seeking its from the same spot at the left circle for It was the fifth meeting between the
10th NCAA championship. TAMPA, Fla. – Freshman Luke Mittel- his fifth goal of the season – and third in two programs in the national semifinals
Michigan star Adam Fantilli scored stadt scored two third-period goals in the NCAA Tournament. and first since 1995.

SCOREBOARD
Seattle (Gilbert 0-1) at Cleveland (Civale Tenn. Wednesday's Games Scoring Average Augusta, Ga.
1-0), 4:10 p.m. Dec. 15 — International signing period N.Y. Rangers 6, Tampa Bay 3 1, Jon Rahm, 68.903. 2, Scottie Scheffler, April 13-16 — RBC Heritage, Hilton Head,
Chicago White Sox (Giolito 0-0) at closes, 5 p.m. EST. Calgary 3, Winnipeg 1 69.105. 3, Jason Day, 69.488. 4, Max S.C.
Pittsburgh (Hill 0-1), 4:12 p.m. Edmonton 3, Anaheim 1 Homa, 69.512. 5, Tony Finau, 69.675. 6, April 20-23 — Zurich Classic of New
Kansas City (Keller 0-1) at San Francisco Thursday's Games Rory McIlroy, 69.701. 7, Tyrrell Hatton, Orleans, New Orleans
(Cobb 0-0), 4:35 p.m. NBA New Jersey 8, Columbus 1 69.761. 8, Patrick Cantlay, 69.894. 9, Viktor April 27-30 — Mexico Open at Vidanta,
Oakland (Waldichuk 0-1) at Tampa Bay Pittsburgh 4, Minnesota 1 Hovland, 69.921. 10, Maverick McNealy, Vallarta, Mexico
(Eflin 1-0), 6:40 p.m. EASTERN CONFERENCE 69.935. May 4-7 — Wells Fargo Championship,
W L Pct GB Boston 2, Toronto 1, OT
Odds available as of print deadline. Toronto (Bassitt 0-1) at L.A. Angels z-Milwaukee 58 22 .725 — Montreal 6, Washington 2 Driving Distance Charlotte, N.C.
MLS (Sandoval 1-0), 9:38 p.m. y-Boston 55 25 .688 3 Buffalo 7, Detroit 6, SO 1, Rory McIlroy, 326.6. 2, Brandon May 11-14 — AT&T Byron Nelson,
Saturday Saturday’s Games x-Philadelphia 52 28 .650 6 Florida 7, Ottawa 2 Matthews, 320.4. 3, Cameron Young, McKinney, Texas
Favorite SpreadO/U ML Underdog Houston at Minnesota, 2:10 p.m. x-Cleveland 51 30 .630 7½ N.Y. Islanders 6, Tampa Bay 1 315.8. 4, Matti Schmid, 315.1. 5, Cameron May 18-21 — PGA Championship,
Philadelphia 1.0 2.5 - CINCINNATI Kansas City at San Francisco, 4:05 p.m. x-New York 47 33 .588 11 St. Louis 3, N.Y. Rangers 2, OT Champ, 315. 6, Jon Rahm, 314.1. 7, Rochester, N.Y.
Columbus 1.0 2.5 - DC UNITED Texas at Chicago Cubs, 4:05 p.m. Brooklyn 44 36 .550 14 Nashville 3, Carolina 0 Jhonattan Vegas, 313.7. 8, Wyndham May 25-28 — Charles Schwab Challenge,
NY RED BULLS 1.0 2.5 -140 San Jose Boston at Detroit, 4:10 p.m. Miami 43 37 .538 15 Dallas 4, Philadelphia 1 Clark, 313. 9, Gary Woodland, 312.7. 10, Fort Worth, Texas
NY CITY FC 1.0 2.5 -105 Atlanta Oakland at Tampa Bay, 4:10 p.m. Atlanta 41 39 .513 17 Vancouver 3, Chicago 0 Trevor Cone, 312.2. June 1-4 — the Memorial Tournament
FC Dallas 1.0 2.5 - MIAMI Seattle at Cleveland, 6:10 p.m. Toronto 40 40 .500 18 Vegas 5, Los Angeles 2 presented by Workday, Dublin, Ohio
LA FC 1.0 2.5 -180 Austin FC Chicago 38 42 .475 20 Driving Accuracy Percentage
Chicago White Sox at Pittsburgh, 6:35 Colorado 6, San Jose 2 June 8-11 — RBC Canadian Open, Toronto
NASHVILLE 1.0 2.5 -145 Toronto FC Indiana 34 46 .425 24 1, Russell Henley, 72.00%. 2, Satoshi
p.m. Seattle 4, Arizona 2 June 15-18 — U.S. Open, Los Angeles
SPORTING KC 1.0 2.5 -115 Colorado Orlando 34 46 .425 24 Kodaira, 70.24%. 3, Collin Morikawa,
N.Y. Yankees at Baltimore, 7:05 p.m. June 22-25 — Travelers Championship,
CHICAGO 1.0 2.5 -114 Minnesota Washington 34 46 .425 24 Friday’s Games 70.09%. 4, Tom Kim, 69.74%. 5, Ryan
Toronto at L.A. Angels, 9:07 p.m. Cromwell, Conn.
