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MOSTLY SUNNY 68 • 53 | THURSDAY, AUGUST 6, 2020 | theworldlink.com
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OSAA delays fall sports to the winter JOHN GUNTHER The World
The good news is that students who participate in the traditional fall sports of football, volleyball, cross country and soccer will get to have a season this coming school year. The bad news is they have to wait until next winter for that season to begin. The Oregon School Activities Association Executive Board decided Wednesday to postpone the fall season until after the winter season, which also will have a delayed start. “The goal was to try to maximize opportunities for students, providing three distinct seasons for later in the year,” OSAA Executive Director Peter Weber said
in a story for OSAAtoday. That was welcome news for North Bend athletic director Mike Forrester. “Everybody gets a season,” Forrester said. “It won’t be a perfect season, but it’s better than no season at all.” The no-season-at-all scenario already played out in the spring when the golf, baseball, softball, tennis and track and field seasons were wiped out by the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic which led to no in-school learning for the final months of the school year. The new plan calls for all sports to have a seven-week regular season, followed by one “culminating week.” What that week looks like for the various sports will be determined later,
Weber said, and will be decided in alignment with large group gathering guidelines issued by the state. “We’ll have to work with our membership on what that would look like,” he said. “In our football contingency groups, they said that maybe that could be a bowl game. And that type of approach could be done in other activities, as well. We definitely wanted to leave room for the opportunity of some type of culminating event.” The Executive Board’s decision follows one made by Nevada to also have shortened seasons (six weeks each) beginning with winter sports in January. Please see OSAA, Page A2
John Gunther, The World
Runners compete in one of the district cross country meets last fall at Lane Community College. For the 2020-21 school year, cross country and other fall sports have been moved to the winter, starting in March.
Unemployment
Another 1.2 million seek aid
WASHINGTON (AP) — Nearly 1.2 million laid-off Americans applied for state unemployment benefits last week, evidence that the coronavirus keeps forcing companies to slash jobs just as a critical $600 weekly federal jobless payment has expired. The government’s report Thursday did offer a smidgen of hopeful news: The number of jobless claims declined by 249,000 from the previous week, after rising for two straight weeks, and it was the lowest total since mid-March. Still, claims remain at alarmingly high levels: It is the 20th straight week that at least 1 million people have sought jobless aid. Before the pandemic hit hard in March, the number of Americans seeking unemployment checks had never surpassed 700,000 in a week, not even during the Great Recession of 2007-2009. Rubeela Farooqi, chief U.S. economist at High Frequency Economics, called the drop in weekly claims “a move in the right direction.’’ But in a research note, she added: “Repeated shutdowns for virus containment remain a threat to the labor market, which is already weak. The possibility of mounting layoffs that could become permanent is high. Without effective virus containment, the recovery remains at risk from ongoing job losses that could further restrain incomes and spending.’’ The pandemic, the lockdowns meant to contain it and the wariness of many Americans to venture back out to eat, shop or travel have delivered a devastating blow to the economy despite the government’s emergency rescue efforts. The nation’s gross domestic product, the broadest measure of economic output, shrank at an annual rate of nearly 33% from April through June. It was by far the worst quarterly fall on record, though the economy has rebounded somewhat since then. On Friday, the government is expected to report a sizable job gain for July — 1.6 million. Yet so deeply did employers slash payrolls after the pandemic paralyzed the economy in March that even July’s expected gain would mean that barely 40% of the jobs lost to the coronavirus have been recovered. And the pace of hiring is clearly slowing. A resurgence of cases in the South and the West has spread elsewhere and upended hopes for a speedy economic recovery as bars, restaurants and other businesses have had to delay or reverse plans to reopen and rehire staff. Please see Jobless, Page A2
Amy Moss Strong Photos, The World
Something is in bloom almost every day of the year at Shore Acres State Park’s formal gardens. The many dahlias in this portion of the garden are one colorful example. Pictured below are the park’s pond and the rose test garden.
Shore Acres provides colorful opportunity SOUTH COAST —Those looking for something close by to do outdoors can find lovely formal gardens and rugged sandstone cliffs right out their back door at Shore Acres State Park. Once the grand estate of pioneer timber baron Louis Simpson, Shore Acres features lushly planted gardens with plants and flowers from all over the world. Something is in bloom almost every day of the year. In the landscaped area there’s the formal garden, a Japanese-style garden with a lily pond, and two rose gardens which include All American Rose Selections. After seeing the garden, stroll down a trail to a secluded ocean cove at Simpson Beach or skirt the cliff’s edge to see spectacular ocean vistas which often include towering waves crashing against the shoreline after a storm and
migrating grey whales. On the site of Simpson’s vanished mansion, a fully enclosed observation building allows visitors to view the ocean protected from the weather. The observation building has interpretive panels describing the history of the Simpson estate. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the day-use area and gardens are open to limited daytime use, until 8 p.m. nightly (buy may close without notice). The gift shop is closed and unfortunately, this year’s annual Holiday Lights display has been canceled. Shore Acres Park is located on Cape Arago Highway, 13 miles southwest of Coos Bay/North Bend and U.S. Highway 101. For more to do, find the many hiking trails along Cape Arago Highway, observe sea lions at Simpson Reef or breathtaking views at the end of the highway at Cape Arago.
WASHINGTON (AP) — At the last minute, President Donald Trump and his Democratic rival, Joe Biden, are searching for places to impressively yet safely accept their parties’ presidential nominations as the spread of the coronavirus adds fresh uncertainty to the campaign for the White House. Trump said Wednesday he’s considering giving his Aug. 27 acceptance speech on the grounds of the White House, a move that could violate ethics law. Biden, meanwhile, scrapped plans to accept the Democratic nomination on Aug. 20 in Milwaukee, where the party has
spent more than a year planning a massive convention. Presidential conventions are a staple of American politics and have played out against national traumas as significant as the Civil War and World War II. But the pandemic’s potency is proving to be a tougher obstacle, denying both candidates crucial opportunities to connect with supporters in the final stretch before the Nov. 3 election. The campaigns are looking for alternative ways to deal with the virus and still reach millions of Americans through television and virtual events. Longtime
The World
Virus upends national convention plans convention attendees say they’ll miss the traditional festivities even as they acknowledge public health priorities. “I was looking forward to going to Milwaukee and having a lot of beer and other snacks,” said Donna Brazile, who managed Al Gore’s campaign in 2000 and served as Democratic National Committee chair in 2016. But “if you ask a majority of voters, they’d tell you they’re more anxious about when the NFL season starts. … What’s best for the public should be best for the politicians at this point.” Matt Moore, a former South
Carolina GOP chairman, has enjoyed several Republican conventions as unifying efforts following bruising primary battles in states like his. But the general election audience, he said, doesn’t see it the same way. “As long as they can watch it on Facebook, most voters don’t care if the conventions are in Siberia or Sheboygan,” he said. Trump originally planned to accept the GOP nomination in Charlotte, North Carolina, the largest city in a critical battleground state. Please see Conventions, Page A3
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Oregon closes in on 20,000 coronavirus cases The World PORTLAND — COVID-19 has claimed five more lives in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 338, the Oregon Health Authority reported Wednesday. Oregon Health Authority also reported 299 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19, bringing the state total to 19,979. The new cases reported Wednesday are in the following counties: Baker (1), Benton (2), Clackamas (20), Clatsop (1), Columbia (2), Coos (1), Deschutes (8), Douglas (1), Hood River (4), Jackson (12), Jefferson (9), Josephine (1), Klamath (2), Lane (5), Lincoln (19), Linn (8), Malheur (7), Marion (42), Morrow (10), Multnomah (59), Polk (2), Tillamook (2), Umatilla (26), Wasco (1), Washington (48), and Yamhill (6). Oregon’s 334th COVID-19 death is an 87-year-old woman in Clackamas County who tested positive on July 8 and died in her residence. Date of death is being confirmed. She had underlying
conditions. Oregon’s 335th COVID-19 death is a 74-year-old man in Umatilla County who tested positive on July 17 and died on July 28 at Trios Health Southridge Hospital in Kennewick, Wash. He had underlying conditions. Oregon’s 336th COVID-19 death is a 74-year-old man in Umatilla County who tested positive on July 12 and died on August 1 at Saint Anthony Hospital. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed. Oregon’s 337th COVID-19 death is a 67-year-old man in Washington County who tested positive on July 20 and died on August 3 at Kaiser Westside Medical Center. He had underlying conditions. Oregon’s 338th COVID-19 death is an 83-year-old man in Josephine County who tested positive on July 19 and died on August 3 in his residence. He had underlying conditions. Note: More information is available about Oregon’s 233rd
COVID-19 death. Oregon’s 233rd COVID-19 death is an 86-year-old woman who tested positive June 29 and died on July 9 at St. Luke’s Medical Center in Boise. She had underlying conditions.
