Associated Press Ohio Daybook for Tuesday, Aug. 30.
The daybook is for planning purposes only and is not intended for publication or broadcast. You should verify any event you plan to cover.
Please keep the AP in mind when news develops. The Columbus bureau is reachable at 614-885-2727. Send daybook items to apcolumbus@ap.org.
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Tuesday, Aug. 30 8:30 AM Abercrombie & Fitch: Q2 2016 Earning conference call / Webcast
Location: TBD http://www.abercrombie.co.uk/anf/lifestyles/html/investorrelations.html https://twitter.com/Abercrombie
Contacts: Hampton Carney Paul Wilmot Communications pwc@greatpress.com 1 212 206 7447
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Tuesday, Aug. 30 1:30 PM Akron Mayor Horrigan kicks off University of Akron 2016 football season – Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan kicks off University of Akron 2016 football season with press conference with Zips’ Director of Athletics Larry Williams and head coach Terry Bowden
Location: InfoCision Stadium, 373 E. Exchange Street, Akron, OH Akron www.akronohio.gov
Contacts: Christine R. Curry City of Akron CCurry@akronohio.gov 1 330 375 2209
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Tuesday, Aug. 30 5:30 PM Candidate for Hamilton County Commissioner Denise Dreihaus speaks at event – Candidate for Hamilton County Commissioner Denise Dreihaus speaks at House Party hosted by Brian Garry and the Host Committee, discussing her ‘great plans for the future of Hamilton County’
Location: 128 Lafayette Lane, Cincinnati, OH Cincinnati http://www.denisedriehaus.com/ https://twitter.com/DeniseDriehaus
Contacts: Beverly Thomas MCR Marketing beverly@mcr-marketing.com Michael Ramundo MCR Marketing mike@mcr-marketing.com
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Tuesday, Aug. 30 6:30 PM Ohio bicentennial farm recognized at Morrow County Fair – Ohio Department of Agriculture representatives and supporters of agriculture honor wetland family before the Morrow County Fair’s King and Queen Presentation. * The Swetland family has maintained their farm for 200 years
Location: Morrow County Fairgrounds, 195 South Main Street, Mt. Gilead, OH http://www.agri.ohio.gov/ https://twitter.com/OhioDeptofAg
Contacts: Ashley McDonald Ohio Department of Agriculture Ashley.McDonald@agri.ohio.gov 1 614 752 9817
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Tuesday, Aug. 30 6:30 PM AARP Ohio host ‘Take a Stand’ Cleveland field office opening – AARP Ohio host grand opening of the Cleveland field office for their ‘Take a Stand’ campaign, a national effort focused on ‘holding each presidential candidate accountable for a plan to address the future of Social Security and demands that the candidates share the specific details of their plan with voters throughout the entire campaign season’
Location: 14200 Madison Ave, Lakewood, OH Lakewood http://www.aarp.org https://twitter.com/AARP
Contacts: Zach Bernstein AARP 1 917 637 0030
To RSVP, call 216.973.5966 or email TakeAStandOhioCleveland@gmail.com
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Tuesday, Aug. 30 Abercrombie & Fitch: Q2 2016 Results
Location: TBD http://www.abercrombie.co.uk/anf/lifestyles/html/investorrelations.html https://twitter.com/Abercrombie
Contacts: Hampton Carney Paul Wilmot Communications pwc@greatpress.com 1 212 206 7447
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Tuesday, Aug. 30 The Wendy’s Company: Q3 2016 Ex-dividend date
Location: TBD http://www.aboutwendys.com/Investors/ https://twitter.com/Wendys
Contacts: David D. Poplar Wendy’s Investor Relations david.poplar@wendys.com 1 614 764 3311
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NEW EVENT: Wednesday, Aug. 31 4:30 PM Dayton City Commission work session – Dayton City Commission work session, featuring a Finance Committee Briefing and the Parking Consultant Report. Work session is followed by a City Commission meeting
Location: City Hall, 101 W. Third Street, Dayton, OH Dayton www.cityofdayton.org https://twitter.com/cityofdayton
Contacts: Rashella Lavender City of Dayton Clerk of Commission 1 937 333 3636
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Wednesday, Aug. 31 8:00 AM Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority meeting – Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority meeting to consider acceptance of Federal Aviation Administration grant
Location: at One Maritime Plaza, Toledo, OH Toledo http://www.toledoportauthority.org/
Contacts: Connie Sobczak Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority csobczak@toledoportauthority.org
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Wednesday, Aug. 31 9:00 AM Ohio Board of Building Standards Residential Construction Advisory Committee meeting
Location: Division of Industrial Compliance, 6606 Tussing Road, Training Room 3, Reynoldsburg, OH Reynoldsburg www.com.ohio.gov https://twitter.com/OhioCommerce
Contacts: Lindsey Burnworth Ohio Department of Commerce Lindsey.Burnworth@com.state.oh.us 1 614 995 5791
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Wednesday, Aug. 31 4:00 PM Columbus City Councilmember Michael Stinziano holds Community Hours
Location: Panera Bread, 300 W. Lane Ave, Columbus, OH Columbus http://www.columbus.gov/ https://twitter.com/ColumbusCouncil
Contacts: Stephanie Megas City of Columbus 1 614 645 8311
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Wednesday, Aug. 31 Abercrombie & Fitch: Q3 2016 Ex-dividend date
Location: TBD http://www.abercrombie.co.uk/anf/lifestyles/html/investorrelations.html https://twitter.com/Abercrombie
Contacts: Thomas D. Lennox Abercrombie & Fitch corporate communications investor_relations@abercrombie.com 1 614 283 6751
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Wednesday, Aug. 31 Sleigh Bells begin North American tour in wake of Demi Lovato copyright lawsuit – Sleigh Bells begin North American tour * Band members Alexis Krauss and Derek Miller recently filed a complaint in California federal court alleging that Demi Lovato’s song ‘Stars’, taken from her fifth album ‘Confident’, contains similarities to their 2010 track ‘Infinity Guitars’ that ‘transcend the realm of coincidence’. The lawsuit names Lovato, UMG Recordings and producers Carl Falk and Rami Yacoub as defendants
Location: Beachland Ballroom & Tavern, 15711 Waterloo Rd, Cleveland, OH Cleveland https://twitter.com/sleighbells
Contacts: Jen Appel Grandstand Media & Management jena@grandstandhq.com
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Wednesday, Aug. 31 Hillary Clinton addresses The American Legion National Convention – The American Legion National Convention continues, with today’s speakers including 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton * Republican nominee Donald Trump speaks tomorrow
Location: Duke Energy Convention Center, 525 Elm St, Cincinnati, OH Cincinnati www.legion.org https://twitter.com/AmericanLegion
Contacts: The American Legion press pr@legion.org 1 317 630 1253
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NEW EVENT: Thursday, Sep. 01 12:00 PM Donald Trump campaigns in Ohio – 2016 Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump campaigns in the general election battleground state of Ohio, with a rally in Wilmington * Trump and Mike Pence will face Democrats Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine in the 8 Nov election
Location: Roberts Centre, 123 Gano Road, Wilmington, OH Wilmington www.donaldjtrump.com https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump
Contacts: Hope Hicks Make America Great Again hhicks@donaldtrump.com 1 212 715 6785 1 203 273 0226
Doors open 9:00 AM
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NEW EVENT: Thursday, Sep. 01 2:30 PM OSU dedicates special chair honoring POW and MIA soldiers – Ohio State University dedicates special chair in Ohio Stadium that honors POW and MIA soldiers. The special chair ‘will always remain empty in honor of the sacrifices of those who have served but not returned’
Location: Ohio Stadium, 411 Woody Hayes Drive, Columbus, OH Columbus www.osu.edu https://twitter.com/ohiostate
Contacts: Amy Murray Ohio State University press murray-goedde.1@osu.edu 1 614 292 8385
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Thursday, Sep. 01 10:00 AM Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation annual Fallen Workers Memorial service – Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation annual Fallen Workers Memorial service, honoring the memory of those who lost their lives as a result of a workplace injury. Speakers include BWC’s Administrator and CEO Sarah Morrison
Location: William Green Bldg, 30 W. Spring St., Columbus, OH Columbus https://www.ohiobwc.com/ https://twitter.com/OhioBWC
Contacts: Melissa Vince BWC Media Relations Manager melissa.vince@bwc.state.oh.us 1 614 466 2956
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Thursday, Sep. 01 Bad Boy Family Reunion tour launches in Ohio – Bad Boy Family Reunion tour launches, featuring Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs aka Puff Daddy, Lil’ Kim, Mase, Faith Evans, Mario Winans, 112, Total, Carl Thomas, The Lox and French Montana * The tour was originally scheduled to kick off in August, however Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs needed more time to recover from shoulder surgery
Location: Schottenstein Center, Columbus, OH Columbus https://twitter.com/BadBoyEnt
Contacts: Michael Cohen PMK-BNC Public Relations michael.cohen@pmkbnc.com
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Thursday, Sep. 01 Donald Trump addresses The American Legion National Convention – The American Legion National Convention concludes, with today’s speakers including 2016 Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump
Location: Duke Energy Convention Center, 525 Elm St, Cincinnati, OH Cincinnati www.legion.org https://twitter.com/AmericanLegion
Contacts: The American Legion press pr@legion.org 1 317 630 1253
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Thursday, Sep. 01 Vice President Joe Biden campaigns for Hillary Clinton in Ohio – Vice President Joe Biden campaigns for 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in the general election battleground state of Ohio. Agenda includes public events in the Mahoning Valley and the Cleveland area, where he ‘lays out the high stakes of November’s election’ and urges Ohians to support Clinton and ‘her vision for an America that is stronger together, with an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top’ * Clinton and Sen. Tim Kaine will face Republican Donald Trump and Indiana Governor Mike Pence in the 8 Nov election
Location: TBD www.hillaryclinton.com https://twitter.com/hillaryclinton
Contacts: Hillary for America press press@hillaryclinton.com
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Thursday, Sep. 01 AFLAC: Q3 2016 Dividend payment date
Location: TBD http://www.aflac.com/investors/default.aspx https://twitter.com/aflacduck
Contacts: Robin Wilkey AFLAC Corp Investor Relations ir@aflac.com 1 706 596 3264
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Thursday, Sep. 01 FirstEnergy Corp: Q3 2016 Dividend payment date
Location: TBD http://investors.firstenergycorp.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=102230&p=irol-IRHome https://twitter.com/FirstEnergyCorp
Contacts: Irene M. Prezelj FirstEnergy Investor Relations prezelji@firstenergycorp.com 1 330 384 3859
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Thursday, Sep. 01 JM Smucker Co: Q1 2017 Dividend payment date
Location: TBD http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=77952&p=irol-calendar
Contacts: Sonal P. Robinson J. M. Smucker Investor Relations 1 330 682 3000
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Thursday, Sep. 01 Kroger Co: Q2 2016 Dividend payment date
Location: TBD http://ir.kroger.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=106409&p=irol-calendar https://twitter.com/krogerco
Contacts: Carin Fike Kroger Co Investor Relations carin.fike@kroger.com 1 513 762 4969
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Keywords: Daybook, Ohio


ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkey’s state-run news agency says Kurdish militants have launched a rocket-propelled grenade at a civilian airport in the southeast of the country, causing minor damage and no injuries.
The Anadolu Agency said Sunday the target of the rebels linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, was a police checkpoint at the Diyarbakir Airport. It says passengers were taken to safety after the attack and flights resumed after a brief pause during the police investigation.
Violence between the PKK and the security forces resumed last year, after the collapse of a two-year peace process in July.
On Friday, a Kurdish suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden truck into a checkpoint near a police station in the southeast, killing at least 11 Turkish police officers and wounding 78 other people.

Kurdish militants fire rocket at civilian airport in Turkey


More than 460 migrants and refugees arrived on Greek islands from Turkey on Tuesday, the highest in several weeks, despite a European Union deal with Ankara agreed in March to close off that route.
Greek authorities recorded 462 new arrivals between Monday and Tuesday morning, up from 129 the previous day. Most entered through the Aegean islands of Lesvos and Kos.
The numbers are small compared to those trying to reach Italy from Africa – some 6,500 migrants were saved off the Libyan coast on Monday, the Italian coast guard said – and far fewer than the thousands a day arriving in Greece last summer.
But they indicate a steady inflow of people, five months after the deal was agreed. Under the accord, those who cross to Greece without documents from March 20 will be sent back to Turkey unless they apply for asylum and their claim is accepted.
So far under the deal, just 482 people have been deported to Turkey but none had applied for asylum, Greece says. No rejected asylum seekers have been sent back.
That has pushed the number of migrants and refugees currently on Greece’s islands to 12,120 from 5,538 in March. Most are Syrians, Afghans and Iraqis, and they live in overcrowded camps.
According to the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR, 100 people arrived on Greek islands from Turkey a day in August, up from 60 in July. It said 2,307 people arrived through August 23, compared to 1,920 for the entire month of July.
[Reuters]

Migrant arrivals to Greek islands jump to highest in weeks


More than 460 migrants and refugees arrived on Greek islands from Turkey on Tuesday, the highest in several weeks, despite a European Union deal with Ankara agreed in March to close off that route.


Fans of blocky graphics and shonky, repetitive sound rejoice... you can now relive your gaming youth from the comfort of your web browser.
The Internet Archive, an online repository of millions of free books, movies, software, music and websites has just made thousands of classic Amiga games available to play for free online.
The Amiga in its various guises was the successor to the massively popular Commodore C64 and took home computing to a new level for millions of users. While technically you could do your homework or business accounts on an Amiga everyone knew it was really for games and over the course of its lifespan thousands of now-legendary titles were released.
Among those now available to play online are classics such as Double Dragon, Project X, Bubble Bobble, Alien Breed 3D and Batman: The Movie, along with less well-remembered titles such as Peter Beardsley’s International Football and Postman Pat.
It’s been a good couple of months for those who grew up in the 80s and 90s, with Nintendo and Sega announced relaunched versions of their iconic NES and Mega Drive console. Now those who scorned the consoles in favour of “proper” computers can get in on the nostalgia trip too.

Thousands of Amiga games made free to play online


Fans of blocky graphics and shonky, repetitive sound rejoice... you can now relive your gaming youth from the comfort of your web browser.


CLEVELAND (AP) _ These Ohio lotteries were drawn Friday:
10-11-31-41-44, Mega Ball: 14, Megaplier: 2
(ten, eleven, thirty-one, forty-one, forty-four; Mega Ball: fourteen; Megaplier: two)
9-2-8
(nine, two, eight)
4-5-4
(four, five, four)
9-5-3-5
(nine, five, three, five)
1-9-2-8
(one, nine, two, eight)
1-1-3-8-8
(one, one, three, eight, eight)
7-5-5-7-9
(seven, five, five, seven, nine)
Estimated jackpot: $142 million
03-13-21-24-26
(three, thirteen, twenty-one, twenty-four, twenty-six)
Estimated jackpot: $120,000


(CNN) Usher Raymond wants Hollywood to take more risks when it comes to telling stories about African Americans. He believes his role in the upcoming boxing drama "Hands of Stone" is a start.
"It's films like this ["Hands of Stone"], major studios are taking risks on that are part of history," Raymond told CNN at the New York premiere of the film this week. "What greater way to tell amazing stories than look at history. I mean, if we could manage to go all the way back to King Leopold's 'Ghost' -- and go even further than that -- I think that would be amazing. Wouldn't it?"
Raymond plays Sugar Ray Leonard in the movie about the life of Panamanian boxer, Roberto Duran. The singer/actor said he trained rigorously for more than a year to play the boxing champion.
"I had Sugar Ray Leonard training me. He gave me all the secrets, all the secret sauce in terms of his movement, and the way he was mentally and the fact he thought of himself as a character in that time."
Read More

Usher hopes 'Hands of Stone' will lead to more films featuring great African Americans


Usher Raymond wants Hollywood to take more risks when it comes to telling stories about African Americans. He believes his role in the upcoming boxing drama "Hands of Stone" is a start.


US flight pilots arrested at Glasgow Airport amid alcohol concerns
Two pilots were arrested on suspicion of being under the influence of alcohol as they prepared to fly a transatlantic passenger jet from Scotland to the US.
Concerns were reportedly raised over the pilots before the 9am United Airlines UA162 flight to Newark, New Jersey, was due to depart from Glasgow Airport on Saturday.
Police said the two men - aged 35 and 45 - were arrested and detained in police custody.
Concerns were reportedly raised over the pilots before the 9am United Airlines UA162 flight from Glasgow to Newark
The flight, carrying 141 passengers, eventually took off on Saturday evening with a new crew on board.
The men are expected to appear at Paisley Sheriff Court on Monday.
A Police Scotland spokesman said: "Police Scotland can confirm that two men aged 35 and 45 have been arrested and are presently detained in police custody in connection with alleged offences under the Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003, Section 93."
The section of the Act relates to carrying out pilot function or activity while exceeding the prescribed limit of alcohol.
A spokesman for Glasgow Airport added: "We are aware of the police incident yesterday involving two pilots."
The incident follows the appearance in court last month of two Canadian pilots charged with being drunk as they prepared to fly a passenger jet from Scotland to Toronto.
Jean-Francois Perreault, 39, and Imran Zafar Syed, 37, were arrested on Monday July 18 before they were due to take off on the Air Transat flight from Glasgow Airport.
The men were remanded in custody when they first appeared at Paisley Sheriff Court, also charged under section 93 of the same Act.
At a second hearing at the same court they were granted bail on condition they surrender their passports.
Section 93 of the Railway and Transport Safety Act states: ''A person commits an offence if he performs an aviation function at a time when the proportion of alcohol in his breath, blood or urine exceeds the prescribed limit, or he carries out an activity which is ancillary to an aviation function at a time when the proportion of alcohol in his breath, blood or urine exceeds the prescribed limit.''
For pilots, the limit of alcohol in the case of breath is nine microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres, according to the Act.
A spokesman for United Airlines said: "The two pilots have been removed from service and their flying duties.


Two pilots were arrested on suspicion of being under the influence of alcohol as they prepared to fly a transatlantic passenger jet from Scotland to the US. ...


US flight pilots arrested at Glasgow Airport amid alcohol concerns


PIQUA — A free, one-hour, educational seminar, “Smart Social Security Planning,” will be Sept. 8 and Sept. 13, at 6 p.m., at Edison Community College in Piqua.
The seminar is designed for baby boomers, persons who have recently retired or those who are approaching retirement age, according to John Eikenberry of Eikenberry Retirement Planning, one of the presenters.
“We are holding this free educational seminar because so many retirees and those nearing retirement age do not understand how their Social Security benefits really work,” Eikenberry said. “And, most baby boomers do not understand the options available to them and what the recent changes to Social Security can do to their retirement plans already in place.”
Eikenberry and Nick Boeckman will present the seminars. Both are trained in the most up-to-date Social Security planning techniques and are members of a national educational program dedicated to providing its members with the latest Social Security planning tools.
Eikenberry said that many financial advisers may not understand how Social Security works or how retirement-age men and women need to plan to be able to best utilize their Social Security benefits.
“Deciding when to start taking Social Security benefits can have a tremendous impact on the amount of benefits an individual receives during his/her lifetime,” he said. “One of the easiest ways to understand your retirement is to imagine it as a carton of eggs — your nest eggs, so to speak. Deciding how to arrange your nest eggs and how to crack those nest eggs in the most beneficial order is what we are trying to teach baby boomers. We’re going to educate folks about their options and how those options can affect them positively and negatively.”
Eikenberry said other information that will be presented at the seminar includes the following:
• What the Social Security office doesn’t tell you.
• When it makes sense to delay benefits and when it does not.
• Why checking your earnings record for accuracy is important.
• How to coordinate your benefits with those of your spouse for maximum potential.
• Reducing or eliminating taxes on your Social Security retirement benefits.
• Ways to integrate your Social Security benefits with your overall retirement plan.
He said the seminar will also cover Social Security basics and will also reveal little-known strategies for maximizing Social Security benefits.
He stressed that the seminar is free and nothing will be sold. Because there is limited seating, advance registration is encouraged. To register, call 800-548-6511.
http://sidneydailynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/web1_BoeckmanNick_15fz.jpg http://sidneydailynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/web1_EikenberryJohn-fz.jpg


