39-year-old Chris Kunitz announced his playing retirement from the NHL on Tuesday after a 15-year career with the Penguins, Ducks, Blackhawks, Lightning, and Thrashers. Kunitz won 4 Stanley Cups with Anaheim in 2007, and with Pittsburgh in 2009, 2016, and 2017. He finished with 268 goals and 619 points in 1,022 career games.
Kunitz will now join the Chicago Blackhawks as an assistant coach.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Gov. Tom Wolf is warning that food stamp benefits for about 200,000 people are jeopardized by a Trump administration move to stop allowing states to exceed federal income eligibility thresholds. Wolf said Monday that such a change would primarily affect the elderly, the disabled and lower-income families. He also says it’ll result in fewer school lunches. In Pennsylvania, more than 1.7 million people are in the food stamp program.
WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. (AP) — Police are seeking a woman who they say urinated on potatoes at a Walmart in Allegheny County. West Mifflin police posted surveillance photos on their Twitter account. A Walmart representative told WPXI-TV an employee saw what the woman was doing. In a statement, Walmart told the station it “immediately disposed of the affected products and sanitized the area.”
KOOTENAI, Idaho (AP) – Idaho restaurants say they have been scammed out of hundreds of dollars by someone ordering dozens of pizza over the phone but failing to pick them up.
Pizza shop owner Connie Young says a man placed a $375 to-go order at the Hayden pizzeria last Saturday.
She says she contacted the man after he didn’t show up, and he responded, “You’ve been dunked.”
Radicci Italian Bistro owner Daniel Morey says his Hayden restaurant was scammed out of $443 from a 25-pizza order last Saturday.
The pizza shops ended up having to sell the pizzas at a discounted price of $5.00 a pie.
(Photos taken by Sandy Giordano)
THE VIETNAM VETERANS CHAPTER 862 HAVE RENAMED AN ALIQUIPPA STREET IN HONOR OF THE MIA’S THAT NEVER RETURNED HOME. SANDY GIORDANO WAS THERE FOR THE CEREMONY…
(Photos of Stacey Alexander and Dr. Peter M. Carbone were taken by Sandy Giordano)
THE ALIQUIPPA SCHOOL BOARD HAS NAMED ITS NEW HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL AND ASSISTANT. BEAVER COUNTY RADIO NEWS CORRESPONDENT SANDY GIORDANO WAS AT LAST NIGHT’S BOARD MEETING…
WEATHER FORECAST FOR TUESDAY, JULY 30TH, 2019
TODAY – SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS LIKELY BOTH
MORNING AND AFTERNOON. HIGH NEAR 80.
TONIGHT – SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS. LOW – 66.
WEDNESDAY – SCATTERED SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS. HIGH AROUND 80.
Pirates trade Lyles, lose to Reds 11-6 on 10-run inning
By JOE KAY AP Sports Writer
CINCINNATI (AP) — All nine Reds crossed the plate in a parade unseen in Cincinnati since the days of the Big Red Machine. All the down-and-out Pirates could do was watch glumly.
Jose Iglesias’ grand slam completed Cincinnati’s 10-run second inning and the Reds beat the Pirates 11-6 Monday night after Pittsburgh traded scheduled starter Jordan Lyles to the Brewers.
The last-place Pirates lost their ninth straight, their longest skid since they dropped 10 in a row in 2011.
“It’s hard right now, there’s no doubt about it,” manager Clint Hurdle said. “We battle adversity in different areas just about every night.”
Lyles was dealt to Milwaukee — which has an injury-depleted rotation — in the afternoon for pitching prospect Cody Ponce. Alex McRae (0-3) took Lyles’ spot, his first major league start after seven relief appearances. He retired only four batters and was replaced during Cincinnati’s biggest inning in four years.
McRae learned when he got to the ballpark about four hours before game time that he was going to make his first start.
“I was excited, obviously a little bit of nerves the first inning,” McRae said. “No excuses though.”
Ten days earlier, the Reds gave up a 10-run inning by the Cardinals during a 12-11 loss at Great American Ball Park. This time, they were on the other end of one .
They piled up six hits and three walks while sending 13 batters to the plate. Joey Votto singled home a pair of runs, first baseman Josh Bell had a throwing error, and Iglesias’ second career grand slam off Montana DuRapau made it 10-1.
After he rounded the bases, Iglesias rubbed his hair in the dugout and told teammates he’d make good on a promise.
“I told them before the game that ‘If I hit a home run, I would paint my hair like you guys,'” Iglesias said.
What color?
“Purple or yellow,” he said.
Every Reds player scored in an inning for the first time since Sept. 3, 1975, when they beat the Dodgers 13-2, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Cincinnati hadn’t scored so many runs in an inning since it also had 10 in the sixth against Detroit on Aug. 24, 2015.
“That doesn’t happen a lot, but we’ve been so in tune with our players and our offense these days,” manager David Bell said. “An inning like that can be really good for offense.”
Sonny Gray (6-6) gave up four runs in 5 1/3 innings, including Starling Marte’s 18th homer and Bryan Reynolds’ ninth. Colin Moran hit his third career grand slam off Wandy Peralta.
The game matched the NL Central’s bottom teams. The Pirates have anchored themselves in last place by going 2-15 after the All-Star break, prompting them to trade Lyles two days before the deadline.