OHA Releases Weekly Report Today OHA released its COVID-19 Weekly Report, which stated that during the week of July 27 through Aug. 2, OHA recorded 2,278 new cases of COVID-19 infection — up slightly from last week’s tally of 2,241. In addition, 39 Oregonians were reported to have died, up from last week’s toll of 27. The percentage of tests positive increased from 5.1 percent to 6.4 percent, and hospitalizations rose to 141, up from the previous week’s 127. The age group with the highest incidence of reported infection continues to be 20-29-year-olds, with rates decreasing in subsequent decades of life. Most cases continue to be “sporadic,” meaning that no
source for the case was identified.
Outbreaks surpass 20 cases An outbreak of 27 cases of COVID-19 has been reported at Walmart in Umatilla County. The case count includes all persons linked to the outbreak, which may include household members and other close contacts to a worker. The outbreak investigation started on July 9, but the initial case count was below the threshold for public disclosure. An outbreak of 20 cases of COVID-19 has been reported at the OR1 Construction site in Multnomah County. The case count includes all persons linked to the outbreak, which may include household members and other close contacts to a worker. The outbreak investigation started on July 8, but the initial case count was below the threshold for public disclosure. An outbreak of COVID-19 has been reported at the Lamb Weston facilities in Boardman. The Lamb Weston West location
has 21 cases, the Lamb Weston East location has 31 cases and the Lamb Weston Packing Center has 22 cases. These case count includes all persons linked to the outbreak, which may include household members and other close contacts to a worker. The outbreak investigation started on July 1, but the initial case count was below the threshold for public disclosure. State and county public health officials are working with these organizations to address the outbreaks and protect the health of workers.
Stay informed Oregon response: The Oregon Health Authority and Oregon Office of Emergency Management lead the state response. United States response: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention leads the U.S. response. Global response: The World Health Organization guides the global response.
Coronavirus scams have more than doubled since March The World
A new study shows coronavirus scammers are about to surpass a milestone of tricking Americans out of $100 million. The number of coronavirus scams have more than doubled in nearly every state from March
OSAA From B1
Washington and California also have modified what their school sports years will look like. The new OSAA calendar adopted by the Executive Board on Wednesday calls for the winter season for basketball, swimming and wrestling to start with the first practices on Dec. 28 and the first games on Jan. 11. The fall season, for football, soccer, volleyball and cross country, will have its first practices on Feb. 22 and the first contests on March 8 — March 15 for football. The spring season, for the traditional spring sports, will have its first practices on April 19 and first contests on May 3, wrapping up later than usual with the OSAA culmination week June 21-27. All sports also will have a reduced number of contests in the seven-week regular seasons compared to normal years. OSAA also set its culmination week for activities including cheerleading (March 8-14), dance (April 12-18), speech (April 19-25), solo music (April 26-May 2), choir (May 3-9)
— when the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic — to July. In the month of July, Oregon residents filed 1,282 coronavirus related fraud complaints to the FTC. This is up 103% from the month of March when 632 complaints were
and band/orchestra (May 10-16). Two weeks ago, the Executive Board pushed back the start of the fall competition season until later in September, but it changed course Wednesday following last week’s announcement by Gov. Kate Brown of new metrics for reopening schools that will result in most schools in the state starting the year with distance learning. Weber noted that shifting the calendar to later in the year provides additional time for schools to return to a hybrid or on-site learning format. The new OSAA association year will begin Aug. 31 with what the Executive Board is calling Season 1. Policies restricting out-ofseason coaching have been removed for that season, which will run until the start of the winter sports season, allowing schools, at the discretion of their local district, to participate in any OSAA-sanctioned activity permitted by the Governor’s Office, Oregon Health Authority and Oregon Department of Education. That might include conditioning, practices and even competitions against other schools. “The big question now is what do you do between
filed. Oregon ranks No. 21 for the most complaints among states. SocialCatfish.com released a study on the State of Coronavirus Scams in America based on data from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). • The five most-targeted states as of mid-July
now and Dec. 28,” Forrester said. Some schools in the Midwestern League have already said they won’t allow any activities while they are still in a distance-learning mode, he said. Others are hoping they will be able to have some competitions. He’s hesitant to suggest North Bend will go that far. “I find it hard to believe we are going to have no kids in school and still have competitions,” Forrester said. The South Coast’s athletic directors are planning to meet Friday to have a conversation about what the first season might look like and how they might be able to work together. Weber said the first season provides flexibility around the state. “The (Executive) Board recognized that a onesize-fits-all approach isn’t what’s best for students across the state,” he said. “By waiving policy to allow regional participation this fall, local school districts will have the discretion for participation in those areas that are able to do so safely per state directives.” The Executive Board’s decision at least provides some clarity by delaying the traditional fall season. In the spring, OSAA held out hope
include No. 1 - California (10,938 FTC complaints, up 110% since March), No. 2 - Florida (7,244 complaints, up 124%), No. 3 - New York (6,677 complaints up 134%), No. 4 - Texas (6,427 complaints up 122%) and No. 5 - Pennsylvania (4,245 complaints, up 201%).
• The five states seeing the largest percentage increase from March to July include No. 1 - Maine: 422% increase with 830 scam reports up from 159 in March; No. 2 - Pennsylvania: 201% increase; No. 3 - North Dakota: 182% increase; No. 4 Ohio: 171% increase and
for several weeks for a possible spring sports season until the final decision to keep schools closed to inschool learning was made. Forrester sympathized with the Executive Board. “The OSAA is in a tough spot, because there are people that are going to think we ought to be playing right now and other people thinking that maybe we shouldn’t play at all this year,” he said. “I think what they did was make sure everybody has a season. It looks like they are even going to have some type of postseason.” The next step locally will be figuring out what the first season might look like, and then only if it can be done safely. “The last thing we want to do is put playing ahead of health,” Forrester said. “Right now, the biggest thing is I know our student athletes are chomping at the bit just to get out and play. When it says you are going to start on the 31st, if it’s not safe enough for us to have kids in school, is it safe enough for us to have practices?” The complete OSAA calendar, as well as a story about the Executive Board’s decision and release from OSAA, can be seen at www.osaa.org.
No. 5 - Louisiana: 170% increase. • Nationally, the FTC has registered more than 150,000 reports of fraud costing victims $98.3 million. If you encounter a coronavirus scam, contact local law enforcement or file a complaint with the FTC.
Jobless From B1
All told, 16.1 million people are collecting traditional unemployment benefits from their state. For months, the unemployed had also been receiving the $600 a week in federal jobless aid on top of their state benefit. But the federal payment expired last week. Congress is engaged in prolonged negotiations over renewing the federal benefit, which would likely be extended at a reduced level. In the meantime, millions of the unemployed suddenly have less money to pay for essentials. Many of them are among the 23 million people nationwide who are at risk of being evicted from their homes, according to The Aspen Institute, as moratoriums enacted because of the coronavirus expire. Last week, an additional 656,000 people applied for jobless aid under a program that has extended eligibility for the first time to self-employed and gig workers. That figure isn’t adjusted for seasonal trends, so it’s reported separately. The Labor Department said Thursday that a total of 31.3 million people are now receiving some form of unemployment benefits, though the figure may be inflated by double-counting by some states. A study released Monday by Cornell University found that 31% of those laid off or furloughed because of the pandemic had been laid off a second time. An additional 26% of people who were called back to work reported being told that they might lose their jobs again. After the springtime lockdowns, restaurants and bars had begun to reopen. Yet many soon had to re-close as viral cases surged, especially in the Sun Belt. In Texas, for instance, just 26% of bars were closed on June 21. Two weeks later, the figure had shut up to 74%, though it has since come down slightly, according to the data firm Womply.
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Survivors mark 75th anniversary of bombing HIROSHIMA, Japan (AP) — Survivors of the world’s first atomic bombing gathered in diminished numbers near an iconic, blasted dome Thursday to mark the attack’s 75th anniversary, many of them urging the world, and their own government, to do more to ban nuclear weapons. An upsurge of coronavirus cases in Japan meant a much smaller than normal turnout, but the bombing survivors’ message was more urgent than ever. As their numbers dwindle — their average age is about 83 — many nations have bolstered or maintained their nuclear arsenals, and their own government refuses to sign a nuclear weapons ban treaty. Amid cries of Japanese government hypocrisy, survivors, their relatives and officials marked the 8:15 a.m. blast anniversary with a minute of silence. The United States dropped the world’s first atomic bomb on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, destroying the city and killing 140,000 people. It dropped a second bomb three days later on Nagasaki, killing another 70,000. Japan surrendered Aug. 15, ending World War II and its nearly half-century of aggression in Asia. But the decades since have
seen the weapons stockpiling of the Cold War and a nuclear standoff among nations that continues to this day. Amid the solemn remembrances at Hiroshima’s peace park, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was confronted Thursday by six members of survivors’ groups over the treaty. “Could you please respond to our request to sign the Nuclear Weapons Prohibition Treaty?” Tomoyuki Mimaki, a member of a major survivors’ group, Hidankyo, implored Abe. “The milestone 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing is a chance” to change course. Abe insisted on Japan’s policy not to sign the treaty, vaguely citing a “different approach,” though he added that the government shares the goal of eliminating nuclear weapons. “Abe’s actions don’t seem to match his words,” said Manabu Iwasa, 47, who came to the park to pray for his father, a bombing survivor who died at age 87 in March. “Japan apparently sides with the United States, but it should make more efforts to eliminate nuclear weapons. It’s frustrating, but there is not much we individuals can do.”