LA Galaxy 1.0 2.5 - HOUSTON Charlotte 26 54 .325 32 No games scheduled Armour, 68.45%. 6, Brian Harman, 67.88%.
June 29-July 2 — Rocket Mortgage
RL SALT LAKE 1.0 2.5 - Charlotte National League Glance Detroit 16 64 .200 42 Saturday’s Games 7, Ryan Moore, 67.75%. 8, Aaron Rai,
Classic, Detroit
Saint Louis 1.0 2.5 -140 SEATTLE East Division WESTERN CONFERENCE Carolina at Buffalo, 12:30 p.m. 67.34%. 9, Sebastian Munoz, 67.15%. 10,
VANCOUVER 1.0 2.5 -105 Portland July 6-9 — John Deere Classic, Silvis, Ill.
W L Pct GB W L Pct GB Pittsburgh at Detroit, 1 p.m. Joel Dahmen, 66.96%.
July 13-16 — Genesis Scottish Open, North
MLB Atlanta 6 1 .857 — z-Denver 52 28 .650 — Vegas at Dallas, 3:30 p.m. Greens in Regulation Percentage Berwick, United Kingdom
Miami 3 4 .429 3 y-Memphis 50 30 .625 2 Edmonton at San Jose, 4 p.m. 1, Scottie Scheffler, 73.77%. 2, Kevin Yu,
Friday New York 3 4 .429 3 July 13-16 — Barbasol Championship,
y-Sacramento 48 32 .600 4 Anaheim at Arizona, 5:30 p.m. 73.49%. 3, Jon Rahm, 72.80%. 4, Brendan
Favorite Spread O/U ML Underdog Philadelphia 1 5 .167 4½ x-Phoenix 45 35 .563 7 Nicholasville, Ky.
METS 1.5 8 -155 Marlins Florida at Washington, 7 p.m. Steele, 71.84%. 5, Patrick Cantlay, 71.79%. July 20-23 — The Open Championship,
Washington 1 6 .143 5 L.A. Clippers 42 38 .525 10 Montreal at Toronto, 7 p.m. 6, Collin Morikawa, 71.35%. 7, Dean
CUBS - - -120 Rangers Golden State 42 38 .525 10 Hoylake, United Kingdom
Yankees 1.5 8.5 -125 ORIOLES Central Division N.Y. Rangers at Columbus, 7 p.m. Burmester, 70.74%. 8, Will Gordon, July 20-23 — Barracuda Championship,
W L Pct GB L.A. Lakers 41 39 .513 11
PHILLIES 1.5 7.5 -200 Reds New Orleans 41 39 .513 11 Nashville at Winnipeg, 7 p.m. 70.66%. 9, Tony Finau, 70.59%. 10, Akshay Truckee, Calif.
TWINS 1.5 8 -125 Astros Milwaukee 5 1 .833 — Tampa Bay at Ottawa, 7 p.m. Bhatia, 70.51%.
Pittsburgh 4 2 .667 1 Minnesota 40 40 .500 12 July 27-30 — 3M Open, Blaine, Minn.
GUARDIANS 1.5 7 -115 Mariners Oklahoma City 39 42 .481 13½ Philadelphia at N.Y. Islanders, 7:30 p.m. Total Driving Aug. 3-6 — Wyndham Championship,
White Sox 1.5 8 -135 PIRATES Cincinnati 3 2 .600 1½ New Jersey at Boston, 8 p.m.
