(File Photo: Source for Photo: FILE – Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) and Taylor Swift kiss after the Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers in the NFL Super Bowl 58 football game on Feb. 11, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — It’s a love story and, baby, she said yes: Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are engaged, they announced Tuesday.

In a five-photo joint post on Instagram, the superstar singer and football player revealed their engagement, the fairytale culmination of a courtship that for two years has thrilled and fascinated millions around the world, but especially Swifties, the pop star’s enormous and ardent fan base.

“Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married,” the caption read, accompanied by an emoji of a dynamite stick.

Kelce was a famous football player when they met — a star tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs and a Super Bowl champion — but Swift’s unique level of fame catapulted him into a different orbit entirely. Their relationship was documented in countless shots of Swift celebrating at Chiefs games and fan videos of Kelce dancing along at Swift’s Eras concert tour as it traveled the globe.

There were those who speculated, with no evidence, that the relationship was not genuine but a cynical ploy for more fame, while some even theorized it was a plot to influence the U.S. elections. In the end, those voices were quieted by a happy couple who simply looked in love — now with an engagement ring rivaling the size of Kelce’s three Super Bowl rings.

It’s unclear when and where the two, both 35, got engaged. Representatives for Swift and Kelce did not immediately respond to The Associated Press’ request for comment on that detail, though Swift publicist Tree Paine confirmed the engagement ring was an old mine brilliant-cut diamond from Kindred Lubeck. Scarcely over an hour later, Kelce was stretching for practice in Kansas City, Missouri.

The Chiefs do not anticipate making Kelce available until next week in Brazil, where they open the season against the Chargers in Sao Paulo.

Throwing fans into frenzies since 2023

It’s been just two weeks since Swift — and Kelce — last ignited a media frenzy, with the announcement of her new album, “The Life of a Showgirl.” (It comes out Oct. 3.) Kelce and his brother, former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, assisted Swift with the rollout, hosting her on their typically football-oriented podcast, “New Heights.” During the episode, she likened her career to her now-fiance’s, saying their jobs were “to entertain people for three hours in NFL stadiums.”

When Jason Kelce asked his brother and Swift, sitting side-by-side, how they handled the discourse around their relationship, Swift said they just didn’t.

“We don’t, really. I don’t see a lot of things,” she said. “My name can be in the actual headline, and it’s none of my business.”

The pair started dating during Swift’s landmark Eras tour — though Kelce, despite bearing a friendship bracelet, was thwarted in his first attempt to meet Swift at her concert at Arrowhead Stadium. But by September, Swift was back at the Kansas City stadium, cheering on Kelce next to his mother. Less than two months later, she was changing lyrics onstage: “Karma is the guy on the Chiefs, coming straight home to me,” she sang in Argentina as Kelce beamed from the audience. And come the 2024 Super Bowl, she raced across time zones and was there on the field when he won his third championship.

It’s the first engagement for both Kelce — who once had his own reality dating show, “Catching Kelce” — and Swift, whose past relationships with high-profile celebrities including Joe Alwyn, Jake Gyllenhaal and Harry Styles, have been inspiration for her music.

Congratulations pour in

The news broke in the middle of the Kansas City Chiefs’ media availability, though after head coach Andy Reid had departed. That left Chiefs defensive end Mike Danna to field questions about his teammate’s engagement.

“Man, it’s incredible. I was caught off guard but you know, great for them,” Danna said, a few minutes after the news raced across social media. “That’s a blessing. Any time you find that type of joy, blessing, love — that’s a beautiful thing.”

Like many of the Chiefs, Danna has spent time with Swift and Kelce at a New Year’s party and after most of their home games.

“I’ll think of a good little engagement gift,” Danna said. “Maybe some Pop-Tarts back to her. It won’t be homemade.”

The NFL, which has gained untold numbers of fans since the relationship became public, posted the news on X with their congratulations — then quickly deleted it and reposted it when they realized they tagged the wrong Swift account.

“Two of the most genuine people meet & fall in love. Just so happy for these two,” Brittany Mahomes, the wife of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, said on Instagram. Brittany Mahomes and Swift have frequently shared a suite for games at Arrowhead Stadium. Meanwhile the Cleveland Guardians, the baseball team Kelce grew up rooting for, joked online: “Thanks a lot, Taylor Swift. Now no one cares that next year’s schedule is out.”

Kelce and Swift’s relationship featured prominently in the just-released six-part ESPN documentary “The Kingdom,” which chronicles the franchise’s ultimately foiled pursuit of an unprecedented third consecutive Super Bowl title last season. Kelce was joined by his parents, Donna and Ed Kelce, on the red carpet last Sunday for the premiere at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in Kansas City.

“She’s very good for him. I don’t hesitate in saying that,” Ed Kelce said of his future daughter-in-law. “They are two people that truly deserve each other.”