Even though Tokyo renounces its own possession, production or hosting of nuclear weapons, Japan is a top U.S. ally, hosts 50,000 American troops and is protected by the U.S. nuclear umbrella. This complicates the push to get Tokyo to sign the treaty adopted in 2017, especially as it steps up its military role amid North Korea’s continuing pursuit of a stronger nuclear program. Abe, in his speech at the ceremony, said a nuclear-free world cannot be achieved overnight and it has to start with dialogue. “Japan’s position is to serve as a bridge between different sides and patiently promote their dialogue and actions to achieve a world without nuclear weapons,” Abe said. Earlier, Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui urged world leaders to more seriously commit to nuclear disarmament, pointing out Japan’s failures. “I ask the Japanese government to heed the appeal of the (bombing survivors) to sign, ratify and become a party to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons,” Matsui said in his peace declaration. “As the only nation to suffer a nuclear attack, Japan must persuade the
global public to unite with the spirit of Hiroshima.” Thursday’s peace ceremony at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park was scaled down because of the coronavirus pandemic. The fewer than 1,000 attendees was one-tenth of those attending in past years. Some survivors and their relatives prayed at the park’s cenotaph before the ceremony. The registry of the atomic bombing victims is stored at the cenotaph, whose inscription reads, “Let all the souls here rest in peace, for we shall not repeat the mistake.” ”The only way to totally eliminate nuclear risk is to totally eliminate nuclear weapons,” U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres said in a video message from New York for the occasion. Guterres’ expected visit to Hiroshima had to be cancelled because of the coronavirus. “Seventy-five years is far too long not to have learned that the possession of nuclear weapons diminishes, rather than reinforces, security,” he said. “Today, a world without nuclear weapons seems to be slipping further from our grasp.” An aging group of survivors, known as hibakusha, feel a grow-
ing urgency to tell their stories, in hopes of reaching a younger generation. Many peace events, including their talks, leading up to the anniversary were canceled because of the coronavirus, but some survivors have teamed with students or pacifist groups to speak at online events, sometimes connecting with international audiences. The bombing’s survivors lamented the slow progress of nuclear disarmament and expressed anger over what they said was the Japanese government’s reluctance to help and listen to those who suffered. They want world leaders, especially those from nuclear-weapons states, to visit Hiroshima and see the reality of the atomic bombing. Pope Francis sent a message to organizers of the anniversary commemoration, recalling that he had prayed at the Hiroshima peace memorial during his 2019 visit to Japan and met with bombing survivors. He repeated what he said Nov. 24 at the peace memorial: “The use of atomic energy for purposes of war is immoral, just as the possessing of nuclear weapons is immoral.”
Pete Hamill, legendary New York columnist, dies NEW YORK (AP) — Pete Hamill, the self-taught, street-wise newspaper columnist whose love affair with New York inspired a colorful and uniquely influential journalistic career and produced several books of fiction and nonfiction, died Wednesday morning. He was 85. Hamill died at a Brooklyn hospital from heart and kidney failure, his brother Denis confirmed in an email. “Pete was truly one of the good guys,” Denis Hamill said. Pete Hamill was one of the city’s last great crusading columnists and links to journalism’s days of chattering typewriters and smoked-filled banter,
an Irish-American both tough and sentimental who related to the underdog and mingled with the elite. Well-read, well-rounded and very well connected, Hamill was at ease quoting poetry and Ernest Hemingway, dating Jacqueline Onassis or enjoying a drink and a cigarette at the old Lion’s Head tavern in Greenwich Village. His topics ranged from baseball, politics, murders, boxing and riots to wars in Vietnam, Nicaragua, Lebanon and Ireland. But he would always look back to the New York he grew up in, a pre-digital age best remembered through the dreamscape of black and white photography — a
New York of egg creams and five-cent subway rides, stickball games and wide-brimmed hats, when the Dodgers were still in Brooklyn and there were more daily papers than you could count on one hand. “I have the native son’s irrational love of the place,” Hamill wrote in his 2004 book, “Downtown: My Manhattan.” “New York is a city of daily irritations, occasional horrors, hourly tests of will and even courage, and huge dollops of pure beauty.” A Brooklyn-born high school dropout, Hamill was a columnist for the New York Daily News, the New York Post, Newsday, the Village Voice,
Conventions
Still, the event in the White House complex would surely raise ethical and legal concerns, including for staff members who would be involved. “If for some reason somebody had difficulty with it, I could go someplace else,” Trump said. “The easiest, least expensive, and I think very beautiful would be live from the White House.” Trump continued to defend the idea to reporters during a news briefing late Wednesday, again citing costs. “If I use the White House, we save tremendous amounts of money for the government in terms of security, traveling,” he said. Biden hasn’t been so publicly reluctant to scale back his convention, expressing doubts about a full arena even before Democratic National Committee officials made the move toward a virtual event. But those who know him say a lost convention still has to rank as a personal disappointment for a man who calls himself a “tactile politician” and who first sought the presidency in 1988. Biden has been on the convention stage twice as the vice presidential nominee for Barack Obama. In late April, when Democrats first started acknowledging the likelihood of a drastically altered convention, Biden’s team put together a slickly produced 45-minute show marking the one-year anniversary of his campaign launch. It featured top supporters, video from a year of campaigning, some biographical tidbits about the candidate and then Biden addressing supporters alongside his wife, Jill Biden. Those kinds of effects
and approaches could be repeated even without a traditional convention stage in an arena or stadium. The major parties have always convened every four years, even in 1864 and 1944 during wrenching wars that affected the entire nation. However, the political extravaganzas have been declining in practical importance and viewership in recent decades. The modern primary process, developed over the 1960s and 1970s, ended the practice of conventions serving as the proverbial if not literal smoke-filled rooms where nominees were chosen, often taking multiple ballots cast into the wee hours of the morning. Still, conventions have remained as opportunities for tens of thousands of delegates, elected officials, party bosses, rank-and-file activists and media to gather, even if the nomination vote was a formality. Nominees have used the affairs to shape their messages and identities for the general electorate. George H.W. Bush came to New Orleans in 1988 to establish a brand separate from his two terms as Ronald Reagan’s vice president. Four years later, Gov. Bill Clinton’s campaign unveiled his famous biographical video as he dubbed himself a “boy from Hope,” his Arkansas hometown. Keynote speakers, chosen by the nominees, have used the convention stage as launchpads, too, most notably when Obama, then a state senator running for the U.S. Senate, took the stage in Boston in 2004. Four years later, he walked out to a full outdoor stadium — a remarkable scene in the annals of presidential conventions — in Denver.
From B1
But he sparred with Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, who wouldn’t guarantee the state would lift restrictions on large crowds like the scenes inside a presidential convention arena. Frustrated, Trump declared he’d abandon North Carolina for Republican-run Florida. But then coronavirus cases spiked there and across the Sun Belt, forcing him to retreat again. In a phone interview with Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends” on Wednesday, Trump said the first night of GOP programming would originate from Charlotte but the rest would be shown from various locations, including potentially the White House. “I’ll probably do mine live from the White House,” Trump said, but he also said it was not locked in. He provided few other details on the convention whose programming, like its location, has been in flux. Trump said first lady Melania Trump would speak, as well as proTrump Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio and Matt Gaetz of Florida. Holding such an event at the White House would mark the latest test to both norms and laws prohibiting the use of government property and personnel in campaign activities. Trump himself is exempted from the Hatch Act, which limits the political activities of federal employees. It also does not cover “rooms in the White House or in the residence of the vice president, which are part of the residence area or which are not regularly used solely in the discharge of official duties.”
New York magazine and Esquire. He wrote screenplays, several novels and a bestselling memoir, “A Drinking Life.” “Pete Hamill was an inspiration to generations of reporters who reveled in his unique style of storytelling and his gifts as a writer and reporter who spoke truth to power,” the New York Press Club said in a statement. His 2003 novel, “Forever,” told the story of Cormac O’Connor, an Irish Jew who arrives in New York in 1740 and is granted eternal life as long as he stays on the island of Manhattan. His novels “Snow in August” and “The North River” also
served up nostalgic and critically acclaimed tales of Old New York. His memoir covers his childhood in Brooklyn to the night he gave up drinking at a New Year’s Eve party in 1972. “Pete was a giant of journalism, a quintessential New Yorker and a personal friend to my father and myself,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a statement. “I learned much from him and he inspired me. Pete’s death is going to leave a hole in the heart of New Yorkers.” Hamill had a brief and disheartening turn editing the New York Post. When financier Steven Hoffenberg gained control of the
tabloid in bankruptcy proceedings, he hired Hamill as editor in chief in 1993. Hamill quickly hired four Black reporters and promoted a number of women and minorities, recalled fellow columnist Jack Newfield in his memoir, “Somebody’s Gotta Tell It.” But when Hoffenberg was unable to buy the paper, ownership fell to Abe Hirschfeld, who fired Hamill. The paper’s staff revolted, publishing a mutiny edition that kept Hamill’s name on the masthead as he supervised from a nearby diner. Hirschfeld rehired Hamill, giving him a kiss that the hardened newsman called “the single most ignominious moment of my life.”