A drunken yob who spat at a police officer after being arrested while out toasting the birthday of her late father branded herself the ‘lowest of the ‘low’ after admitting her crimes.
Toni Pandeles, of Dean Road, South Shields, had enjoyed a boozy session to mark her dad’s milestone 50th birthday on Saturday, July 30 when troubled flared outside a South Shields night spot.
She accepts her behaviour was utterly deplorable. Christopher Brown
Police were alerted to a disturbance involving a group of men and women outside Buzzers Sports Bar, in Victoria Road, South Shields, and found Pandeles in a drunken state.
While other revellers responded to a request to disperse, the 27-year-old hurled a volley of foul-mouthed abuse at cops.
She was arrested for being drunk and disorderly and taken to South Shields Police Station after failing to heed warnings to curb her behaviour - but in custody she spat at a police officer, hitting him in the trousers.
Pandeles admitted being drunk and disorderly and assaulting a police sergeant at South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court.
Rebecca Laverick, prosecuting, said: “During interview she said she said what she did was the lowest of the low.”
Christopher Brown, defending, added; “She accepts her behaviour was utterly deplorable.”
Pandeleswas given a community order with 80 hours unpaid work and must pay compensation of £50.
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A drunken yob who spat at a police officer after being arrested while out toasting the birthday of her late father branded herself the ‘lowest of the ‘low’ after admitting her crimes.


‘It’s the lowest of the low’, admits yob who spat at cop after boozy night out in South Shields


Former employees at Russian car part manufacturer AvtoVAZagregat have taken to the streets to demand their unpaid wages.
Approximately 90 protesters blocked a major highway in the company's hometown of Tolyatti for an hour, the Interfax news agency reported.
AvtoVAZagregat, a company which once employed 2,500 workers, went bankrupt in the fall of 2015 after losing its contract with AvtoVAZ, the Russian car manufacturer which produces Lada automobiles. The majority of former employees still have not received their full back wages.
Samara Region Governor Nikolai Merkushkin promised to help AvtoVAZagregat to settle its debts after the company was unable to find a buyer, and has reportedly transferred 156.6 million rubles ($2.4 million) towards workers' unpaid wages.
Neither Merkushkin's office or the company itself has revealed how much back pay remains on AvtoVAZagregat's books.
A meeting between workers and Merkushkin to tackle the issue further was unsuccessful, with the politician reportedly telling employees that their problems should be taken up with the factory, rather than the government.
A meeting transcript published by the Zasekin news portal reported that when one former employee asked when they could expect their back pay, Merkushkin replied, “Well, I can tell you that if you are going to use that tone, then never. Never! Go ask the people who upset you so much.”
A government representative has since said that the fragment had been taken out of context as a a “pre-election provocation.”
“[Russia's ruling party] United Russia formulates not only the pro-government agenda, but also the protest agenda,” said political analyst Mikhail Vinogradov. When one of its members makes an unpopular public statement, it often receives wider coverage than statements made by the opposition and thus has a “mobilizing effect.” he said.
Demonstrations such as the one staged by former AvtoVAZagregat employees are a rarity in Togliatti, said local Autostat agency CEO Sergei Tselikov. Similar rallies were last seen in the region during the economic crisis of 2008-2009 in relation to the AvtoVAZ plant, he said. There were two motivating factors behind the protest, said Tselikov: former employees’ frustration over losing their jobs and wages, and the upcoming State Duma elections.
State Duma Elections are to be held again in Russia on Sept. 19, 2016..

Russian Car Plant Workers Take to the Streets After Months Without Pay


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Bay Area guitarist Chuck Johnson plugs back in on Velvet Arc


Peripatetic sound explorer Chuck Johnson shares a bill with former Date Palms bandmate Marielle V Jakobsons at Cafe Mustache on Thursday.


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-All Films- Airborne Anthropoid Bad Moms Ben-Hur Ben-Hur 3D The Bride Café Society Don't Breathe Don't Think Twice Drunken Master Equity Filmed by Bike Florence Foster Jenkins Ghostbusters Hands of Stone Hell or High Water How to Tell You're a Douchebag Ice Age: Collision Course Indignation Indignation The Intervention Jason Bourne The Kind Words Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV Kubo and the Two Strings Kubo and the Two Strings 3D Las Voces Level Up Lights Out Line Walker Lo and Behold, Reveries of the Connected World The Mechanic: Resurrection Men Go to Battle Mon roi Morris From America The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma & the Silk Road Ensemble Natural Selection The Neon Demon Pete's Dragon Pete's Dragon 3D Sausage Party The Secret Life of Pets Southside With You Star Trek Beyond Star Trek Beyond 3D Suicide Squad Suicide Squad 3D Suicide Squad: The IMAX 2D Experience Sunshine Day A Tale of Love and Darkness Time Raiders Time Raiders 3D Tunnel War Dogs

Los Crudos offer their entire discography digitally for £5-and headline Villapalooza on Saturday


Pilsen punk heroes Los Crudos return from Europe to play a street festival in Little Village on Saturday.


-All Event Categories- FALL ARTS FOOD & DRINK Drink Events Food Events New Year's Day Brunch New Year's Eve Dining Thanksgiving Valentine's Day GALLERIES & MUSEUMS Galleries Galleries: Openings & Receptions Museums Museums: Openings & Receptions Special Events HOLIDAY EVENTS LIT & LECTURES Chicago Humanities Festival Lectures Literary Events MUSIC Blues, Gospel, and R&B Classical Dance Experimental Fairs & Festivals Folk & Country Hip-Hop In-Stores International Jazz Miscellaneous Open Mikes and Jams Rock, Pop, Etc OTHER STUFF Green Events Halloween Holiday Shopping Inaugural Events New Year's Eve Parties & Events Parties Pride Weekend St. Patrick's Day Valentine's Day PERFORMING ARTS Dance Holiday Shows Improv/Sketch Spoken Word/Poetry Slams/Open Mikes Stand-Up Theater & Performance SPONSORED SUMMER GUIDE Beer Biking Dog-Friendly Fairs & Festivals Farmers Markets Illinois Indiana Lake & River Michigan Music Festivals Scavenger Hunts & Races Wisconsin
-All Neighborhoods- CENTRAL Gold Coast/Mag Mile/Streeterville Loop Museum Campus Near North Near South Side Printers Row River North South Loop Other Central *REGION UNDEFINED NORTH Albany Park Andersonville DePaul Edgewater Lakeview Lincoln Park Lincoln Square North Center Old Town Ravenswood Rogers Park/West Rogers Park Roscoe Village Uptown West Ridge Wrigleyville Other North NORTHWEST Avondale Belmont Cragin Irving Park Jefferson Park Logan Square Portage Park Other Northwest WEST Austin Garfield Park Greektown Humboldt Park Lawndale University Village/Little Italy Near West Side River West Ukrainian Village/East Village United Center West Loop/Fulton Market Wicker Park/Bucktown West Town/Noble Square Other West SOUTH SIDE Pilsen/Little Village Beverly Bridgeport Bronzeville Bronzeville/ Kenwood/ Washington Park Chatham Chinatown Englewood Hyde Park Oakland/ Kenwood Pullman South Shore Washington Park Woodlawn Other South SOUTHWEST Brighton Park Ford City Marquette Park McKinley Park West Lawn Other Southwest SUBURBS NORTH Evanston Lincolnwood Skokie Other Suburbs North SUBURBS NORTHWEST Suburbs Northwest Other Suburbs Northwest SUBURBS WEST Other Suburbs West Berwyn Cicero Forest Park Oak Park/River Forest SUBURBS SOUTH Suburbs South SUBURBS SOUTHWEST Suburbs Southwest OUT OF STATE Indiana Wisconsin OTHER ILLINOIS Other Illinois
-All Films- Anthropoid Bad Moms Ben-Hur Ben-Hur 3D The Bride Café Society Don't Breathe Don't Think Twice Drunken Master Equity Finding Dory Florence Foster Jenkins Ghostbusters Hands of Stone Hell or High Water Ice Age: Collision Course Indignation Indignation The Intervention Jason Bourne The Kind Words The King and I (1956) Presented by TCM Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV Kubo and the Two Strings Kubo and the Two Strings 3D Lawrence of Arabia Lawrence of Arabia Lights Out Line Walker Lo and Behold, Reveries of the Connected World The Mechanic: Resurrection Men Go to Battle Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates Mon roi Morris From America The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma & the Silk Road Ensemble Natural Selection Pete's Dragon Pete's Dragon 3D Sausage Party Saving Barbara Sizemore The Secret Life of Pets Southside With You Star Trek Beyond Star Trek Beyond 3D The Sting Suicide Squad Suicide Squad 3D Suicide Squad: The IMAX 2D Experience A Tale of Love and Darkness Time Raiders Time Raiders 3D Tunnel War Dogs

Muhammad Ali’s deep roots in Chicago bloomed on the south side


In honor of Muhammad Ali’s legacy, we take a look back at his life in Chicago.