(File Photo: Source for Photo: FILE – Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Bubba Chandler delivers in the third inning of a spring training baseball game against the Minnesota Twins in Fort Myers, Fla., Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Pirates have decided to promote 22-year-old right-hander Bubba Chandler — baseball’s top pitching prospect — ahead of their game Friday against the Colorado Rockies.

Pirates manager Don Kelly said he’s excited to add Chandler to a staff that already includes 2024 NL Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes.

“He’s going to have an opportunity to earn starts like all of our guys have,” Kelly said following a 2-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday. “Just excited to add him and his stuff. He’s going to add a lot to the ballclub.”

Chandler is expected to initially work in a bulk bullpen role. He got off to a hot start in Triple-A this year, but has stumbled lately and is currently 5-6 with a 4.05 ERA in 100 innings pitched this year for Indianapolis.

Braxton Ashcraft, a 25-year-old rookie right-hander, was used in a similar fashion after being promoted May 26. He is 3-2 with a 3.02 ERA in 19 games (three starts).

“Just getting him up here in the big leagues and getting him in that role,” Kelly said. “You saw Ashcraft really thrive in it. He got his feet wet in the bullpen, had some really big outings. … He’s bounced around, done some different things, starting and being in the pen. To have (Chandler) in a situation like that, can go out in the pen and work on things at the big league level and be here to learn from the guys up here, and learn from the staff, the players and get feedback from major league meetings. It’s really, really important for him and for us.”

Chandler, like Ashcraft, will land in the starting rotation at some point. Ashcraft has started in his last two appearances, allowing two runs and six hits in a combined 8 1/3 innings.

“For me, I think it made me a better pitcher,” Ashcraft said. “And will continue to make me a better pitcher because it’s different. You grow up doing one thing your entire life and the game kind of falls into some sort of, like, just monotony. And having something like that where you come in, you’re forced to be in a different role, something that’s unfamiliar, you respond one of two ways — you compete your tail off or you don’t.

“Knowing Bubba, knowing the person that he is, like, he’s an unbelievable competitor. I have no doubt in my mind that it’ll be good for him.”

The Pirates have been careful with Chandler’s workload since he moved to pitching full-time ahead of the 2023 season after being projected as a two-way player when he was drafted in 2021. Chandler saw time at shortstop and as a designated hitter early in his minor league career but struggled at the plate, hitting just .184 with Class-A Greensboro in 2022.

Asked in February if he missed hitting, Chandler joked he learned in the minors that for a position player, he’s a pretty good pitcher.

And potentially a very good one. Yet Pittsburgh has been cautious in bringing Chandler along. He pitched 106 innings in 2023 and 119 innings last season.

Chandler got off to a scorching start at Triple-A this spring, posting a 1.33 ERA in April and a 2.54 ERA in May. Pirates general manager Ben Cherington, however, had been hesitant to promote Chandler, citing his relative inexperience as opposed to Skenes, who had a standout career at LSU before the Pirates called him up in May 2024.

Chandler’s effectiveness has waned of late. He went 0-2 with a 7.50 ERA in three starts this month for Indianapolis.

Yet with Pittsburgh heading for a last-place finish in the NL Central, Chandler will get an extended audition in the majors as the club points toward 2026.

“He’s an extreme competitor,” Ashcraft said. “He did the same type of stuff that I grew up doing — playing football and baseball, and any other sport you can get your hands on. What that boils down to is just enjoying to compete and he’ll excel in any opportunity he has to do that.”

The top of the Pirates’ rotation for next year appears to be set with Skenes and Mitch Keller. The other three spots are a question mark at the moment, with Jared Jones (who has missed all season after having Tommy John surgery), Mike Burrows, Ashcraft and Johan Oviedo (who made his second start on Wednesday after having Tommy John surgery of his own in late 2023), all in the mix.

Chandler can join them with a solid showing, with the club likely looking for chances to put him in low-leverage situations. In that way, having him available for a weekend series against MLB-worst Colorado makes sense.

“It’s fun to see everybody kind of get here to the big leagues, for the most part, excluding a few guys, for now,” Ashcraft said. “But yeah, like, it’s a cool thing to be able to step into a clubhouse knowing you’re going to be with guys that have helped you get to this point, directly. Just excited to see what next year and the following years after that have to bring to us and to Pittsburgh.”