DEAR ABBYBy Abigail Van Buren Favorite son’s jabs at brother’s wife causing family friction DEAR ABBY: I married “Darius” two years ago. I have had problems with my brother-in-law ever since Darius and I first began dating five years ago. From my husband’s perspective, his parents have always favored his younger brother, “Adonis.” “Anything goes” is their attitude where he is concerned. Adonis takes things without asking, lies and constantly makes disrespectful comments toward us. He was never reprimanded as a child, and now he’s an adult (24), the sniping continues. A few months ago, he showed up unannounced at my home and insulted a guest who was visiting at the time. (She also doesn’t care for him.) I asked him to leave to avoid making waves with her. I think Adonis owes me an apology, but he refuses to give me a sincere one. My father-in-law thinks I should just “get over it” and says I am being ridiculous because I no longer want to attend family events if Adonis is present. Mostly the reason is I no longer want to tolerate his behavior while he’s drinking and making constant “jokes” about me. I feel bad for my husband because we have missed out on seeing family members and enjoying ourselves at events because I don’t want to create a scene. Darius supports the way I feel, but says he can’t demand an apology from his brother. I feel if I back down now, Adonis’ behavior will continue for the rest of my life. I don’t think I should be treated this way. How should I resolve this issue? -- FAMILY PROBLEM IN NEW JERSEY DEAR FAMILY PROBLEM: I’m glad you wrote. Adonis is getting away with this because your in-laws are enabling it. Your husband should straighten his spine and inform his “little” brother he drinks too much, and he wants the sniping stopped. Your father-in-law is a mile off base. It isn’t ridiculous to want to avoid verbal abuse from a drunk, and he, too, should have a talk with Adonis. Until that happens, you are right to keep your distance. Nobody likes pain, and your brother-in-law appears unwilling
to stop being a large one in a southern portion of your anatomy. DEAR ABBY: I am a 32-year-old woman, engaged to a wonderful man. We were supposed to start trying to get pregnant, but because of the virus, we decided to put it off. I know we are making the right choice. I had already started a journal/planner and was so excited. But now I feel myself slipping into depression. We are both lucky enough to still be working, so I’m not just sitting around dwelling on it. But when I canceled my prenatal vitamin subscription the other day, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I know we are lucky to not have bigger woes than this right now, but I’m heartbroken. Any advice would be appreciated. -- HOLDING OFF ON MOTHERHOOD DEAR HOLDING OFF: I am sorry for your heartache. I know this is painful. It’s important that you not hold these sad feelings inside. Talk with your fiance about them and share with close friends and family. Pour your feelings into the journal you started. Your road to motherhood may be longer than you initially thought, but it’s going to be an interesting journey. I hope you will take comfort in the knowledge that postponing your pregnancy was a decision you and your fiance made for the right reasons and didn’t take lightly. ------------------------------Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www. DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069. Abby shares more than 100 of her favorite recipes in two booklets: “Abby’s Favorite Recipes” and “More Favorite Recipes by Dear Abby.” Send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $16 (U.S. funds) to: Dear Abby, Cookbooklet Set, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. (Shipping and handling are included in the price.)
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Portland chief: Violent protests detract from message PORTLAND (AP) — Clashes outside a U.S. courthouse in Portland, Oregon, have largely stopped since Democratic Gov. Kate Brown reached a deal that called for the draw down of federal agents sent by the Trump administration to protect the building — but the turmoil is far from over. For the past several nights, Portland police have skirmished with protesters in other parts of city, far from the Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse, as residents rally around a call to defund the police force. Demonstrators are also mad at the use of tear gas by police multiple times over the summer to tamp down unrest. Late Wednesday, Portland police declared a riot and said they believe an explosive device had been left outside a precinct. People were ordered to disperse, and some streets were closed. Early Wednesday, police had declared a riot and made three arrests after saying demonstrators set fires, erected barricades in a street and broke into the police
union headquarters. Police said someone also fired a gun during the unrest and a pickup truck accelerated into the crowd while pushing an unoccupied motorcycle in front of it. No one was injured in either incident. Police have interviewed the driver of the truck but so far have made no arrests. Police did not use tear gas during the demonstration. The city also said Wednesday it is beginning to monitor for any potential long-term pollution from tear gas that was released by federal agents night after night in a two-block area less than a mile from the Willamette River. Police Chief Chuck Lovell, who is Black, said he was concerned that the national attention paid to the ongoing protests and the resources needed to police them were hurting the “beautiful, vibrant city” of Portland. Police have arrested more than 400 people since late May, he said. U.S. agents arrested at least 94 people on federal charges through July 30. “This is not forwarding the
goals of things that are going to lead to better outcomes for people of color,” said Lovell, who wrote an opinion piece for the New York Times this week that expressed the same sentiments. “This movement is very powerful and I feel like the violence has taken away from it in a really kind of concerning way.” “I think it’s really dependent on Portland as a community to really say we’re not going to tolerate this,” he added. Residents have protested in Portland for 69 consecutive days since George Floyd was killed by police in Minneapolis. Demonstrations increasingly focused on the federal courthouse, where protesters broke glass, lit fires and tossed fireworks and other objects at law enforcement. The courthouse was also covered with graffiti. The clashes prompted President Donald Trump to send federal agents from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Marshals Service and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to
Portland fines government for illegal fence around federal courthouse PORTLAND (AP) — It’s been nearly a week since federal officers withdrew from guarding Portland’s federal courthouse during nightly protests, but a large fence they installed is still there and city officials say it remains illegal. The city of Portland continues to impose a $500 fine every 15 minutes for the fence, which was erected in the public right-of-way without a permit around the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse, according to the Oregonian/OregonLive. As of noon Wednesday, the fine hit $584,000. “The fence is currently still in place,” Margaux Weeke, spokesperson for City Commissioner Chloe Eudaly, said Tuesday. “I’d have to refer you to the federal government for their rationale as to why the fence is still obstructing our traveling lane.” Department of Homeland Security officials did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Last week, Eudaly announced
that her transportation bureau would impose the highest possible fine on the federal government for erecting the fence without a permit in the bike lane in front of the courthouse. Weeke said the city attorney’s office has been in touch with the Department of Homeland Security, which spearheaded the controversial escalation in federal activity outside the courthouse in recent weeks, spurred on by the Trump administration’s false claims that the courthouse was in danger of being destroyed by protesters. Eudaly last week described the federal officials as “occupiers” and said normally her bureau would remove the unpermitted fence. But she didn’t feel it would be safe for city workers to do so with federal officials in town. It’s unclear why the city isn’t removing the fence now that those federal officers are no longer leading the nightly law enforcement response and many of their ranks have left town.
guard the courthouse — a move that was intended to quell the unrest but instead reinvigorated demonstrators and created a focal point for the protests each night. Demonstrators tossed fireworks, flares, rocks, ball bearings and bottles at the federal agents and used power tools to try to bring down a fence protecting the courthouse. U.S. agents responded each night with multiple rounds of tear gas, pepper balls and rubber bullets in an escalation of violence that led to injuries to demonstrators and federal agents. On Wednesday, the city cleaned out six storm drains that are in the immediate vicinity of the federal courthouse where tear gas was used almost every night. The area is just a few blocks from the Willamette River. Workers have taken samples from the sediment in the drains to test for zinc, lead, copper and chromium — all found in tear gas. The city is also worried about chemical residue washing off trees, grass and office build-
ings and making its way to the river. Portland will test outflow into the Willamette after the next major rainstorm. “We know that a certain amount of these chemicals have settled into the city’s storm drains. We are going to remove as much as possible to prevent that material from being flushed into the Willamette River,” said Matt Criblez, the city’s environmental services compliance manager. The violent clashes at the courthouse have abated since July 30, when federal agents began drawing down their numbers under a deal between the governor and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. But after a quiet weekend, nightly protests have once more gained steam in other parts of the city. The demonstrators are calling for the city to defund the Portland Police Bureau and are critical of Mayor Ted Wheeler, who is also police commissioner. They also want charges dropped against protesters who have been arrested in earlier protests.