-All Event Categories- FALL ARTS FOOD & DRINK Drink Events Food Events New Year's Day Brunch New Year's Eve Dining Thanksgiving Valentine's Day GALLERIES & MUSEUMS Galleries Galleries: Openings & Receptions Museums Museums: Openings & Receptions Special Events HOLIDAY EVENTS LIT & LECTURES Chicago Humanities Festival Lectures Literary Events MUSIC Blues, Gospel, and R&B Classical Dance Experimental Fairs & Festivals Folk & Country Hip-Hop In-Stores International Jazz Miscellaneous Open Mikes and Jams Rock, Pop, Etc OTHER STUFF Green Events Halloween Holiday Shopping Inaugural Events New Year's Eve Parties & Events Parties Pride Weekend St. Patrick's Day Valentine's Day PERFORMING ARTS Dance Holiday Shows Improv/Sketch Spoken Word/Poetry Slams/Open Mikes Stand-Up Theater & Performance SPONSORED SUMMER GUIDE Beer Biking Dog-Friendly Fairs & Festivals Farmers Markets Illinois Indiana Lake & River Michigan Music Festivals Scavenger Hunts & Races Wisconsin
-All Neighborhoods- CENTRAL Gold Coast/Mag Mile/Streeterville Loop Museum Campus Near North Near South Side Printers Row River North South Loop Other Central *REGION UNDEFINED NORTH Albany Park Andersonville DePaul Edgewater Lakeview Lincoln Park Lincoln Square North Center Old Town Ravenswood Rogers Park/West Rogers Park Roscoe Village Uptown West Ridge Wrigleyville Other North NORTHWEST Avondale Belmont Cragin Irving Park Jefferson Park Logan Square Portage Park Other Northwest WEST Austin Garfield Park Greektown Humboldt Park Lawndale University Village/Little Italy Near West Side River West Ukrainian Village/East Village United Center West Loop/Fulton Market Wicker Park/Bucktown West Town/Noble Square Other West SOUTH SIDE Pilsen/Little Village Beverly Bridgeport Bronzeville Bronzeville/ Kenwood/ Washington Park Chatham Chinatown Englewood Hyde Park Oakland/ Kenwood Pullman South Shore Washington Park Woodlawn Other South SOUTHWEST Brighton Park Ford City Marquette Park McKinley Park West Lawn Other Southwest SUBURBS NORTH Evanston Lincolnwood Skokie Other Suburbs North SUBURBS NORTHWEST Suburbs Northwest Other Suburbs Northwest SUBURBS WEST Other Suburbs West Berwyn Cicero Forest Park Oak Park/River Forest SUBURBS SOUTH Suburbs South SUBURBS SOUTHWEST Suburbs Southwest OUT OF STATE Indiana Wisconsin OTHER ILLINOIS Other Illinois
-All Films- Anthropoid Bad Moms Ben-Hur Ben-Hur 3D The Bride Café Society Don't Breathe Don't Think Twice Equity Florence Foster Jenkins Ghostbusters Hands of Stone Hell or High Water Ice Age: Collision Course Indignation Indignation The Intervention It's a Complex World Jason Bourne The Kind Words The King and I (1956) Presented by TCM Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV Kubo and the Two Strings Kubo and the Two Strings 3D Kung Fu Hustle Lights Out Line Walker Lo and Behold, Reveries of the Connected World The Mechanic: Resurrection Men Go to Battle Mon roi Morris From America The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma & the Silk Road Ensemble Natural Selection Pete's Dragon Pete's Dragon 3D Sausage Party Saving Barbara Sizemore The Second Mother The Secret Life of Pets Southside With You Star Trek Beyond Star Trek Beyond 3D Suicide Squad Suicide Squad 3D Suicide Squad: The IMAX 2D Experience A Tale of Love and Darkness Time Raiders Time Raiders 3D Tunnel War Dogs Zaza

The gig poster of the week towers above the desert


This week's featured gig poster was designed by local artist Daniel MacAdam of Crosshair screen printing.


Kneeling on the sidelines with Minnesota Vikings running back Matt Asiata quarterback Teddy Bridgewater lets lose a yawn as he watches the second team in scrimmages in the afternoon practice on the third day of the Minnesota Vikings training camp at Minnesota State University in Mankato on Sunday, July 31, 2016. (Pioneer Press: John Autey)
MINNEAPOLIS—A high sky shone over Winter Park on Thursday, the sun up and the humidity down. A gentle southeasterly breeze, the friendly harbinger of autumn, struggled to alter the form of crisply thrown footballs as sparrows flitted happily o'er verdant practice fields.
Teddy Bridgewater, surely beaming behind his facemask, threw crisp passes as far as 35 yards in front a quiet crowd of forest animals — summoned there by the Purple Fairy — who watched through the bent-back tulips in their tiny Vikings jerseys.
Yes, all was well at 9520 Viking Drive.
Even the black-clad, low-life scribes who briefly interrupted this fairy tale with their impertinence last week behaved themselves, asking players about fishing and personal journeys, and head coach Mike Zimmer about anything other than Bridgewater and his would-be backups.
Of course, sometimes that's when you get the answer you're looking for.
Asked about improvement from Shamar Stephen, a defensive lineman who apparently played quite a bit in the Vikings' two preseason games, Zimmer said something interesting about tackle Tom Johnson, who played all of last season but not as productively as the previous year.
"Last year, we probably played Tom Johnson too many plays in the preseason," Zimmer said. "So we're trying to take some plays off of him."
This is why Bridgewater didn't play in last Thursday's game in Seattle, and it's why he didn't throw a practice pass until Tuesday. It was the impetus for Zimmer's flippant answer to the gremlins when they asked him why he held the starting quarterback out against the Seahawks.
"I sat him," Zimmer said, "because I wanted to."
It was an honest, if incomplete, answer. The Vikings look and smell like a very good football team, one capable of a Super Bowl run, deep at nearly every position. But not at quarterback.
Let's twist the decoder ring a few times.
"I sat him because I wanted to; because I don't want to start Shaun Hill all season."
This is not to slight Shaun Hill too much; he's an NFL quarterback with 34 starts and two 2,000-yard seasons under his belt. But he's on the short side of 36 and hasn't looked particularly good in his few chances with Minnesota. When he became St. Louis' starter because of an injury to Sam Bradford in 2014, Hill threw for 1,657 yards, eight touchdowns and seven interceptions in 14 starts, and the Rams finished 6-10.
It wasn't long ago that fans and pundits wondered whether Bridgewater would be good enough this fall for the Vikings to improve on last season's 11-5 finish and first NFC North Division title since 2009. Suddenly, the question is what the Vikings will do if he goes down.
Bridgewater probably did have a sore shoulder last week, as reported by ESPN, and it probably threw a scare into Zimmer and everyone else at Winter Park.
There's a reason Adrian Peterson hasn't taken a preseason snap since 2011. Bridgewater, a third-year quarterback with decent credentials, certainly isn't in that category. But on this team, with this window for greatness, it wouldn't be a terrible idea for Bridgewater to sit out Sunday's game against the Chargers and the preseason finale Sept. 1 against the Los Angeles Rams.
That won't happen, of course. There are reasons Bridgewater should see some live action before the regular-season opener Sept. 11 at Tennessee, the least of them being the fact that Zimmer doesn't want to be asked about it again. That's a tough spot for a straight shooter to be in, and with the sunshine and woodland creatures back at Winter Park, it just seems easier to run Bridgewater out there for a few plays.
With fingers crossed, of course.

Maybe Bridgewater should just take a knee until Week 1


You know the theme song for the Olympics that begins with all the percussion instruments? Some wag on the radio made a good case for the opening words to be “This is the drum part. This is the drum part.” Now do you know which song I’m talking about? Well, it has been playing almost non-stop the past two weeks. If you haven’t heard it you are obviously not trying hard enough. Or living at my house.
I love to watch the Olympics. I feel nothing but admiration for the fabulous athletes who have devoted their lives to excellence in sports. Even though some of those sports are boring.
The summer sports, for instance, to which we all were just treated. Run, run, run. Jump, jump, jump. Run then jump. Jump then run. Throw the javelin, catapult yourself into the sand pit, and flop over the high bar. These are activities even a normal person might do. Not this normal person, mind you, but some other normal person.
But it’s the rare normal person who competes in many sports featured in the winter Olympics. Some of these sports are just strange and by strange I mean who made these events up?
Biathlon allows competitors to slither around a frozen course on two-inch wide skis as fast as they can with a rifle strapped to their backs. We could stop right there and be assured a place in the annals of strangeness. But wait, as they say on late-night TV, there’s more. After achieving a heart rate of approximately two hundred beats per minutes and activating every muscle in their bodies to an advanced state of quivering, these athletes shed their skis, plop down on their bellies, and try to shoot a very very small target. Since their cardiac system is on overdrive pumping blood to their massive thighs, no oxygen is getting to their brains, which explains a lot. Then they leap back up, strap their skis back on, and go to the next target shooting station. Also, they are trying not to throw up, especially onto their rifles. You have to admit, this is good stuff.
Curling, as I understand it, originated in Scotland and is immensely popular in the northern reaches of Middle America. It consists of a stone, two brooms, and people not afraid to use them. One person pushes a stone over ice while teammates sweep the ice path in front of the stone to make it go faster or slower or something. A team of four folks, who are all safely on the ground and moving about five feet per minute, scream their heads off, presumably at the stone, although it’s very probable they are screaming at the fact that they have to spend their winters in Minnesota. The main attraction to curling is that people rarely throw up. Personally speaking, if I am going to invest some time in pushing something over ice, that something is going to be vodka.
But for sheer madness interspersed with a little physics, how about the ninety meter ski jump? You think your winters are bad? The ninety meter ski jump is an indication of just how lousy winters are in Scandinavia. Norwegians’ winters are so horrible they invented a sport the main component of which involves leaping off a mountain. For the metrically challenged, let us review how high 90 meters is. A meter is a little over three feet. So ninety of those bad boys translates to a long way up. Oddly enough, ski jumpers, whose survival depends on the ability to make sort of a wing with their bodies bent over their teeny slats of skis and who are hurtling through thin air at breakneck (literally) speed with almost no protective gear, never scream. But they do have to stick their landings, just like. …
Ice skaters. Ice skating has been having a tough time recently, what with the lack of objectivity and shared medals and those dreadful close-ups in the kiss and cry area. Skaters face enormous expenses, horrific schedules to accommodate available ice time, and the looming prospect of an international sequin shortage. I think they all deserve a “10” for just getting to the Olympics.
That’s a 2.9 from the Russian judge.
http://dailycall.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/web1_boonemarla_CMYK-1.jpg
By Marla Boone Contributing Columnist
Marla Boone resides in Covington and writes for the Troy Daily News and Piqua Daily Call.
Marla Boone resides in Covington and writes for the Troy Daily News and Piqua Daily Call.