Chicago 2 3 .400 2½ Dallas 38 42 .475 14 1, Keith Mitchell, 29. 2, Patrick Cantlay, 52. Greensboro, N.C.
GIANTS 1.5 8 -160 Royals Utah 36 44 .450 16 St. Louis at Minnesota, 8 p.m. 3, Scottie Scheffler, 53. 4 (tie), Brent Grant Aug. 10-13 — FedEx St. Jude
RAYS 1.5 7.5 -220 Athletics St. Louis 2 4 .333 3 Calgary at Vancouver, 10 p.m.
Portland 33 47 .413 19 and Kevin Yu, 66. 6, Hayden Buckley, 69. 7, Championship, Memphis, Tenn.
BREWERS 1.5 8.5 -150 Cardinals West Division San Antonio 21 59 .263 31 Chicago at Seattle, 10 p.m. Shane Lowry, 70. 8, Viktor Hovland, 73. 9,
ROCKIES 1.5 11 -130 Nationals Aug. 17-20 — BMW Championship,
W L Pct GB Houston 20 60 .250 32 Colorado at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m.
ANGELS 1.5 9 -115 Blue Jays Brendan Steele, 76. 10, Tyrrell Hatton, 93. Olympia Fields, Ill.
Los Angeles 52 .714 — x-clinched playoff spot
Dodgers 1.5 8.5 -210 D-BACKS San Francisco 3 3 .500 1½ SG-Putting Aug. 24-27 — TOUR Championship, Atlanta
Arizona 3 4 .429 2 y-clinched division 1, Maverick McNealy, 1.334. 2, Ben Crane,
Colorado 3 4 .429 2 z-clinched conference SOCCER 1.290. 3, Sam Ryder, 1.204. 4, Taylor TRANSACTIONS
San Diego 3 4 .429 2 Wednesday's Games Montgomery, 1.197. 5, Harry Hall, .907. 6,
Brooklyn 123, Detroit 108 MLS Glance Ben Taylor, .787. 7, Anders Albertson, .753. Thursday’s Transactions
Odds are subject to change. Tipico Wednesday's Games Eastern Conference BASEBALL
New York 138, Indiana 129 8, Aaron Wise, .729. 9, Andrew Putnam,
Sportsbook does not offer lines for New Miami 5, Minnesota 2 W L T Pts GF GA
Milwaukee 105, Chicago 92 .724. 10, 2 tied with .719. Major League Baseball
Jersey-based college sports teams. N.Y. Yankees 4, Philadelphia 2 Cincinnati 4 0 2 14 8 4
Boston 97, Toronto 93 Birdie Average American League
Gannett may earn revenue from audience Tampa Bay 7, Washington 2 Atlanta 4 1 1 13 13 9
Atlanta 134, Washington 116 1, Jon Rahm, 5.21. 2, Patrick Cantlay, 5.15. BOSTON RED SOX — Assigned RHP Garrett
referrals to betting services. Newsrooms Atlanta 5, St. Louis 2 New England 4 1 1 13 8 6
New Orleans 138, Memphis 131, OT Columbus 3 2 1 10 15 8 3, Tony Finau, 4.88. 4 (tie), Max Homa and Whitlock to Portland (EL) on a rehab
are independent of any such relationships Pittsburgh 4, Boston 1
Dallas 123, Sacramento 119 Nashville 3 2 1 10 6 2 Cameron Young, 4.75. 6, Scottie Scheffler, assignment.
and there is no influence on news coverage. Milwaukee 7, N.Y. Mets 6
L.A. Clippers 125, L.A. Lakers 118 New York City FC 222 8 6 7 4.69. 7, Tom Hoge, 4.58. 8, Will Zalatoris, LOS ANGELES ANGELS — Assigned RHP
Terms and conditions apply, see site for Chicago White Sox 7, San Francisco 3
Chicago Cubs at Cincinnati, ppd. Thursday's Games Orlando City 222 8 5 6 4.55. 9, Viktor Hovland, 4.53. 10, Taylor Griffin Canning to Inland Empire (CAL) on
details. 21+ only. Gambling Problem? Call: a rehab assignment.
1-800-GAMBLER (NJ, PA, IL, VA), Cleveland 118, Orlando 94 Philadelphia 23 1 7 8 8 Montgomery, 4.5.