Facebook deletes Trump post, citing misinformation Associated Press Facebook has deleted a post by President Donald Trump for violating its policy against spreading misinformation about the coronavirus. The post in question featured a link to a Fox News video in which Trump says children are “virtually immune” to the virus. Facebook said Wednesday that the “video includes false claims that a group of people is immune from COVID-19 which is a violation of our policies around harmful COVID misinformation.” A few hours later, Twitter temporarily blocked the Trump campaign from tweeting from its account, until it removed a post
with the same video. Trump’s account retweeted the video. The company said in a statement late Wednesday that the tweet violated its rules against COVID misinformation. When a tweet breaks its rules, Twitter asks users to remove the tweet in questions and bans them from posting anything else until they do. Twitter has generally been quicker than Facebook in recent months to label posts from the president that violate its policies against misinformation and abuse. This is not the first time that Facebook has removed a post from Trump, Facebook said, but it’s the first time it has done so because it was
spreading misinformation about the coronavirus. The company has also labeled his posts. Several studies suggest, but don’t prove, that children are less likely to become infected than adults and more likely to have only mild symptoms. But this is not the same as being “virtually immune” to the virus. A CDC study involving 2,500 children published in April found that about 1 in 5 infected children were hospitalized versus 1 in 3 adults; three children died. The study lacks complete data on all the cases, but it also suggests that many infected children have no symptoms, which could allow them to spread the virus to others.
Virus testing in the US is dropping, even as deaths mount Associated Press U.S. testing for the coronavirus is dropping even as infections remain high and the death toll rises by more than 1,000 a day, a worrisome trend that officials attribute largely to Americans getting discouraged over having to wait hours to get a test and days or weeks to learn the results. An Associated Press analysis found that the number of tests per day slid 3.6% over the past two weeks to 750,000, with the count falling in 22 states. That includes places like Alabama, Mississippi, Missouri and Iowa where the percentage of positive tests is high and continuing to climb, an indicator that the virus is still spreading uncontrolled. Amid the crisis, some health experts are calling for the introduction of a different type of test that would yield results in a matter of minutes and would be cheap and simple enough for millions of Americans to test themselves — but would also
be less accurate. “There’s a sense of desperation that we need to do something else,” said Dr. Ashish Jha, director of Harvard’s Global Health Institute. Widespread testing is considered essential to managing the outbreak as the U.S. approaches a mammoth 5 million confirmed infections and more than 157,000 deaths out of over 700,000 worldwide. Testing demand is expected to surge again this fall, when schools reopen and flu season hits, most likely outstripping supplies and leading to new delays and bottlenecks. Some of the decline in testing over the past few weeks was expected after backlogged commercial labs urged doctors to concentrate on their highest-risk patients. But some health and government officials are seeing growing public frustration and waning demand. In Iowa, state officials are reporting less interest in testing, despite ample supplies. The state’s
daily testing rate peaked in mid-July but has declined 20% in the last two weeks. “We have the capacity. Iowans just need to test,” Gov. Kim Reynolds said last week. Jessica Moore of rural Newberry, South Carolina, said that after a private lab lost her COVID-19 test results in mid-July, she had to get re-tested at a pop-up site organized by the state. Moore and her husband arrived early on a Saturday morning at the site, a community center, where they waited for two hours for her test. Moore watched in the rear-view mirror as people drove up, saw the long line of cars, and then turned around and left. “If people have something to do on a Saturday and they want to get tested, they’re not going to wait for two hours in the South Carolina heat for a test, especially if they’re not symptomatic,” Moore said. Before traveling from Florida to Delaware last month, Laura DuBose Schumacher signed up to go to a drive-up testing site
in Orlando with her husband. They were given a one-hour window in which to arrive. They got there at the start of the window, but after 50 minutes it looked as if the wait would be another hour. Others who had gone through the line told them that they wouldn’t get their results until five days later, a Monday, at the earliest. They were planning to travel the next day, so they gave up. “Monday would have been pointless, so we left the line,” Schumacher said. The number of confirmed infections in the U.S. has topped 4.7 million, with new cases running at nearly 60,000 a day on average, down from more than 70,000 in the second half of July. U.S. testing is built primarily on highly sensitive molecular tests that detect the genetic code of the coronavirus. Although the test is considered the gold standard for accuracy, experts increasingly say the country’s overburdened lab system is incapable
of keeping pace with the outbreak and producing results within two or three days, the time frame crucial to isolating patients and containing the virus. “They’re doing as good a job as they possibly can do, but the current system will not allow them to keep up with the demand,” said Mara Aspinall of Arizona State University’s College of Health Solutions. Testing delays have led researchers at Harvard and elsewhere to propose a new approach using so-called antigen tests — rapid technology already used to screen for flu, strep throat and other common infections. Instead of detecting the virus itself, such tests look for viral proteins, or antigens, which are generally considered a less accurate measure of infection. A number of companies are studying COVID-19 antigen tests in which you spit on a specially coated strip of paper, and if you are infected, it changes color. Experts say the speed and widespread availability
of such tests would more than make up for their lower precision. While no such tests for the coronavirus are on the U.S. market, experts say the technology is simple and the hurdles are more regulatory than technical. The Harvard researchers say production could quickly be scaled into the millions. A proposal from the Harvard researchers calls for the federal government to distribute $1 saliva-based antigen tests to all Americans so that they can test themselves regularly, perhaps even daily. Even with accuracy as low as 50%, researchers estimate the paper strip tests would uncover five times more COVID-19 cases than the current laboratory-based approach, which federal officials estimate catches just 1 in 10 infections. But the approach faces resistance in Washington, where federal regulators have required at least 80% accuracy for new COVID-19 tests.
to six of those to become major hurricanes with winds of at least 111 mph (178 kph). That’s a few more storms than the agency’s May forecast. The agency increased the chance of an above average hurricane season from 60% to 85%. “It looks like this season could be one of the more active in the historical record,” but it’s unlikely to be beat 2005’s 28 named storms because the oceans were warmer and other conditions were more conducive to storm formation 15 years ago, said NOAA lead forecaster Gerry Bell.
This year’s forecast of up to 25 is the highest number NOAA has ever predicted, beating the 21 predicted for 2005, Bell said. Colorado State University, which pioneered hurricane season forecasts decades ago, on Wednesday amped its forecast to 24 named storms, 12 hurricanes and 5 major hurricanes — all higher than their June forecast. An average year, based on 1981 to 2010 data, is 12 named storms, six hurricanes and three major hurricanes. Lead Colorado State forecaster Phil Klotz-
bach said all the factors that cause hurricane seasons to be busy are dialed up, including increased storminess in Africa that seeds the biggest hurricanes, warmer water that fuels storms and reduced high level winds that kill storms . “Everything looks ready to be a pretty huge year,” said University of Miami hurricane researcher Brian McNoldy, who said it’s likely that there will be more storms than names. There are 21 names assigned to a hurricane season. If there are more than 21 storms, meteorologists
turn after Wilfred to the Greek alphabet — Alpha, Beta, Gamma and so on. In a normal year, about 90% of storm activity comes after August 6, with mid-August to mid-October as peak season. So far this year, there have been nine named storms, with most setting a record for being early. The most destructive so far has been this month’s Hurricane Isaias which killed at least nine people and left millions of people without power. “Nine storms to this date is crazy,” Klotzbach said. Since 1995, when the At-
lantic started a more active period for hurricanes, the average season has seen 12 named storms forming after August 5, he said. The number of storms don’t matter as much as where they go, MIT meteorology professor Kerry Emanuel said, noting the busy 2010 hurricane season that barely touched the United States. While the predictions are about the number of storms and don’t say where they strike, Klotzbach’s forecast says more storms increases the chance of another U.S. landfall.
New names needed? Hurricane season expected to get worse Associated Press Already smashing records, this year’s hyperactive Atlantic hurricane season is about to get even nastier, forecasters predict. In the coming months, they expect to run out of traditional hurricane names and see about twice as much storm activity as a normal year. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Thursday upped its seasonal forecast, now predicting a far-above-average 19 to 25 named storms — seven to 11 of them to become hurricanes and three
Timbers advance to MLS is Back final LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Jeremy Ebobisse and Sebastian Blanco each scored and the Portland Timbers earned a spot in the MLS is Back championship game with a 2-1 victory over the Philadelphia Union on Wednesday night. The Timbers will face the winner of Thursday night’s game between Orlando City and Minnesota United in the title match on Tuesday. The tournament winner earns a spot in the 2021 CONCACAF Champions League. “It’s a great feeling. We came here with one goal, and that was to lift the trophy at the end of the tournament,” Ebobisse said. “And now we’re one game away.