A long string of vehicles surround the protest camp south of Bismarck-Mandan over the Dakota Access Pipeline on Tuesday. Photo by TOM STROMME / Bismarck Tribune
Roadside daisies lining North Dakota Highway 1806 in Morton County with teepees of the Overflow Camp blending into the background in this photograph taken on Tuesday afternoon. The camp was the site of a large gathering of many different Native American tribes on Tuesday who are opposing construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. Photo by TOM STROMME/BismarckTribune
Freddie Lane, right, works at unwrapping a 22 foot totem pole at the Overflow Camp on Tuesday afternoon. Lane, a member of the Lummi Tribe said totem pole was carved at the House of Tears in Lummi, Washington and will be taken to Winnipeg, Manitoba. Photo by Tom Stromme / Bismarck Tribune
MANDAN, N.D. — Ceremony, aromatic sage and drumming song welcomed the 12 tribes of Washington State into the encampment of Native Americans supporting the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe's protest of the Dakota Access Pipeline.
Tribes with new and unusual names — Yakama Nation, Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, Lummi Nation, Puyallup Tribe, Nisqually Indian Tribe, The Suquamish Tribe, Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, and Hoh Tribe — entered the camp Tuesday afternoon accompanied by a 22-foot red cedar totem pole in beautifully painted Plains' animals and symbols.
These were the latest of now dozens, at least 70 it's thought, to join the protest encampment that sprawls in tents and tipis across a wide meadow not far from the pipeline construction site. All is quiet there while a court battle plays out.
Meanwhile, the encampment is a bustling and cheerful scene of new tribes coming to support Standing Rock, daily prayer, meal preparation and now a new school for the camp children.
Jewell James, chief carver of the House of Tears Lummi Nation, said the totem is the fourth he's made to unite tribes and environmental groups in their stand to protect the earth. This one will eventually go to the native nations of Manitoba.
"This is about little people against billionaire corporations. Standing Rock is clearly opposed to the pipeline, and I'm here to celebrate their clarity and their willingness to stand up," James said.
The totem truck was stopped and inspected at the Highway 1806 roadblock manned by the North Dakota Highway Patrol as part of the state's response to the protest and people in the camp jokingly referred to it as the totem Trojan.
JoDe Goudy, chairman of the Yakima Nation, wore traditional skins and headdress to the welcoming ceremony. He said the nations drove straight through 18 hours to reach the camp and stand in solidarity with Standing Rock.
"You have our prayers, our support and our love regardless of the outcome. We know that we've already won in spirit. Don't give up hope. We will leave our flag in your territory and carry your message home to our children. They are watching and listening to you," Goudy said.
Even as he spoke, the tribal nation flags were being raised along the roadway into the camp, the long colorful line resembling the entrance to the United Nations building in New York.
Besides the Washington tribes, the chairman and vice chairman of the Navajo Nation joined the ceremony, each dressed in jeans and dark sports coats.
James, the carver, said it's rare to see the Navajos, a big nation and one with its own battles, at such events.
"The world's waking up, the mainstream media doesn't control the message anymore," he said.
Navajo chairman Russell Begave said he's proud of the two dozen or so Navajo members who have been at the camp, helping with cooking and other chores that have become part of daily camp life while the protest is maintained.
"We'll be here. My heart goes out to Standing Rock Chairman Dave Archambault. The world is very in tune with our plight and our struggle. They feel it; they see it," said Begave, adding that the encampment is the largest gathering of Native Americans united for a cause that he's ever experienced. "It's very unusual to see this kind of solidarity. But we are fighting for our water. Everything else is pushed aside, and we stand together."
The totem was unwrapped on a trailer flatbed, and everyone was welcome to touch it, add their own power and examine the finely wrought detail of an eagle, white buffalo, bear, wolf and warrior.
Standing Rock Chairman Archambault told the crowd how he feels as the Native American nations continue to arrive nearly every day.
"At first, I was nervous and afraid and not sure we were doing the right thing. Now I can keep my head high — everybody is moving in this direction," he said.
Archambault and all leaders who spoke emphasized the prayerful, peaceful nature of the protest.
Begave, of the Navajo nation, said people in the camp are finding themselves and each other.
"They finally feel like they're a Navajo or a Sioux. They are seeing these are their people and there is healing and pride," he said.
It's expected the encampment will remain in place until at least Sept. 9, when a federal court judge is expected to decide whether to issue an injunction against the pipeline's Missouri River crossing while it decides the Standing Rock Sioux's claim that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers failed to follow federal law in giving permission for the water route near the reservation.

Totem pole, Washington state tribes join pipeline protest


YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (AP) — Tourist John Gleason crept through the grass, four small children close behind, inching toward a bull elk with antlers like small trees at the edge of a meadow in Yellowstone National Park.
“They’re going to give me a heart attack,” said Gleason’s mother-in-law, Barbara Henry, as the group came within about a dozen yards of the massive animal.
The elk’s ears then pricked up, and it eyed the children and Washington state man before leaping up a hillside. Other tourists — likewise ignoring rules to keep 25 yards from wildlife — picked up the pursuit, snapping pictures as they pressed forward and forced the animal into headlong retreat.
Record visitor numbers at the nation’s first national park have transformed its annual summer rush into a sometimes dangerous frenzy, with selfie-taking tourists routinely breaking park rules and getting too close to Yellowstone’s storied elk herds, grizzly bears, wolves and bison.
Law enforcement records obtained by The Associated Press suggest such problems are on the rise at the park, offering a stark illustration of the pressures facing some of America’s most treasured lands as the National Park Service marks its 100th anniversary.
From Tennessee’s Great Smoky Mountains to the Grand Canyon of Arizona, major parks are grappling with illegal camping, vandalism, theft of resources, wildlife harassment and other visitor misbehavior, according to the records obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.
In July alone, law enforcement rangers handled more than 11,000 incidents at the 10 most visited national parks.
In Yellowstone, rangers are recording more wildlife violations, more people treading on sensitive thermal areas and more camping in off-limit areas. The rule-breaking puts visitors in harm’s way and can damage resources and displace wildlife, officials said.
Often the incidents go unaddressed, such as when Gleason and the children approached the bull elk with no park personnel around. Gleason said he was “maybe” too close but felt comfortable in the situation as an experienced hunter who’s spent lots of time outdoors.
These transgressions add to rangers’ growing workload that includes traffic violations, searches for missing hikers and pets running off-leash in parks intended to be refuges of untrammeled nature
“It’s more like going to a carnival . If you look at the cumulative impacts, the trends are not good,” said Susan Clark, a Yale University professor of wildlife ecology who has been conducting research in the Yellowstone area for 48 years. “The basic question is, ‘What is the appropriate relationship with humans and nature?’ We as a society have not been clear about what that ought to be, and so it’s really, really messy and nasty.”
Recent events at Yellowstone grabbed national headlines:
— A Canadian tourist who put a bison calf in his SUV hoping to save it, ending with wildlife workers euthanizing the animal when they could not reunite it with its herd.
— Three visitors from Asia cited on separate occasions for illegally collecting water from the park’s thermal features.
— A Washington state man killed after leaving a designated boardwalk and falling into a near-boiling hot spring.
The flouting of park rules stems from disbelief among visitors that they will get hurt, said Yellowstone Superintendent Dan Wenk. “I can’t tell you how many times I have to talk to people and say, ‘Step back. There’s a dangerous animal,’ and they look at me like I have three heads,” he said.
Inconsistent record keeping, including a recent switch to a new criminal offenses reporting system, makes it difficult to identify trends that apply uniformly across the major parks.
But the records reviewed by the AP reveal the scope of visitor misbehavior is huge. In Yellowstone, administrators and outside observers including Clark say the park’s problems have become more acute. That threatens its mission to manage its lands and wildlife “unimpaired” for future generations.
Beyond incidents that lead to citations are many more that result in warnings. More than 52,000 warnings were issued in 2015, up almost 20 percent from the year before.
Washington state resident Lisa Morrow’s son was among the children Gleason led toward the elk. Despite safety advisories — and numerous examples of visitors getting gored by bison, mauled by bears and chased by elk — Morrow declared herself unafraid of the park’s wildlife. She said she was eager to see a grizzly up close.
“I want to see one right there,” Morrow said, pointing to a spot just feet away. “I’d throw it a cookie.”
The top 10 parks by visitation collectively hosted almost 44 million people last year, according to National Park Service figures. That’s a 26 percent increase from a decade earlier, or more than 9.1 million new visitors combined at Great Smoky Mountains, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Yosemite and the other national parks on the list.
Yellowstone boasts the most large, dangerous carnivores among those parks, but each has its risks. In Rocky Mountain National Park, it’s elk that become more aggressive during mating season. In Yosemite, it’s towering waterfalls where visitors insist on swimming near the edge. In the Grand Canyon, it’s squirrels habituated to humans and sometimes quick to bite an outstretched hand.
Wenk said the rise in popularity of social media complicates keeping visitors safe.
“You take a picture of yourself standing 10 feet in front of a bison, and all of a sudden a few hundred people see it, and it’s reposted — at the same time we’re telling everybody wildlife is dangerous,” Wenk said. “They get incongruous messages and then it happens. They get too close, and the bison charges.”
___
Follow Matthew Brown on Twitter at https://twitter.com/matthewbrownap