(File Photo of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Logo)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Indianapolis, IN) Almost 200,000 more high school athletes competed in high school athletics in 2024-2025 compared to the previous season, which is a record high. Pennsylvania is currently fourth in the country in participation of high school athletes, with a total of 333,123 athletes participating this past season. The top three states in athlete participation that season in the order of one, two and three are Texas, California and Ohio, while the rest of the top ten states for that athlete participation in that order from five to ten are Illinois, New York, Florida, Michigan, New Jersey and Minnesota. Across 51 National Federation of High School Associations member state associations, student athletes totaling just over 8.62 million showed their participation in sports during high school in 2024-2025 in the United States. According to figures obtained from the 51 National Federation of High School member state associations, which includes the District of Columbia, 4,723,907 boys and 3,536,984 girls participated in high school sports in 2024-2025, which are both record-high numbers.

(File Photo of the Aliquippa Quips Logo on a Flag)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Aliquippa, PA) Mrryce Smith was approved as the new Aliquippa High School head boy’s basketball coach on Wednesday by the Aliquippa school board. The Aliquippa school board voted at a meeting on June 11th, 2025 to not renew the contract of the previous Aliquippa head boy’s basketball coach, Nick Lackovich. Smith was also one of the assistant boy’s basketball coaches to serve with Lackovich for Aliquippa High School. For the past 25 years, Smith has been an assistant coach that has coached in that position across a wide array of Aliquippa teams. Smith is presently a sixth grade teacher at Aliquippa School District and he graduated from Aliquippa High School in 1992, teaching within the Aliquippa School District for twenty-nine years.

(File Photo of New Brighton)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) Seventy-year-old Tom Proya, a powerlifter from New Brighton, achieved six world records during two national meets held in June and July of 2025. One of those meets that Proya competed in recently was the USPA Nationals meet in Pittsburgh where he was in the 165 lb. weight class and was in the master raw bench press 70-to-74 age group. The other of those meets that Proya competed in recently was the WPC National Championships in Detroit, Michigan. Proya bench pressed 331 pounds in one meet and 336 pounds in another to get first place in both as well as awards for outstanding master raw bench press in both. During both meets, Proya also made three national records. In November of 2024, a 42nd world record was set by Proya on the bench press at the WPC World Championships in Chicago, Illinois. Proya was also the winner of the 2014 WPC World Championships and in 2011, he was one of the people that competed in the APF Ohio State meet. In October of 2025, Proya will compete in the 2025 IPL Olympia Pro Powerlifting meet in Las Vegas, Nevada.  

(Brighton Twp., Pa.) The Western Beaver School District will be celebrating the installation of permanent lights and the Inaugural Season of Friday Night Football on Rich Niedbala Field.

The District said via release that: “The Western Beaver community is invited to a historic and exciting evening as the Golden Beavers kick off their inaugural season of Friday Night Football under the lights at Rich Niedbala Field. On Friday, August 29, 2025, Western Beaver will host the South Side Rams in what promises to be a memorable start to a new chapter in school history.
Join us for a special ceremony at 6:30 PM, featuring invited guests, followed by introductions of the 2025 Western Beaver Cheerleading Squad, the Golden Beaver Marching Band, and the Western Beaver Golden Beavers Football Team.
Located behind Western Beaver Jr./Sr. High School, the stadium has been the proud home of Golden Beaver Football for 63 years—hosting Saturday afternoon games and building a tradition of excellence. Under the leadership of legendary coach Rich
Niedbala, Western Beaver claimed three WPIAL championships (1976, 1983, 1994) and numerous section titles. Now, we are excited to begin a new tradition of Friday Night Lights, while honoring the legacy of past teams and continuing to build on our proud history. Come out and be part of this historic evening. Help us celebrate the past, present, and future of Western Beaver Football with a
great night of community, pride, and competition!”
This project was made possible through the generous support of Representative Josh Kail, via a grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development – Community and Economic Assistance Program. Thanks
to this support, the entire project was funded without impacting local budgets or raising taxes.
Beaver County Radio will also broadcast the game live on 99.3 and 95.7FM along with 1230 WBVP, 1460 WMBA, beavercountyradio.com, Beaver County Radio Digital Media.

You see the updated schedule below:

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Pittsburgh defensive back MJ Devonshire (12) is lifted by offensive linemen Terrence Moore (58) after he scored an interception against West Virginia durign the second half of an NCAA college football game Thursday, Sept. 1, 2022, in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh won 38-31. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Baltimore, MD) MJ Devonshire, who played cornerback for both the University of Pittsburgh and Aliquippa High School, has signed a deal with the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday in Baltimore, Maryland. Devonshire was drafted by the Las Vegas Raiders with the 229th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft as a seventh-round draft pick. Devonshire was waived by the Raiders in April of 2025 and spent three months with the Carolina Panthers before he signed his deal with the Ravens. Devonshire was on the Raiders’ practice squad for his first season before signing with the Raiders in January of 2025. Devonshire is a five-foot, eleven-inch cornerback who will play that same position for the Ravens after they put their rookie cornerback, Bihal Kone, on their injured reserve list.