All the work that we’ve put in, and all of the sacrifice that we’ve put in, is all starting to pay off. We’ve got 90 more minutes.” Down two goals, Philadelphia closed the gap on Andrew Wooten’s goal in the 85th minute. It appeared the Union pulled even on Kacper Przybylko’s goal a minute later, but it was ruled offside. Portland earned its spot in the semifinals with a 3-1 victory over NYCFC. “In the end, I think we deserved this win because I think that we made it very difficult,” Timbers coach Giovanni Savarese said. “And we had two good goals to now move on to the final, but it’s credit to the guys for the
hard work that they put today.” Philadelphia goalkeeper Andre Blake dove to push away Blanco’s early attempt in the 10th minute but some three minutes later Ebobisse’s header off Diego Valeri’s corner kick gave Portland the early lead. The Union, who had not previously trailed in the tournament, had a chance to pull even in firsthalf stoppage time when Blanco fouled Jamiro Monteiro. Sergio Santos’ penalty kick went over the bar and two the right. Santos finished with three goals in the tournament, while Blake led all goalkeepers with 34 saves. “We’re not going to sit here and blame one player for missing
a PK. It happens in sports,” said Philadelphia coach Jim Curtin. Blake dove to stop Andy Polo’s shot in the 69th minute. Moments later Blanco was unmarked for a header to the far corner to put the Timbers up 2-0. It was Blanco’s third goal of the tournament, to go with five assists. The Timbers, who won the MLS Cup in 2015, had won six of the 10 previous meetings between the two teams. Philadelphia’s only win in the series came back in 2015. The Union scored three firsthalf goals in quick succession to defeat Sporting Kansas City 3-1 in the quarterfinals to advance. “When you give up a goal early on a set piece, you’re chasing,
right away,” Curtin said. “So it was always going to be hard once they got to lead. Again, the first time in the competition in all six of our games that we went down. So we had to find ways to try to break them down and we just weren’t sharp enough on the night.” The monthlong World Cupstyle tournament has been played without fans at ESPN’s Wide World Of Sports at Walt Disney World. Players have been sequestered for the duration at Disney resorts. At the half, MLS Commissioner Don Garber told Fox Sports that the league would soon be announcing a schedule for matches once the teams return to their home markets.
Big-hitting DeChambeau becomes must-see TV TIM DAHLBERG
Associated Press
It’s hard to find a reason to like Bryson DeChambeau. It’s even harder to take your eyes off him. He smashes jaw-dropping drives that seem to defy the very physics on which he bases his game. Bulked up on protein shakes and M&M’s, DeChambeau has so far this year been making a mockery of golf courses designed by architects who had no idea what golf of the future might look like. In a sport where conformity is king, he is the most compelling player not named Tiger Woods. If there were fans at Harding Park in San Francisco this week for the PGA Championship, they would be crowding tee boxes to ooh and aah at every massive swing he takes. Then there’s the DeChambeau without the driver in his hands. He plays so slowly he annoys even his fellow tour pros. At a tournament last year DeChambeau walked 100 yards to the green and back before hitting a shot. One video from the same event that attracted a lot of attention on social media showed him spending more than 2 minutes before hitting an 8-foot putt he eventually missed. He’s petulant, self-absorbed and prone to argue with rules officials about things like boundary fences and fire ants. He thinks cameramen should turn away and not show him when he gets mad about a shot because it might not be good for his brand. He exasperates fellow players so much that England’s Eddie Pepperell called him out on Twitter as an “unaffected single minded twit.” Game changer or spoiled brat? Take your pick, but there’s no
Stricker still will get to pick half of Ryder Cup team SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Golf shut down for three months in America, leading Ryder Cup organizers to adjust the selection criteria to allow U.S. captain Steve Stricker to use wild-card picks for half of the 12-man team. Now that the matches have been postponed until 2021, nothing has changed. The PGA of America said Wednesday the points list will resume from its original start and conclude after the second FedEx Cup playoff event next year at the BMW Championship. Stricker still gets six captain’s picks. Before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down golf and eliminated 11 tournaments — including three majors — from the qualifying window, eight players could earn spots on the team and Stricker had four picks. “We just thought that it was in the best interests of the team, to put our best team forward, to give us that flexibility to get the pairings that we feel are best, to get the guys that are playing well, maybe guys that suit that course better than some other guys,” Stricker said. “It gives us a tremendous amount of flexibility.” The Americans had two captain’s picks for years until Paul Azinger lobbied for a more
modern formula that allowed him four captain’s picks. Now, half the team will be decided by Stricker and his assistants. The matches had been scheduled for Sept. 2527 at Whistling Straits, and now will be the same week in 2021. That means more work for Stricker — not so much keeping track of points, but keeping track of players. And it’s a lot easier to do on the PGA Tour than on the PGA Tour Champions, where the 53-year-old from Wisconsin prefers to spend his time. “Yeah, I’ll be out here again I’m sure a little bit more than what I had planned next year,” he said. “Just to be out here and visible, I think that’s important.” Golf is getting younger with more turnover than ever, and Stricker wants to figure out who some of these guys are. That’s why he called Collin Morikawa a month ago to set up a practice round. They wound up playing Tuesday at Harding Park. “My plan was to play the Ryder Cup this September, and then play mainly Champions events next year,” he said. “But that’s changed. And I’ll be back out here playing some more of the regular tour just to be out here.”
arguing that DeChambeau is a lot more interesting to watch than the average tour pro. He’s in San Francisco this week to try to win his first major championship, a task that shouldn’t be out of hand for the No. 7 player in the world. DeChambeau is the talk of golf. But if you want to hear him talk, it has to be in a softball interview with Golf Channel because he refused to appear before the media and answer questions the way Woods and every other top golfer do every week. Then again, who wants to answer questions about fire ants when the Wanamaker Trophy is sitting there for the taking? DeChambeau tees off Thurs-
day afternoon as one of the favorites in a tournament that originally was supposed to take place in May. He does so after taking advantage of the pandemic to add another 20 pounds to the 20 he gained over the winter in a largely successful effort to build up his club head speed. He’s 6-foot-1 and 240 pounds and can propel a golf ball a ridiculous 205 mph, which translates into regular drives of 350 yards or more. While others are hitting 8-irons to greens, DeChambeau is trying to decide what wedge to play, and there are few par-5’s he can’t easily reach in two. He can also putt a bit, becoming the first player to lead a tournament in both strokes
gained off the tee and on the green when he won in Detroit last month for his sixth PGA Tour title. All this from a 26-year-old who wears a Ben Hogan-style flat hat and is so scientific about his golf that he’s liable to consider the rotation of the Earth as he studies the break of a putt. “It’s impressive. He’s big,” Rory McIlroy said earlier this year. “He’s sort of gone down a path and he’s got a conviction and he’s following it. He’s always thought outside the box and thought a little differently than most people.” Much of that thought — including using clubs that are all one length — has helped make
by getting registered to vote and ultimately exercising their right to vote,” said Commissioner Roger Goodell, whose father was a renowned U.S. senator. “When meeting with players and legends to listen to the things they’re passionate about, voting is clearly an issue of critical importance.” Rock the Vote, RISE to Vote and I am a voter are the three partners who will conduct educational seminars and help with registrations and activation for all NFL personnel. Those groups will assist players in organizing their own voter registration drives for fans and local communities in club markets, hometowns, alumni college campuses, high schools and military bases overseas. Twins Shaquill and Shaquem Griffin of the Seahawks are at the forefront of the movement among players. They know all too well about Americans not
exercising their rights; about 100 million eligible voters, roughly 43%, did not go to the polls in 2016. “We once were at a time in our lives when we felt our vote did not matter, and that came from conversations with people who felt the same way,” said Shaquill, an emerging star safety entering his fourth pro season. “But our vote really does count. We all sat down together, talked with our mom and dad, and you can’t get to the point that it doesn’t matter. That was a problem, but once you have the conversation, we actually found the truth.” The Griffins — Shaquem is a linebacker heading into his third NFL season — grew up in St. Petersburg, Florida, a city with low voter registration. Now that they have a prominent forum as professional athletes, they want to reach out. Not just in Florida, but anywhere that people aren’t
certain they will vote. “You have to set the example,” Shaquem said. “It’s about getting up and doing it. People can say one thing and do another. If I want to be one of the better (examples) I have to be one who says I am going to do it and then do it. If they see me doing it and I take the step forward, I physically assure you this is the time to do it.” Added Shaquill: “We are using the platform we have, we can change people who feel that way, change their view and get them out to vote. It’s important they understand, `You are people who can really make change.’ ” The league also notes that on Aug. 26, the nation will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, which guarantees and protects women’s constitutional right to vote. That actually occurred three weeks before the
him a great player. Some of it, though, shows he has work to go before becoming a great person. That was on display this year when he engaged in a long argument with a rules official over the definition of an out-of-bounds fence. A few weeks later he was holding up play again while trying unsuccessfully to get an official to agree that seeing a fire ant near his ball meant he should get a free drop from a bad lie. No wonder his caddie attempted to block a television camera after DeChambeau teed off following a 10 on the 15th hole at Muirfield Village. On TV, he comes across as both arrogant and condescending. DeChambeau is unapologetic, and as aggressive in his own defense as he is off the tee. He believes he’s being unfairly singled out as a slow player in a sport filled with them. After berating a cameraman he thought was lurking too long after a sand shot in Detroit, he said he is just passionate about golf. “We don’t mean anything by it, we just care a lot about the game,” he said. “For that to damage our brand like that, that’s not cool in the way we act because if you actually meet me in person, I’m not too bad of a dude, I don’t think.” The jury is still out on that, just as it is on whether he can maintain over time the huge distances he has gained off the tee. DeChambeau is always a work in progress because he’s always tinkering with ways to get better. If he’s really concerned about his brand, a little tinkering with his personality might be in order, too. Tim Dahlberg is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at tdahlberg@ap.org or http://twitter.com/timdahlberg
Get out the vote: NFL partners with three other organizations to encourage voting in November The education effort aimed at players, staff and fans will run through election day BARRY WILNER Associated Press
The NFL is partnering with three non-profit, non-partisan organizations to get out the vote as the league leverages its “Inspire Change” initiative. The program will support and encourage voting and civic engagement efforts of current and former NFL players, club and league personnel and fans beginning Thursday until Election Day in November. “We’re launching NFL Votes to inspire everyone in the NFL family – including our fans – to participate in the civic process
birth of the NFL. The Griffins stressed that they are “honored” to be among the early faces of NFL Votes. Their Seahawks coach, Pete Carroll, Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson and tackle Laremy Tunsil, and Saints defensive end Cam Jordan also have spoken out to launch the program. “What do you want to see done?” Shaquill asks people. “And people are taking the initiative, and now is a different time (than 2016), and people are starting to see more and wanting to do more. They say, `Wow, I didn’t know this was going on.’ “To get change, you need to go on and vote. Now we have to change that 60 percent and get it to 80 or 90 or 100. To have everyone say, `It is my time to get my vote in. What do I need to do to change it?’ “To get my brother to vote, my cousin, my family?”