Thursday's Games Toronto FC 1 14 7 8 7 MINNESOTA TWINS — Assigned SS Jorge
1-800-522-4700 (CO, NV, KS), Miami 129, Philadelphia 101 Eagles (Holes per)
San Francisco 16, Chicago White Sox 6 Inter Miami CF 240 6 6 7 Polanco to Fort Myers (FSL) on a rehab
1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), San Antonio 129, Portland 127 1, Jon Rahm, 47.5. 2, Xander Schauffele,
Colorado 1, Washington 0 Chicago 1 13 6 7 7 assignment.
1-800-589-9966 (OH), 1-877-770-7867 (LA), Oklahoma City 114, Utah 98 58. 3, Hayden Buckley, 60.9. 4, Kevin Yu,
Atlanta 7, San Diego 6 New York 123 6 4 5 TEXAS RANGERS — Assigned OF Leody
1-888-238-7633 (MO), 1-888-777-9696 Phoenix 119, Denver 115 70. 5, Justin Rose, 76.5. 6, Taylor
L.A. Dodgers 5, Arizona 2 D.C. United 1 3 2 5 7 10 Taveras to Frisco (TL) on a rehab
(MS). Call or text: 1-800-889-9789 (TN). Miami at N.Y. Mets, ppd. Friday’s Games Charlotte FC 1 3 2 5 6 11 Montgomery, 77.5. 7, Wyndham Clark, 84.
Detroit at Indiana, 7 p.m. 8, Tom Hoge, 86.4. 9, Cam Davis, 90. 10, assignment.
Cincinnati at Philadelphia, ppd. CF Montréal 1 4 0 3 3 12
Houston at Charlotte, 7 p.m. Viktor Hovland, 92.6. National League
For the latest picks and expert analysis, go Friday’s Games Western Conference ATLANTA BRAVES — Recalled LHP Jared
Miami at Washington, 7 p.m. W L T Pts GF GA All-Around Ranking
to sportsbookwire.com Miami (TBD) at N.Y. Mets (Megill 1-0), 1:10 Shuster from Gwinnett (IL). Placed RHP
Orlando at Brooklyn, 7:30 p.m. Saint Louis City SC 5 1 0 15 15 5 1, Jon Rahm, 189. 2, Viktor Hovland, 221. 3,
p.m. Collin McHugh on the 15-day IL.
Philadelphia at Atlanta, 7:30 p.m. Seattle 4 1 1 13 12 3 Keith Mitchell, 227. 4, Max Homa, 277. 5,
Scan for latest odds Texas (Eovaldi 1-0) at Chicago Cubs MIAMI MARLINS — Sent RHP Jeff Lindgren
Toronto at Boston, 7:30 p.m. Los Angeles FC 3 0 2 11 9 3 Patrick Cantlay, 291. 6, Sungjae Im, 309. 7,
(Stroman 1-0), 2:20 p.m. outright to Jacksonville (IL).
Memphis at Milwaukee, 8 p.m. Minnesota United 3 0 2 11 6 3 Justin Rose, 313. 8, Tom Kim, 319. 9, Tom
Cincinnati (Greene 0-0) at Philadelphia NEW YORK METS — Claimed RHP Edwin
See up-to-the- New York at New Orleans, 8 p.m. San Jose 3 2 1 10 6 7 Hoge, 324. 10, Kevin Yu, 325.
(Wheeler 0-1), 3:05 p.m. Eceta off waivers from Pittsburgh and
Chicago at Dallas, 8:30 p.m. FC Dallas 222 8 8 7
minute lines and Chicago White Sox (Giolito 0-0) at LPGA Tour Statistics optioned him to Syracuse (IL).
Golden State at Sacramento, 10 p.m. Austin FC 22 1 7 6 7
compete in Pittsburgh (Hill 0-1), 4:12 p.m. Houston 2 30 6 5 7 Through April 3 Transferred RHP Sam Coonrod from the
Phoenix at L.A. Lakers, 10:30 p.m.
Kansas City (Keller 0-1) at San Francisco Vancouver 1 2 3 6 10 7 Scoring 15-day IL to the 60-day IL.