Visitor misbehavior abounds as US parks agency turns 100


YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (AP) — Tourist John Gleason crept through the grass, four small children close behind, inching toward a bull elk with antlers like small trees at the edge of a meadow in Yellowstone National Park.
“They’re going to give me a heart attack,” said Gleason’s mother-in-law, Barbara Henry, as the group came within about a dozen yards of the massive animal.
The elk’s ears then pricked up, and it eyed the children and Washington state man before leaping up a hillside. Other tourists — likewise ignoring rules to keep 25 yards from wildlife — picked up the pursuit, snapping pictures as they pressed forward and forced the animal into headlong retreat.
Record visitor numbers at the nation’s first national park have transformed its annual summer rush into a sometimes dangerous frenzy, with selfie-taking tourists routinely breaking park rules and getting too close to Yellowstone’s storied elk herds, grizzly bears, wolves and bison.
Law enforcement records obtained by The Associated Press suggest such problems are on the rise at the park, offering a stark illustration of the pressures facing some of America’s most treasured lands as the National Park Service marks its 100th anniversary.
From Tennessee’s Great Smoky Mountains to the Grand Canyon of Arizona, major parks are grappling with illegal camping, vandalism, theft of resources, wildlife harassment and other visitor misbehavior, according to the records obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.
In July alone, law enforcement rangers handled more than 11,000 incidents at the 10 most visited national parks.
In Yellowstone, rangers are recording more wildlife violations, more people treading on sensitive thermal areas and more camping in off-limit areas. The rule-breaking puts visitors in harm’s way and can damage resources and displace wildlife, officials said.
Often the incidents go unaddressed, such as when Gleason and the children approached the bull elk with no park personnel around. Gleason said he was “maybe” too close but felt comfortable in the situation as an experienced hunter who’s spent lots of time outdoors.
These transgressions add to rangers’ growing workload that includes traffic violations, searches for missing hikers and pets running off-leash in parks intended to be refuges of untrammeled nature
“It’s more like going to a carnival . If you look at the cumulative impacts, the trends are not good,” said Susan Clark, a Yale University professor of wildlife ecology who has been conducting research in the Yellowstone area for 48 years. “The basic question is, ‘What is the appropriate relationship with humans and nature?’ We as a society have not been clear about what that ought to be, and so it’s really, really messy and nasty.”
Recent events at Yellowstone grabbed national headlines:
— A Canadian tourist who put a bison calf in his SUV hoping to save it, ending with wildlife workers euthanizing the animal when they could not reunite it with its herd.
— Three visitors from Asia cited on separate occasions for illegally collecting water from the park’s thermal features.
— A Washington state man was killed after leaving a designated boardwalk and falling into a near-boiling hot spring.
The flouting of park rules stems from disbelief among visitors that they will get hurt, said Yellowstone Superintendent Dan Wenk. “I can’t tell you how many times I have to talk to people and say, ‘Step back. There’s a dangerous animal,’ and they look at me like I have three heads,” he said.
Inconsistent record keeping, including a recent switch to a new criminal offenses reporting system, makes it difficult to identify trends that apply uniformly across the major parks.
But the records reviewed by the AP reveal the scope of visitor misbehavior is huge. In Yellowstone, administrators and outside observers including Clark say the park’s problems have become more acute. That threatens its mission to manage its lands and wildlife “unimpaired” for future generations.
Beyond incidents that lead to citations are many more that result in warnings. More than 52,000 warnings were issued in 2015, up almost 20 percent from the year before.
Washington state resident Lisa Morrow’s son was among the children Gleason led toward the elk. Despite safety advisories — and numerous examples of visitors getting gored by bison, mauled by bears and chased by elk — Morrow declared herself unafraid of the park’s wildlife. She said she was eager to see a grizzly up close.
“I want to see one right there,” Morrow said, pointing to a spot just feet away. “I’d throw it a cookie.”
The top 10 parks by visitation collectively hosted almost 44 million people last year, according to National Park Service figures. That’s a 26 percent increase from a decade earlier, or more than 9.1 million new visitors combined at Great Smoky Mountains, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Yosemite and the other national parks on the list.
Yellowstone boasts the most large, dangerous carnivores among those parks, but each has its risks. In Rocky Mountain National Park, it’s elk that become more aggressive during mating season. In Yosemite, it’s towering waterfalls where visitors insist on swimming near the edge. In the Grand Canyon, it’s squirrels habituated to humans and sometimes quick to bite an outstretched hand.
Wenk said the rise in popularity of social media complicates keeping visitors safe.
“You take a picture of yourself standing 10 feet in front of a bison, and all of a sudden a few hundred people see it, and it’s reposted — at the same time we’re telling everybody wildlife is dangerous,” Wenk said. “They get incongruous messages and then it happens. They get too close, and the bison charges.”

Visitor misbehavior abounds as National Park Service turns 100


Amatrice, Italy (CNN) The summer sun beats brightly down on the streets of the picturesque Italian mountain town, but the people who walk them are not on holiday. Amatrice has become a mausoleum.
The town -- home to the beloved Spaghetti all'Amatriciana -- should have been full of pasta-loving foodies this weekend for the annual festival. But instead, locals sway through the streets -- disorientated, confused and disheveled.
At least 281 people have died across the region -- the majority killed in this rural town -- after a 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Many more remain unaccounted for.
An emergency responder passes by the rubble of the building in Amatrice where Roberto Partenza and his family lived before the earthquake struck in the pre-dawn hours of Wednesday, August 24.
Builder Roberto Partenza's home was pancaked by the disaster. He described waking up to "a huge sound."
"Everywhere was shaking," he said. "I hugged my wife because I thought that was going to be the last moment of my life."
They scrambled out from beneath the debris, scooped up their children, along with a few items of clothing, and escaped to safety.
Others were not as lucky.
It's been a race against time for emergency responders. The town's isolated location meant that the first people to dig survivors from the rubble, were those like Partenza. He and many others began excavating with whatever tools were available.
"I hugged my wife because I thought that was going to be the last moment of my life." Roberto Partenza
"At the beginning we started digging with our hands," he said. "We could hear sounds of people asking for help."
"After a while the first rescue teams started to arrive from the area."
There is now only one route into the once-charming town -- a winding circuitous road busy with emergency vehicles hurtling around the small cliff-facing lanes.
Many roads are cordoned off and bridges are perilously unstable, with rock falls making travel more difficult.
At the church in Amatrice, Franciscan monks sit huddled together in the hot summer sun too exhausted to maintain a façade of calm and strength.
Arturo Filippi pets rescue dog Sam Sam at a volunteer camp in Amatrice. Fillipi, who lives in Venice, is a logistics coordinator with 16 years experience in disaster response, including this earthquake and two others.
Around 6,600 rescuers are at work in the region, according to authorities, but they know time is against them. With each passing hour, the likelihood of finding survivors diminishes.
"This city will become a museum city, for people to see that an earthquake happened here," said Arturo Filippi, an emergency response volunteer with 16 years experience.
Marisa Di Tommaso and husband Michelo Giuseppe pose together near the makeshift headquarters of the Italian Red Cross in Amatrice.
The earth continues to shiver three days on. And with aftershocks, comes the unrelenting fear for residents.
"The future is finished. It's finished. The future is finished," said Marissa Di Tommaso, 58, a resident who used to work at one of the local schools.
"My son had two businesses here ... Everything's destroyed."
Tears fall from her eyes.
"What we do?" she asked. "I wanted to stay here but if everybody leaves ... We don't know."
JUST WATCHED Life in the rubble Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Life in the rubble 01:57
Some have returned to survey the damaged remnants of their homes. They gathered quietly at squares, where women sobbed as they clutched each other, grateful to find their friends had survived.
Men stood in silence staring absently at the detritus at their feet, too upset to speak to reporters.
Afterwards they quietly walked back to one of the few camps set up within the town limits for displaced locals.
Dominico Betterelli, 33, is a baker who lived in Amatrice before the earthquake destroyed the shop where he worked. He says "there are no words to describe [the quake]. Many deaths, many destroyed houses, a disaster."
Makeshift campsites have sprung up anywhere open space can afford safety. In one park, an untouched playground is surrounded with pitched tents where volunteers lie as they hope to steal just a few minutes of respite.
While a few of the residents remain, most have fled to the safety of nearby cities, such as Rome, to shelter with friends and family.
Stray sheep wander past the wrecked shells of homes in Accumoli.
Outside of Amatrice, displaced locals have taken refuge in a number of newly-erected campsites. One sits in a field near the commune of Accumoli.
Here AnnaMaria Volpetti, 52, explained that she had been visiting her family's hometown when the quake hit.
"We are lucky," she said. "The earthquake was brutal. It came in waves."
The earthquake was brutal. It came in waves. AnnaMaria Volpetti
Along with her mother, father, son and daughter, the family have been staying in the camp for a few nights.
In the immediate aftermath of the quake, amid screaming and terror, AnnaMaria and her family were trapped within their house. They waited until neighbors were able to break their door down.
When the quake struck, she said it was like the walls of the house had turned to cardboard.
Cecilia d'Alessio takes a moment to grieve for three family members who died in the earthquake in Amatrice. She owns a home in Amatrice city center which she says has now been destroyed.
"I am very scared of that house now, I'm not going back in," AnnaMaria whispered as she recalled the moment.
"I told my father that he should get it demolished ... that he has to get a small wooden one."
She blamed the age of the regions' buildings for the level of destruction.
AnnaMaria tends to her cat near a staging area for the camp's emergency supplies. In the immediate aftermath of the quake, she and her family were trapped in their holiday home.
"These houses are very old and were made with stones from the river."
"It's sad for everyone," she said.
"We grew up here for four months a year when we were kids. But those people who live there have had many deaths: friends, relatives ... And they don't have a house to live in."
Vivek Kemp, Sara Delgrossi and Tim Lister contributed to this report from Amatrice.

Italy earthquake survivors: "The future is finished"


The summer sun beats brightly down on the streets of the picturesque mountain town, but the people who walk them are not on holiday. Amatrice has become a mausoleum.