FOUR-DAY FORECAST FOR NORTH BEND TONIGHT FRIDAY SATURDAY
Mainly clear
Mostly sunny and windy
LOW: 53° 68° LOCAL ALMANAC
PRECIPITATION
Yesterday Year to date Last year to date Normal year to date
Halsey
48/81
Florence
52/67
Reedsport
52/71
8:32 p.m. 6:14 a.m. 10:52 p.m. 10:10 a.m.
Full
Aug 11 Aug 18 Aug 25
Astoria Burns Brookings Corvallis Eugene Klamath Falls La Grande Medford Newport Pendleton Portland Redmond Roseburg Salem The Dalles
South Coast Tonight Fri.
53°
72°
45/80
Friday
High
ft.
Low
69/53 95/55 67/54 83/55 85/55 85/50 93/53 89/63 63/54 95/60 84/60 92/52 84/61 84/55 91/67
Bandon
2:43 a.m. 3:47 p.m. 2:48 a.m. 3:52 p.m. 4:14 a.m. 5:18 p.m. 3:32 a.m. 4:36 p.m. 2:22 a.m. 3:35 p.m. 3:54 a.m. 4:54 p.m. 2:55 a.m. 4:02 p.m.
6.3 6.0 6.8 6.5 6.5 6.3 5.9 5.6 6.6 6.2 6.9 6.6 6.3 6.0
9:18 a.m. 9:41 p.m. 9:16 a.m. 9:39 p.m. 10:44 a.m. 11:07 p.m. 10:14 a.m. 10:37 p.m. 9:00 a.m. 9:21 p.m. 10:31 a.m. 10:51 p.m. 9:28 a.m. 9:49 p.m.
Curry Co. Coast Tonight Fri.
56°
71°
Coos Bay Florence Port Orford Reedsport Half Moon Bay
Rogue Valley Tonight Fri.
53°
88°
ft.
-0.1 1.8 -0.1 1.9 -0.1 1.7 0.0 1.5 0.0 2.2 0.2 2.1 -0.1 1.9
Willamette Valley Portland Area Tonight Fri. Tonight Fri.
47°
82°
41/82
56°
High
78°
3:25 a.m. 4:20 p.m. 3:30 a.m. 4:25 p.m. 4:56 a.m. 5:51 p.m. 4:14 a.m. 5:09 p.m. 3:05 a.m. 4:07 p.m. 4:37 a.m. 5:30 p.m. 3:38 a.m. 4:34 p.m.
North Coast Tonight Fri.
55°
Saturday ft.
Low
ft.
5.8 6.0 6.3 6.5 6.0 6.3 5.4 5.6 6.0 6.2 6.4 6.6 5.8 6.0
9:51 a.m. 10:27 p.m. 9:49 a.m. 10:25 p.m. 11:17 a.m. 11:53 p.m. 10:47 a.m. 11:23 p.m. 9:32 a.m. 10:09 p.m. 11:07 a.m. 11:39 p.m. 10:01 a.m. 10:35 p.m.
0.5 1.7 0.5 1.8 0.4 1.6 0.4 1.5 0.6 2.2 0.8 2.1 0.4 1.8
Central Oregon Tonight Fri.
69°
-0s
0s
Snow
10s
NATIONAL CITIES
Klamath Falls
53/88
Showers
Flurries
20s
30s
Ice
Cold Front
40s
National high: 114° at Death Valley, CA
48/83
Medford 51/86
Rain
50s
60s
Warm Front 70s
80s
Stationary Front
90s
100s
110s
NATIONAL EXTREMES YESTERDAY (for the 48 contiguous states)
42/82
Butte Falls Ashland
51/88
-10s
Beaver Marsh Chiloquin
Gold Hill Grants Pass
T-storms
37/80
51/87
56/71
Shown are tomorrow’s noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day.
38/78
52/84
Powers
38/79
Crescent
Canyonville
Port Orford
Charleston
La Pine
Toketee Falls
Location
70/58/pc 82/41/s 72/55/s 81/55/s 82/52/s 82/46/s 78/50/s 88/57/s 63/51/pc 80/57/s 78/60/pc 81/47/s 85/58/s 80/55/pc 84/61/s
39/78
Oakridge
54/85
TIDES
Fri.
41/79
Sunriver
48/80
Coquille
55/68
Bend
47/81
Roseburg
51/72
40/81
48/82
52/84
50/78
Sep 1
REGIONAL FORECASTS
55°
Sisters
Springfield
Hi/Lo Prec. Hi/Lo/W
0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.04 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.04 0.00 0.00 0.00
69°
Oakland
53/68
Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2020
City
55°
Cottage Grove
50/81
52/81
Gold Beach
Yesterday
47/82
Drain
Elkton
Coos Bay / North Bend
53/67
First
OREGON CITIES
68°
Bandon
Sunset tonight Sunrise tomorrow Moonrise tomorrow Moonset tomorrow
Becoming windier with sunshine
Eugene
0.01" 27.96" 41.56" 36.95"
SUN AND MOON
Windy with plenty of sunshine
53°
Yachats
68°/58° 65°/53° 83° in 1932 44° in 1960
New
69°
MONDAY
Shown is tomorrow’s ow’s weather. Temperatures are tonight’s lows and tomorrow’s highs.
52/65
High/low Normal high/low Record high Record low
Last
Winds becoming strong
55°
North Bend Wednesday
TEMPERATURE
NATIONAL FORECAST SUNDAY
40°
81°
Fri.
City
Hi/Lo/W
Albuquerque Anchorage Atlanta Atlantic City Austin Baltimore Billings Birmingham Boise Boston Buffalo Burlington, VT Caribou, ME Casper Charleston, SC Charleston, WV Charlotte, NC Cheyenne Chicago Cincinnati Cleveland Colorado Spgs Columbus, OH Concord, NH Dallas Dayton Daytona Beach Denver Des Moines Detroit El Paso Fairbanks
92/69/pc 65/53/r 90/71/s 79/72/t 98/73/pc 84/70/t 88/56/pc 90/70/s 85/54/s 75/65/sh 79/64/pc 82/62/pc 83/57/pc 94/53/s 89/74/t 85/63/pc 88/70/t 90/60/pc 84/64/s 82/61/pc 78/62/s 92/62/c 83/60/pc 80/60/pc 98/78/pc 82/60/pc 89/74/t 97/64/pc 84/71/c 81/61/s 100/76/pc 69/50/c
Sat.
Hi/Lo/W
93/69/s 64/53/sh 94/72/s 79/72/t 97/75/pc 86/69/t 88/59/s 94/72/pc 89/58/s 76/65/t 83/64/pc 82/66/s 82/60/pc 92/55/s 91/75/t 87/63/pc 91/71/t 90/60/pc 88/70/pc 85/64/s 80/64/s 91/62/pc 84/63/s 79/58/pc 97/79/s 84/65/s 89/75/t 94/63/pc 88/74/c 84/63/s 101/76/pc 69/51/c
National low: 32° at Daniel, WY
Fri.
Sat.
Fri.
Sat.