Daily Ticket (Cobb 0-0), 4:35 p.m. Saturday’s Games
Denver at Utah, 3:30 p.m. Portland 1 3 2 5 6 11 1, Natthakritta Vongtaveelap, 66.75. 2, SAN DIEGO PADRES — Sent RHP Joe
free-to-play games San Diego (Martinez 0-1) at Atlanta (TBD), Real Salt Lake 1 4 0 3 3 13 Ruoning Yin, 67.875. 3, Georgia Hull, Musgrove to El Paso (PCL) on a rehab
7:20 p.m. Minnesota at San Antonio, 4 p.m. LA Galaxy 023 3 3 6
Portland at L.A. Clippers, 4 p.m. 68.188. 4 (tie), Jin Young Ko and Lilia Vu, assignment.
St. Louis (Flaherty 1-0) at Milwaukee Sporting Kansas City 033 3 2 7 68.375. 6, Atthaya Thitikul, 68.438. 7, Hyo ST. LOUIS CARDINALS — Assigned SS Paul
(Woodruff 0-0), 8:10 p.m. Colorado 033 3 2 8 Joo Kim, 68.5. 8, Nelly Korda, 68.7. 9, Hae DeJong to Palm Beach (FSL) on a rehab
Washington (Gore 1-0) at Colorado
All times Eastern (Ureña 0-1), 8:40 p.m. NHL NOTE: Three points for victory, one point
for tie.
Ran Ryu, 68.875. 10, Charley Hull, 69. assignment.
L.A. Dodgers (Kershaw 1-0) at Arizona Driving Distance BASKETBALL
EASTERN CONFERENCE Saturday, April 8 1, Emily Kristine Pedersen, 287.25. 2,
MLB (Bumgarner 0-1), 9:40 p.m.
Atlantic Division Philadelphia at Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m. Manon De Roey, 286.5. 3, Lexi Thompson,
National Basketball Association
NEW ORLEANS PELICANS — Waived G
Saturday’s Games GP W L OT Pts GF GA Columbus at D.C. United, 7:30 p.m. 286. 4, Bailey Tardy, 282.38. 5, Perrine
American League Glance Dereon Seabron.
Cincinnati at Philadelphia, 4:05 p.m. z-Boston 78 61 12 5 127 288 167 Austin FC at Los Angeles FC, 7:30 p.m. Delacour, 281.25. 6, Celine Herbin, 281. 7,
East Division Kansas City at San Francisco, 4:05 p.m. x-Toronto 78 46 21 11 103 263 215 FOOTBALL
FC Dallas at Miami, 7:30 p.m. Natthakritta Vongtaveelap, 280.88. 8,
W L Pct GB Texas at Chicago Cubs, 4:05 p.m. x-Tampa 79 45 28 6 96 271 243 National Football League
CF Montréal at New England, 7:30 p.m. Maude-Aimee Leblanc, 280.69. 9,
Tampa Bay 6 0 1.000 — Miami at N.Y. Mets, 4:10 p.m. Florida 79 41 31 7 89 281 263 ARIZONA CARDINALS — Announced DT
New York 4 2 .667 2 San Jose at New York, 7:30 p.m. Madelene Sagstrom, 279.71.
Chicago White Sox at Pittsburgh, 6:35 Buffalo 77 38 32 7 83 278 284 Atlanta at New York City FC, 7:30 p.m. Corey Peters to retire.
Toronto 4 3 .571 2½ p.m. Ottawa 79 37 35 7 81 248 261 Greens in Regulation BUFFALO BILLS — Signed DT Jordan
Baltimore 3 3 .500 3 Minnesota at Chicago, 8:30 p.m. 1, Manon De Roey, .81%. 2 (tie), Jin Young
St. Louis at Milwaukee, 7:10 p.m. Detroit 78 35 33 10 80 237 259 LA Galaxy at Houston, 8:30 p.m. Phillips.
Boston 3 4 .429 3½ Montreal 79 31 42 6 68 225 291 Ko and Hae Ran Ryu, .80%. 4 (tie), Hyo Joo CHICAGO BEARS — Signed DL Rasheem
San Diego at Atlanta, 7:20 p.m. Colorado at Sporting KC, 8:30 p.m.
Central Division L.A. Dodgers at Arizona, 8:10 p.m. Kim and Atthaya Thitikul, .79%. 6 (tie), Green to a one-year contract.
Metropolitan Division Toronto FC at Nashville, 8:30 p.m.