Byron Bay mum Sara Connor, who allegedly bashed a Bali police officer to death with her British boyfriend, has cried during routine psychiatric tests.
The 45-year-old mother of two was forcibly escorted to the Bali police headquarters on Friday, where she underwent four hours of psychological testing.
It comes as holes emerge in the stories of Ms Connor and her British DJ boyfriend David Taylor, who allegedly claims they committed the murder together and that she hit the officer, reports Herald Sun.
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Sara Connor has cried during routine psychiatric tests in Bali police headquarters
The Byron Bay mum is pictured being forcibly escorted to the routine psychiatric tests
Sources said Ms Connor burst into tears during the psychology test, which is reportedly staged to ensure the suspects can undergo the investigation.
The testing was reportedly not linked to her guilt or innocence but was a measure of her attitude.
'They only want to see about the attitude of Sara,' her lawyer Mr Siregar said.
Ms Connor claimed she was trying to protect the officer from being beaten to death by her British boyfriend David Taylor after his bloodied body was found with 42 wounds.
But his lawyer Haposan Sihombing has offered conflicting accounts of the events that night, claiming Ms Connor played a part in the alleged murder.
He said after Ms Connor was bitten on the leg and arm by the officer she hit him.
Accused killer Sara Connor (left) was trying to protect a Bali police officer from being beaten to death by her enraged British DJ boyfriend David Taylor (right), according to her lawyer
Police officer Wayan Sudarsa (pictured) was found dead on Kuta Beach in Bali last week with 42 wounds to his body. Police claim Mr Taylor confessed to hitting the officer with a beer bottle, but denied killing him.
There are also inconsistencies in their accounts of how many witnesses there were to the incident.
Ms Connor claims her boyfriend was speaking with three bystanders before the fight, while Mr Taylor claims she spoke with four witnesses after the incident.
Friends on Friday launched a crowdfunding for Ms Connor which raised more than $7000.
The couple, who each face a number of charges, have undergone lengthy interrogation sessions, the ABC reported.
Taylor has requested not to be sent for the tests because he is exhausted after a long night of questioning by Bali Police.
The two accused have expressed remorse over Wayan Sudarsa's death and say they want to apologise to his family, according to their lawyers.
Bali police claim to have found the bloodied clothes worn by Byron Bay mother Sara Connor (right, pictured on August 23) and her British DJ boyfriend David Taylor (left) on the night they allegedly murdered a local policeman in a drunken rage
Ms Connor's family has sought the assistance of top Sydney barrister Peter Strain to assist with her case, reports Fairfax.
'In the interrogation our client said that he felt regret at his actions,' Taylor's lawyer Haposan Sihombing told News Corp.
'He also said... that he will ask to apologise to (Wayan's) family and he is still thinking that he will make a letter also for the family,' he said.
It comes after details of Connor and Taylor's three days on the run emerged as police piece together the murder investigation.
Connor and Taylor were found to have checked out of the Kuta hotel where they had been staying and moved into a new homestay at Jimbaran for two nights the same day the officer's body was found.
The owner of the new home in Jimbaran said the couple displayed 'normal behaviour' and were not suspicious.
Balinese officials said it was Ms Connor's idea to destroy the evidence linking her and her boyfriend Mr Taylor to the alleged murder - burning their clothes in a housing complex and dumping the policeman's cut-up ID cards (pictured) by the side of the road
Two days after the police officer was murdered, Connor and Taylor rented a motorbike and told the shop owner that they needed to go to the Australian consulate because her passport was gone.
To get to the shop, the couple would have walked by the dead police officer's home.
Taylor (C, with hood) is escorted by police officers for interrogation at a police station in Denpasar
Connor received a call from her home in Australia last Friday informing her she had made the news given the alleged murder.
The couple then allegedly burned the clothes they had been wearing at the time, which Bali officials claim to have found in nearby Jimbaran.
Denpasar District Police Chief Hadi Purnomo said on Wednesday said they then found Mr Sudarsa's ID cards cut up and dumped on the side of the road.
They claim it was Connor's idea to destroy any evidence linking her and her boyfriend to the alleged crime.
The couple were arrested last Friday when they visited the Australian Consulate where police had been waiting - three days after they allegedly murdered the officer.
Ms Connor is accused of being the mastermind behind the destruction of evidence allegedly linking her to the brutal death of Balinese police officer Wayan Sudarsa
Local police claim Mr Taylor (pictured centre) accused the officer of stealing Ms Connor's purse before beating him with binoculars, a beer bottle and a mobile phone

Sara Connor claims she was protecting Bali policeman fatally bashed


The boyfriend of Sara Connor has claimed she 'helped kill' a Bali policeman found dead on Kuta Beach, however the Byron Bay mother claims she 'was trying to protect the officer.'


WASHINGTON—Donald Trump. Would that it were unnecessary to mention his name except, say, as a Viagra pitchman.
Despite such casting perfection, this isn't intended as a personal metaphor for the man, though it is for the GOP. Cue sound of balloon losing vigor. The erstwhile party of Lincoln has rendered itself impotent by its clammy-handed embrace of the sad clown who made everybody laugh—for a while.
But the enchanted evening Republicans fantasized when they nominated the biggest goofball ever to enter the Oval Office sweepstakes is over. The clock has struck midnight, the carriage is ablaze; the golden-haired prince is a bloated chimneysweep ranting at rooftops. The party's footmen, blind mice begging for scraps of mercy, scatter in search of cover.
Even Rep. Mark Sanford, the disgraced former governor of South Carolina, took to the quill, writing in a New York Times op-ed that he might no longer support Trump if he doesn't produce his tax returns. Knowing with 99 percent certainty that this won't happen, Sanford has carved a tiny escape hole in the baseboard for himself.
At the same time, talk radio hustlers who've more or less directed the GOP platform the past two decades or so, beginning with the Clinton administration, seem to be coming undone, floundering in the full-circleness of their anti-Clinton credo. Rush Limbaugh, to be precise, recently dissolved into a fit of giggles as he tried to pronounce the stupidity of Trump's "softening" on immigration.
"Poor Ann," he rasped, referring to Ann Coulter's new book, "In Trump We Trust." Anti-amnesty Ann, now on what she says may be the shortest book tour ever, has had to dial back her support for the GOP nominee if he doesn't return to his hard-line deportation promise.
Quelle situation! The very "policy" undergirding Trump's campaign suddenly became a negotiable talking point. Draconian Trump suddenly became Care Bear Trump: We need to be fair and maybe some should stay, he said. Then, just as suddenly—feeling the heat from his courtiers—he was back to dear old Draco. But of course he's going to send them all back. Then, when they come back legally, if they do, they'll have to pay taxes.
Because every ordinary billionaire does?
Trump was never going to build a wall, this columnist wrote. He was never going to deport 11 million people, she said. How exactly does one do this without sending armed forces to arrest Madre in the kitchen and Padre on the phone while their citizen-children watch in horror? Think back to the 2000 image of Elian Gonzalez's "rescue" by masked, armed men, brought to you by the Clinton administration, let the record show.
For many of us scribes, Trump's true nature and character were obvious from the start, not to mention 20 years before that. No degree of fleeting niceness (which, ahem, I gamely recognized in a recent column written for sport in response to a challenge) was going to make Trump less repugnant or more appealing for long. Predictably, he couldn't sustain it. A person can only fake who he is for so long before the interior self emerges. Trump's nice side, you can be certain, isn't what appeals to members of the Ku Klux Klan or other white nationalist groups who find his ideas in sync with their own.
Trump's calling Hillary Clinton a bigot when he is the bigot's candidate should be viewed as the last gasp of a desperate nominee with no one left to insult. African-Americans, previously ignored, are now in the sights of the flaming eye of Sauron.
This dark fairy tale was bound to end, if later than many expected. Sure, droves will vote for Trump no matter what—and we've learned that no-matter-what has quite elastic boundaries. His fans aren't crazy or stupid, one is bound to say, and may justify their votes with concern for the future composition of the Supreme Court or for some variation of Trump's shifting immigration policy.
But the truth is, most will be voting against Hillary Clinton, whom they dislike with such ferocity that they'd rather vote for Mickey Mouse—or even Donald Trump, master puppeteer and ringmaster of the Freakiest Show on Earth.


Panaji: Holding the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC) responsible for delay in the completion of the upcoming garbage handling facility behind Hira petrol pump, the ordinary meeting of the councillors of the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) on Thursday decided that as per the direction of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the Corporation would start collecting wet garbage generated by the off-shore casinos, and request the village panchayat of Taleigao to dispose the same, until the garbage handling facility behind Hira petrol pump is ready to receive the garbage for its disposal.
City Mayor Surendra Furtado informed the CCP councillors that a driver in the service of the Corporation, without the knowledge of the Corporation was using a private truck to pick up the wet garbage generated by the off-shore casinos and dumping it at the Patto garbage disposal site of the Corporation.
The CCP councillors also observed that the government – central as well as state – quarters and bungalows were paying neither house tax nor garbage tax to the Corporation, which was resulting in loss of revenue to it. It was decided that the City Mayor would write to the government as regards payment of house tax towards its quarters and bungalows, to the Corporation, as also charge garbage tax from the residents of these dwellings.
The ordinary meeting further decided to streamline the distribution of free 10 liters and 20 liters capacity dustbins to the public.
Furthermore, the CCP councillors decided to study the offer of the Goa Meat Complex for treating 1 tonne to 1.5 tonne fish/ meat garbage generated in the capital city, on daily basis, at a cost of Rs 2.5 lakh per month.
It was also informed that a new municipal engineer, Vishnu Naik has recently joined the Corporation.
Meanwhile, the CCP councillors on Thursday passed a resolution reserving both the sides of the road in front of the Corporation of the City of Panaji building, for parking their vehicles as well as those belonging to the Corporation.
A related resolution maintained that the side of the particular road along the CCP building would be reserved for two-wheelers, while the side of the road along Café Central would be reserved for four-wheelers.
The city Mayor said that the resolution would now be forwarded to the North Goa Collector. “I will impress upon the Collector to see that the road is notified for the purpose, immediately,” he added.[NT]

CCP to ask Taleigao VP to dispose of wet waste from off-shore casinos


Students preparing for a regional Olympiad round are priming robots in waste collection.
For the past two months, their weekends have been anything but leisurely. Every Saturday and Sunday, a group of 12 students reach the Kerala State Science and Technology Museum (KSSTM) at PMG here with an eye on bagging the top spot in the regional championship of this year’s World Robot Olympiad.
The students, from government and aided schools, tinker with Lego EV3 kits trying to get their robots to work in line with the theme of the contest ‘Rap the scrap.’ Shortlisted after two rounds of tests, they are being sponsored by the KSSTM for the contest.
The children have been divided into groups, with each set to participate in a different category. While the youngest lot try to programme their robots to clean up the road on the children’s journey to school, another group’s task is to get the robot to collect and transport recyclable waste from home to recycling bins. The oldest of the students have to make their robots bring sorted waste in the bins to a recycling plant.
The regional round will be held at the KSSTM at the end of September. Akhila G.P., Rafsal R.S., and Anand M., none of whom has played with Lego bricks before, let alone the high-end versions they are working on now, are stumped by their robot’s failure to pick up waste. They had built this robot anew in the morning after dismantling an underperforming version. The trio is confident that they will get it to lift the ‘scrap’ soon enough. This is critical, for at the contest they will have to build the robot from scratch in the allotted time.
So, for now, it is looking up YouTube videos and poring over a Lego Mindstorms book figuring out ways to overcome the hurdle.
They also have help from Akhila Gomez, a mentor at the KSSTM’s Innovation Hub, and Cyril K. Babu, Scientific Officer.
Building robots is only part of the challenge. They also have to write programmes and none of them has done programming before. “Only a part of the programme remains to be completed,” say the children.
“Without any prior exposure to robotics, it is amazing how far the children have come in such a short time,” says Akhila Gomez.