City
Hi/Lo/W
Hi/Lo/W
City
Hi/Lo/W
Hi/Lo/W
Fargo Flagstaff Fresno Green Bay Hartford, CT Helena Honolulu Houston Indianapolis Kansas City Key West Las Vegas Lexington Little Rock Los Angeles Louisville Madison Memphis Miami Milwaukee Minneapolis Missoula Nashville New Orleans New York City Norfolk, VA Oklahoma City Olympia, WA Omaha Orlando Philadelphia Phoenix
85/67/pc 82/48/s 93/68/s 81/64/pc 81/66/t 82/51/s 89/77/sh 94/76/s 80/60/s 84/73/t 90/83/sh 101/75/s 83/60/pc 88/71/c 79/62/pc 84/64/pc 81/65/pc 90/73/pc 91/79/t 79/64/s 82/70/pc 78/44/s 89/66/pc 94/78/s 76/70/t 89/73/t 92/76/pc 76/53/pc 87/72/pc 91/74/t 83/71/t 109/84/s
82/65/c 83/50/s 99/70/s 83/69/t 83/64/t 85/55/pc 89/77/pc 94/76/pc 85/67/pc 92/75/s 89/82/pc 104/80/s 87/63/pc 93/74/pc 81/60/pc 88/69/pc 84/71/t 94/75/pc 91/79/pc 80/71/t 87/70/c 81/49/pc 92/71/pc 93/77/s 83/71/t 88/75/t 94/75/s 76/49/pc 93/75/pc 91/75/t 86/72/t 112/87/s
Pittsburgh Pocatello Portland, ME Providence Raleigh Rapid City Redding Reno Richmond, VA Sacramento St. Louis Salt Lake City San Angelo San Diego San Francisco San Jose Santa Fe Seattle Sioux Falls Spokane Springfield, IL Springfield, MA Syracuse Tampa Toledo Trenton Tucson Tulsa Washington, DC W. Palm Beach Wichita Wilmington, DE
81/61/t 87/54/s 80/62/pc 78/67/t 88/70/t 94/59/pc 101/68/s 91/61/s 87/69/t 91/62/s 84/69/pc 94/67/s 101/72/pc 73/62/pc 72/56/pc 80/60/pc 92/60/t 76/59/pc 87/70/pc 75/56/s 81/65/c 80/65/pc 76/63/t 92/78/t 82/58/s 78/67/t 104/78/s 93/76/pc 84/71/t 90/78/t 95/76/pc 80/68/t
82/60/pc 90/53/s 77/63/pc 80/66/t 90/70/t 88/62/t 105/69/s 95/62/s 89/70/t 96/61/s 88/74/pc 95/68/s 101/75/s 74/64/pc 76/56/s 83/61/s 91/60/s 76/55/pc 91/72/c 81/52/pc 86/72/c 82/63/t 82/63/s 92/78/c 85/64/s 82/66/t 106/78/s 97/77/pc 87/73/t 89/77/t 99/76/s 83/68/t
Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice, Prec.-precipitation.
Major League Baseball tightens virus protocols NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball is cracking down on coronavirus safety protocols, mandating that players and staff wear face coverings at all times, including in the dugouts and bullpens, except for players on the field of play. The league sent a memo to teams Wednesday outlining changes to its 2020 operations manual after outbreaks on the Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals led to 21 postponements in the first two weeks of a shortened 60-game season. The memo, obtained by The Associated Press on Wednesday night, says that repeated or flagrant violators of the protocols
could be banned from participating in the 2020 season and postseason. That includes those who don’t wear face coverings while watching from the dugout. Although such measures were suggested in MLB’s operations manual before Wednesday, some players have continued to not wear face masks, offer high fives, spit and violate the protocols in other ways during games. Umpires are also being instructed to wear face masks at all times, except when it would make it unfeasible for them to do their jobs. Compliance officers have been appointed for each team,
Ionescu heads to New York to see specialist NEW YORK (AP) — Sabrina Ionescu is headed to New York to see an ankle and foot specialist the team announced Wednesday. The No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft was diagnosed with a Grade 3 left ankle sprain after getting hurt in the second quarter against Atlanta last Friday. X-rays taken at a hospital came back negative but an MRI revealed the sprain, according to the team. A Grade 3 sprain is the most severe and usually requires months to heal fully as it’s a full tear of the ankle ligament. This level of sprain causes severe pain, swelling and bruising. Liberty owner Joe Tsai tweeted after his young star got hurt that the team would “provide the best care for Sabrina. She will come back stronger.” Ionescu played in only
2 1/2 games this season and might be hardpressed to return with the WNBA playing a truncated season with only 19 games left over the next 6 weeks. Ionescu missed only four games her freshman season during her college career at Oregon . She played every game after that en route to shattering the NCAA career triple-double mark (for both men and women) with 26 and became the first player in college history to have 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 1,000 assists. While the WNBA set up a “clean corridor” for players to go to a hospital in Florida to receive care without having to go back into quarantine when they returned to IMG Academy, Ionescu would have to quarantine again for a few days once she gets back to Florida.
and they have been charged with enforcing protocols outlined in the operations manual in an effort to keep baseball’s season running. Players and staff must wear face coverings at all times at team hotels and in public places while on the road. On team buses and airplanes, personnel must wear surgical masks or N95/ KN95 respirators. At hotels, teams have been instructed to provide a large private room -- a ballroom, for instance -- where staff and players can get food and other amenities with enough space to keep their distance. Players are discouraged from talking to each other or facing each other if their mask is
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Among other changes: teams must limit the size of traveling parties to essential personnel, maintain unoccupied rows between passengers on team buses, and distance seating on airplanes while ensuring players do not change locations. MLB said in the memo it made many of the changes after evaluating results of its investigation into the Marlins outbreak. The league also said it is working with the union to review contact tracing protocols, specifically the requirements for identified close contacts. Close contacts do not currently include passing interactions or physical contact unlikely to pass secretions, such as elbow bumps.
Notre Dame won’t play Navy this year ACC schedule means Irish and Midshipmen won’t meet for first time in 94 seasons Associated Press Notre Dame opens its season as an Atlantic Coast Conference football member against visiting Duke on Sept. 12 and won’t face Navy for the first time in more than nine decades as part of the ACC’s reconfigured schedule due to the coronavirus pandemic. The league on Thursday released the schedule featuring the Fighting Irish, who are giving up their coveted football independence and competing for the ACC title this season. The ACC had announced plans last week for a 10-game league slate with one nonconference game and its championship game played either Dec. 12 or 19. Those nonconference games are required to be played in the member school’s home state, while opponents must meet ACC medical protocol requirements that include regular testing for athletes, coaches and staff to try to control the potential spread of coronavirus. That report from ACC’s medical advisory group also recommends schools evaluate travel policies for games, including
modes of travel such as buses or flights, lodging accommodations and the size of the travel party. That comes as the 15 teams travel within an ACC footprint spanning nearly the entire Atlantic Seaboard from Massachusetts to Florida, and moving west into Kentucky and Indiana. The Fighting Irish and Midshipmen were originally scheduled to play for the 94th straight season in Dublin, Ireland. The pandemic forced the relocation to Navy’s home field in Annapolis, Maryland, for the first time in the history of the series on Sept. 5, along with the cancellation of Notre Dame’s games against Wisconsin, Stanford and Southern California as the Big Ten and Pac-12 went to league-only schedules. Now Notre Dame’s lone nonconference game will be a previously scheduled visit from Western Michigan on Sept. 19. Notre Dame, a member in all other league sports, already had a scheduling agreement to annually play five or six games with ACC teams as an independent. The Irish were set to play five-time reigning ACC champion Clemson, Wake Forest, Pittsburgh, Duke, Georgia Tech and Louisville this year. Notre Dame’s marquee matchup at home with Dabo Swinney’s Tigers remains in its originally scheduled Nov. 7 slot, while the Fighting Irish added ACC matchups
with Florida State, Boston College, Syracuse and North Carolina – with that game coming on the road the day after Thanksgiving. The ACC’s home-state requirement for nonconference games nixed three notable early season matchups in Atlanta — North Carolina-Auburn, Virginia-Georgia and Florida State-West Virginia – but created a path to save traditional rivalries with Southeastern Conference schools such as Georgia Tech-Georgia, Florida State-Florida, Clemson-South Carolina and Louisville-Kentucky. But the SEC went to a league-only schedule a day later to eliminate those games, too. UCF’s visit to Georgia Tech on Sept. 19 stands as the most notable nonconference game on the schedule. The first game of the season is UAB’s visit to Miami on Sept. 10 on a Thursday night, followed by VMI’s trip to Virginia a day later. Three teams – North Carolina State, Syracuse and Virginia Tech – host Liberty. Nine teams kept one of their previously scheduled nonconference opponents at the originally planned venue, while Wake Forest flipped a season-opening trip to Old Dominion into an Oct. 9 home game with the Monarchs of Conference USA. Clemson and UNC have yet to announce a nonconference opponent. Both of those games will come Sept. 19.
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pulled down while eating. If players want to leave the hotel, they must get approval first from the team’s compliance officer. While in their home cities, players and staff are banned from visiting bars, lounges, malls or other places where groups of people are gathered. Clubs are being instructed to provided spaces for visiting players that are covered and outdoors, and that home and visiting teams must have access to areas where personnel can socially distance during weather delays. Players are being told to use those outdoor areas as much as possible, rather than linger in the clubhouse.
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