W L Pct GB Washington at Colorado, 8:10 p.m. GP W L OT Pts GF GA Perrine Delacour and Anna Nordqvist, DETROIT LIONS — Signed WR Marvin
Cleveland 5 2 .714 — Charlotte FC at Real Salt Lake, 9:30 p.m. .78%. 8 (tie), A Lim Kim and Jodi Ewart
MLB Calendar x-Carolina 78 50 19 9 109 251 201 Saint Louis City SC at Seattle, 10:30 p.m. Jones.
Minnesota 4 2 .667 ½ x-N Jersey 79 50 21 8 108 279 218 Shadoff, .77%. 10, Jennifer Kupcho, .76%. LOS ANGELES CHARGERS — Signed C Will
Chicago 3 4 .429 2 April 28-29 — San Diego vs. San Francisco Portland at Vancouver, 10:30 p.m.
at Mexico City. x-Rangers 79 46 21 12 104 269 213 Putts per GIR Clapp.
Detroit 2 5 .286 3 Islanders 79 40 30 9 89 233 215 NWSL Glance 1 (tie), Maddie Szeryk, Natthakritta NEW YORK GIANTS — Signed C J.C.
Kansas City 1 6 .143 4 June 13-15 — Owners’ meeting, New York. Pittsburgh 79 39 30 10 88 253 255 W L T Pts GF GA
June 24-25 — Chicago Cubs vs. St. Louis at Portland 200 6 8 1 Vongtaveelap and Ruoning Yin, 1.61. 4 Hassenauer.
West Division Washington 78 34 35 9 77 242 249 (tie), Muni He and Yaeeun Hong, 1.63. 6 NEW YORK JETS — Signed QB Tim Boyle to
London. Philadlphia 78 29 36 13 71 210 261 San Diego 200 6 6 3
W L Pct GB Washington 10 1 4 3 2 (tie), Yan Liu and Pavarisa Yoktuan, 1.67. 8, a one-year contract. Signed DL Quinton
Los Angeles 4 2 .667 — July 8 — Amateur draft, Seattle. Columbus 78 24 46 8 56 206 315
July 9 — Futures Game, Seattle Houston 10 1 4 2 1 3 tied with 1.68. Jefferson.
Texas 4 2 .667 — WESTERN CONFERENCE OL Reign 1 10 3 2 1 TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS — Signed DB
Houston 3 4 .429 1½ July 11 — All-Star Game, Seattle. Birdies
July 23 —Hall of Fame induction Central Division Angel City 1 10 3 3 3 1, Nelly Korda, 99. 2, Atthaya Thitukul, 82. Ryan Neal.
Oakland 2 4 .333 2 Gotham FC 1 10 3 2 3
Seattle 2 5 .286 2½ ceremonies, Cooperstown, N.Y. GP W L OT Pts GF GA 3, Jennifer Kupcho, 81. 4 (tie), A Lim Kim HOCKEY
July 31 — Last day during the season to x-Colorado 77 47 24 6 100 262 212 North Carolina 1 10 3 2 3 and Paula Reto, 78. 6, Jodi Ewart Shadoff, National Hockey League
Wednesday's Games x-Dallas 78 43 21 14 100 271 214 Louisville 002 2 2 2 77. 7 (tie), Moriya Jutanugarn, Leona
trade a player. Chicago 020 0 3 5 ANAHEIM DUCKS — Assigned G Olle
Miami 5, Minnesota 2 Aug. 1 — Deadline for drafted players to x-Minn 78 44 24 10 98 233 213 Maguire and Yuka Saso, 76. Eriksson Ek to San Diego (AHL).
N.Y. Yankees 4, Philadelphia 2 Winnipeg 78 43 32 3 89 235 218 Kansas City 020 0 1 5
sign, except for players who have Orlando 020 0 1 6 Eagles BOSTON BRUINS — Recalled C Oskar Steen
Tampa Bay 7, Washington 2 Nashville 78 40 30 8 88 219 227 from Providence (AHL).
exhausted college eligibility, 5 p.m. EDT. St. Louis 79 37 35 7 81 258 290 NOTE: Three points for victory, one point 1 (tie), Moriya Jutanugarn, Frida Kinhult,
Pittsburgh 4, Boston 1 Aug. 20 — Philadelphia vs. Washington at DETROIT RED WINGS — Recalled G Alex
Texas 5, Baltimore 2 Arizona 79 27 39 13 67 218 286 for tie. Nelly Korda and Jennifer Kupcho, 4.