BAD KARMA
During that 17-game stretch, the Pirates have led only three times after the fifth inning.
NEWCOMER
DuRapau was called up from Triple-A Indianapolis to take Lyles’ spot on the roster. He pitched in 10 games during three previous stints with the Pirates this season.
KEEP GOING
Hurdle says the Pirates have incentive to keep playing hard even as they trade away players.
“There’s an honor code out there about continuing to play,” Hurdle said pregame. “And the one thing we do mention is the name on the front of the jersey is important. It’s important for the fan base, it’s important to your organization, the people who work for your organization. And that name on the back should be important to you because you’re carrying your family name out there every day.”
TERRIBLE TWOS
The Pirates’ previous worst inning? They gave up nine runs — also in the second inning — during a 14-8 loss to the Cardinals on July 24.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Pirates: Left-hander Steven Brault could start a rehab assignment Thursday. He’s been in the injured list since July 6 with a strained left shoulder. … Corey Dickerson missed a third straight game with a sore groin. He might return during the series.
Reds: Reliever David Hernandez might be activated during the series. He’s been sidelined since July 18 with a sore right shoulder.
UP NEXT
Pirates: Joe Musgrave (7-9) has matched his career high with seven wins, accomplished with the Astros in 2017. He won his other start against the Reds this season, throwing seven scoreless innings for a 2-0 victory on April 5 at PNC Park.
Reds: Tanner Roark (6-6) is 3-1 in eight career starts against the Pirates. He had no decision in a 6-5 loss on April 30 at Pittsburgh.
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More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
6-year-old drowns in pool at home on North Carolina coast
NAGS HEAD, N.C. (AP) — Police say a 6-year-old boy from Pennsylvania has drowned in a swimming pool at a home on North Carolina’s Outer Banks.
According to Nags Head police, emergency responders went to a home on South Virginia Dare Trail at around 5:25 p.m. on Sunday. A statement from police says family members performed CPR on the boy after he was found unresponsive in the pool, but he was pronounced dead at Outer Banks Hospital.
A news release says the incident is under investigation. Police have not released any identities.
New rules for 2nd debate: No 1-word answers or show of hands
By DAVID BAUDER AP Media Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Raise your hand if you can think of some different ways CNN will approach the second Democratic presidential debate, which will unfold over two nights in Detroit on Tuesday and Wednesday.
That’s a hint. CNN pledges not to ask questions that require a show of hands by the politicians and will not ask them to confine answers to a one-word “yes” or “no.” NBC News moderator Chuck Todd tried both of these last month for the first debate for the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates.
“Invariably a question can be open for interpretation,” said Sam Feist, CNN’s Washington bureau chief. “Trying to simplify a question into a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer can be confusing and may not always be fair.”
Dana Bash, Don Lemon and Jake Tapper will moderate the two-hour debates, which begin at 8 p.m. ET both nights. With tougher rules governing participation in the third debate in September, it will be the last time so many candidates — 20 of them — will have the debate spotlight.
Obviously important for the candidates, it will also be a big showcase for CNN. A July 18 CNN special that unveiled the candidate lineups for each debate night was widely panned, though the network defended it as an important show of transparency. Feist and his team have been putting debates and town halls together since 2003, so they bring experience to the table.
It’s unlikely the CNN debate will reach the viewership levels of the June opener (15.3 million for the first night, 18.1 million for the second) because NBC showed it on both cable and broadcast outlets and because late July is prime vacation time.
Feist said CNN has long resisted “show of hands” questions, so that promise is not related to Todd’s experience. One tack that CNN has been trying for its town halls, but may be new to a larger debate audience, is to print moderators’ questions on the bottom of the screen so viewers can see if the candidates are ducking.
“When a candidate is asked a question, sometimes the candidate chooses to answer a different question,” Feist said.
This may help CNN to keep its questions short, sharp and focused, said Frank Sesno, head of George Washington University’s School of Media and Public Affairs and author of “Ask More: The Power of Questions to Open Doors.”
Sesno, a former Washington bureau chief for CNN, said he believes having three moderators is preferable to five, which NBC had, because it helps candidates and viewers focus. Tapper has some experience with one of these large events; he moderated a September 2015 GOP presidential debate with 11 candidates onstage.
CNN plans to stick with certain topics long enough that multiple candidates will have a chance to address them, Feist said.
Candidates will have the chance to introduce themselves with opening statements and wrap things up with closing arguments. (NBC allowed only closing statements.) Once again, candidates will be allowed 60 seconds to answer a question, with 30 seconds of response time.
That’s the idea, at least. The reality can be much more nuanced. Sometimes the limit is strictly enforced, sometimes not. The most memorable exchange of the first debate — Kamala Harris challenging Joe Biden on busing — happened because producers allowed the moment to unfold despite the rules.
“When a debate actually breaks out in the debate, you just let it go,” said Mark Lukasiewicz, dean of Hofstra University’s School of Communication and a former NBC News executive. “You let it go until it runs out of gas.”
That doesn’t mean anarchy should rule. Jennifer Rubin, a columnist for The Washington Post, suggested turning off everyone’s microphone until the person answering the question has finished speaking. CNN warned that candidates who frequently interrupt will be punished by having their time in the spotlight reduced.
“We’re trying to strike a balance between having the candidates join in a conversation, and help the viewers by not having the candidates all talk at the same time,” Feist said.