Williamsport, Pa. Chicago 78 25 47 6 56 190 283 Sand Save Percentage Nedeljkovic from Grand Rapids (AHL).
Houston 8, Detroit 2 Oct. 1 — Regular season ends. Sunday, April 2 NASHVILLE PREDATORS — Recalled F Zach
Chicago White Sox 7, San Francisco 3 Pacific Division Angel City 2, Orlando 1 1, Sarah Kemp, 1.00%. 2, Natthakritta
November TBA — Last day for club to Vongtaveelap, .86%. 3, Celine Boutier, Sanford from Milwaukee (AHL).
Cleveland 6, Oakland 4, 10 innings GP W L OT Pts GF GA Friday, April 14 Reassigned D Kevin Gravel to Milwaukee.
make a qualifying offer to an eligible .80%. 4, Annie Park, .78%. 5, Sofia Garcia,
L.A. Angels 4, Seattle 3 x-Vegas 79 49 22 8 106 264 225 Houston at Portland, 10:30 p.m. PHILADELPHIA FLYERS — Reassigned D
former player who became a free agent, .75%. 6, Minami Katsu, .71%. 7, 4 tied with
Toronto 3, Kansas City 0 x-Edmontn 79 47 23 9 103 312 257 Mason Millman to Reading (AHL) on loan.
fifth day after World Series, 5 p.m. EST. x-LA 79 45 24 10 100 269 250 .67%.
Thursday's Games November TBA — Last day for player to PITTSBURGH PENGUINS — Reassigned D
Boston 6, Detroit 3 Seattle 78 44 26 8 96 276 245 Rounds Under Par
accept a qualifying offer, 10th day after Calgary 79 37 27 15 89 256 246 GOLF Peter Diliberatore to Wheeling (ECHL)
Toronto 6, Kansas City 3 World Series, 5 p.m. EST. 1, Nelly Korda, .90%. 2, Jodi Ewart from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL).
Vancouver 78 35 36 7 77 266 290 Shadoff, .80%. 3, Lilia Vu, .94%. 4, Mina
San Francisco 16, Chicago White Sox 6 Nov 7-9 — General managers meetings, San Jose 78 22 40 16 60 228 301 PGA Tour Statistics Recalled LW Alexander Nylander from
N.Y. Yankees at Baltimore, ppd. Scottsdale, Ariz. Harigae, .88%. 5 (tie), Moriya Jutanugarn Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Anaheim 78 23 45 10 56 196 320 Through April 3 and Leona Maguire, .70%. 7 (tie), Georgia
Houston at Minnesota, ppd. Nov. 17 — Last day for teams to offer 2024 ST. LOUIS BLUES — Assigned D Matthew
NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for FedExCup Season Points Hall and Atthaya Thitikul, .88%. 9, Yuka
Friday’s Games contracts to unsigned players on their overtime loss. Top three teams in each 1, Jon Rahm, 2,031. 2, Max Homa, 1,787. 3, Kessel to Springfield (AHL). Recalled D
Texas (Eovaldi 1-0) at Chicago Cubs 40-man rosters. Saso, .78%. 10 (tie), Celine Boutier, Dmitri Samorukov from Springfield.
division and two wild cards per Scottie Scheffler, 1,770. 4, Keegan Hannah Green, Charley Hull, Megan
(Stroman 1-0), 2:20 p.m. Dec. 3 — Hall of Fame Contemporary conference advance to playoffs. Bradley, 1,111. 5, Kurt Kitayama, 1,040. 6, SAN JOSE SHARKS — Recalled LW Adam
N.Y. Yankees (TBD) at Baltimore (Kremer Baseball/Managers-Umpires-Executives Khang and Jin Young Ko, .81%. 15, Maja Raska from San Jose (AHL).
x-clinched playoff spot Rory McIlroy, 1,010. 7, Chris Kirk, 982. 8, Stark, .72%.
0-0), 3:05 p.m. Committee vote announced, Nashville, y-clinched division Seamus Power, 961. 9, Sam Burns, 953. 10, WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON PENGUINS —
Houston (Urquidy 0-0) at Minnesota Tenn. z-clinched conference PGA Tour Schedule (Winners) Loaned D Chris Ortiz to Wheeling (ECHL).
Tony Finau, 939. April 6-9 — Masters Tournament,
(Gray 1-0), 4:10 p.m. Dec. 4-7 — Winter meetings, Nashville,