For the past two months, their weekends have been anything but leisurely. Every Saturday and Sunday, a group of 12 students reach the Kerala State Science and Technology Museum (KSSTM) at PMG here wi


WASHINGTON (AP) — The Agriculture Department has closed offices in five states after receiving anonymous threats.
USDA spokesman Matthew Herrick says in a statement on Tuesday that the department had received “several anonymous messages” that raised concerns about the safety of USDA personnel and facilities. He said six offices are closed until further notice.
Herrick said the department is working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and federal and local law enforcement to determine whether the threats are credible.
The closed offices are in Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, North Carolina and West Virginia.

Agriculture closes offices in 5 states after threats


NEW YORK (AP) — Beyonce proved once again she is the contemporary rock star, and she used the MTV Video Music Awards stage to showcase her skills and outshine her peers, from Rihanna to Britney Spears.
Beyonce won eight awards, including video of the year, and performed five songs from her visual album “Lemonade” in an epic 16-minute concert Sunday that had the audience at Madison Square Garden in awe.
She sang live, danced heavily and worked the crowd as she ran through “Pray You Catch Me,” ”Hold Up,” ”Sorry,” ”Don’t Hurt Yourself” and “Formation,” which won the top prize over Adele, Drake, Justin Bieber and Kanye West.
“First of all, I’d like to thank my beautiful daughter and my incredible husband for all of their support,” said Beyonce, who walked the carpet with daughter Blue Ivy and the mothers of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown and Eric Garner — who all appeared in “Lemonade” movie.
It was reminiscent of the 2014 VMAs, when Beyonce also performed for 16 minutes and accepted the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard award. This year it was awarded to Rihanna, who split up her performances throughout the night, singing hits such as “Work,” ”We Found Love” and “Love on the Brain.”
But the biggest moment for Rihanna came when Drake — in a tuxedo — presented the award to his former girlfriend. He said he met Rihanna in 2005 on the set of her first music video for “Pon de Replay.”
“She’s someone I’ve been in love with her since I was 22 years old,” Drake said as Rihanna blushed and the audience cheered loudly. “She’s one of my best friends in the world. All of my adult life I’ve looked up to her even though she’s younger than me.”
Rihanna, 28, thanked her family, friends and hometown of Saint Michael, Barbados, for helping her succeed in her 11-year-career.
“My success started as my dream, but now my success is not my own. It’s my family, my fans, my country …it’s women, it’s black women,” she said.
Beyonce’s top-notch performance starkly contrasted with that of Spears, who returned to the VMA stage after 10 years. Not only did she lip sync, in typical fashion, but she did so badly. Spears performed her hit “Make Me…” and danced slickly, but she didn’t actually sing a word of the song live. She was joined by rapper G-Eazy — and she lip synched the hook to his hit song, “Me, Myself and I.”
In true Kanye fashion, the rapper ranted onstage, touching on subjects from music to his beef with Taylor Swift to violence in his hometown Chicago before he debuted his music video for “Fade,” which starred Teyana Taylor. He talked about his “Famous” video, which features what appear to be naked images of himself, his wife Kim Kardashian, Swift, Donald Trump and others. He even pointed to former girlfriend Amber Rose, who was in the audience and is also in the video.
Drake won best hip hop video for “Hotline Bling” and Calvin Harris won best male video for “This is What You Came For.” David Bowie — who died from cancer earlier this year — received four nominations for “Lazarus” and won best art direction. The music video, which shows him looking frail in bed with bandaged eyes, was released just days before the icon’s Jan. 10 death.
Performers included Nick Jonas, The Chainsmokers, Ty Dollar $ign and Ariana Grande, who brought spin class to the VMA stage when she sang the reggae-tinged “Side to Side” with Nicki Minaj.
In one of several odes to the recent Olympic Games, Michael Phelps said he’s been inspired by hip-hop music before introducing Future, who Phelps said he listened to before swimming and making the grimace that went viral. The rapper-singer-producer performed his hit “(Expletive) Up Some Commas.”
Jimmy Fallon, who presented video of the year, dressed as Ryan Lochte and even sported the platinum blonde hair. As Lochte — who is dealing with trouble after filing a false robbery report over an incident during the Rio Olympics — Fallon lied onstage about writing Justin Bieber’s “Sorry” and directing the clips nominated for video of the year.
Other presenters include Alicia Keys, Puff Daddy and four of the Final Five gymnasts (Gabby Douglas was hospitalized for a mouth infection).
Adele was behind Beyonce with eight nominations, but the British singer did not attend the show and did not win any Moon Men. Beyonce’s wins included best female video, pop video, breakthrough long-form video, choreography, direction, cinematography and editing.
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Online:
http://www.mtv.com/vma/
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This story has been corrected to show the name of a Beyonce song in 3rd graf is “Hold Up,” not “Holy up.”

Beyonce proves she’s in a lane of her own at MTV VMAs


Johanna Konta began her US Open campaign with the minimum of fuss as she sailed past Bethanie Mattek-Sands and into round two.
Konta was the second women's match in the tournament's freshly built Grandstand arena, although there were few fans to watch as the British number one overcame Mattek-Sands 6-3 6-3.
She will now face Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova, a Wimbledon semi-finalist six years ago, for a place in the third round.
As Phil Collins could be heard nearby, ushering in the new US dollars 150million roof to a packed-out Arthur Ashe Stadium, Konta quietly demolished her opponent, who was celebrating a mixed doubles Olympic gold medal only two weeks ago.
Konta admitted afterwards to being a fan of Collins and was disappointed to be out of ear-shot.
"I was hoping I could hear him, but not clear enough," Konta said. "I do like him."
Back on court, Mattek-Sands was a tricky proposition, crafty from the back and cool at the net, but Konta's return was too consistent and her baseline game too strong.
"Every first round is where you need to find your feet, get into the rhythm of the tournament, and grand slams are that a much more exciting so I think I did a good thing with that," Konta said.
"I think with Bethanie, the more emotion, the more tension that comes into a match, the better she plays, the more inspired she plays.
"It was important to make it as business-like as possible."
Flushing Meadows was where Konta enjoyed her breakthrough run 12 months ago, reaching the fourth round when she had previously managed just one grand slam victory in her whole career.
She has shot up the rankings since, from 97th to 16th, and a semi-final at the Australian Open in January has many predicting a renewed challenge on the hard courts here.
"It's definitely never easy coming out for a first round of a slam especially against Bethanie, coming off a gold medal," Konta said.
"I knew she would be inspired and feed off the atmosphere. Thank you to everyone who stayed and supported us.
"It's pretty exciting to play in here, it's a shame we weren't the first, but it's pretty special, the whole venue."
Konta started with an ace before Mattek-Sands framed a return into the stands, the ball bouncing through three empty rows before eventually being retrieved.
A break for 2-1 put the Briton in command and she was happy to meet Mattek-Sands' varied game head on, once luring her opponent in with a drop-shot before volleying into an empty court.
Two sumptuous returns were enough to break again and seal the opening set, and she pulled ahead in the second too, another break putting her 3-1 in front.
Mattek-Sands served and volleyed in a bid to turn the tide and she threatened a comeback, opening up three break points at 4-2.
Konta, however, saved them all and then served out, a backhand winner sealing a convincing victory in one hour and 22 minutes.
Pironkova, under-rated at 71 in the world, will offer a sterner test but, in this form, the Briton will be confident of going through.
"She's a great player, been highly ranked," Konta said. "Her tennis level is very, very good. She has a lot of experience. In terms of specifics, I'll have to talk to my coach."

US Open 2016: Johanna Konta cruises past Bethanie Mattek-Sands to book second round spot


Johanna Konta began her US Open campaign with the minimum of fuss as she sailed past Bethanie Mattek-Sands and into round two. Konta was the second women's match in the tournament's freshly built Grandstand arena, although there were few fans to watch as the British number one overcame Mattek-Sands 6-3 6-3. She will now face Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova, a Wimbledon semi-finalist six years ago, for a place in the third round.


Men and women wrestlers wearing fancy dress tackled a slippery surface for a somewhat unusual contest on Monday - the "World Gravy Wrestling Championships".
Cheered on by spectators, contestants from all over Britain slid in the gooey mixture, usually an accompaniment to Sunday roast meals, as they wrestled each other on a padded gravy pool at the Rose 'n' Bowl pub in Lancashire, England in a bid to raise money for a local hospice.
Rules state that participants wrestle in gravy in two-minute bouts and they win points for not only their moves but also the audience's applause.
"If you can stay on your feet and get the upper hand on your opponent, it allows you to throw them and toss them around," competitor Joel Hicks said. "But if you can't get any balance then you're just straight over."
(Reporting By Reuters Television)

Competitors slip and slide for gravy wrestling championships


Men and women wrestlers wearing fancy dress tackled a slippery surface for a somewhat unusual contest on Monday - the "World Gravy Wrestling Championships".


New Story
Facebook Inc (FB.O) changed its popular “Trending” feature, which shows users the most-talked about topics of the day, to make it more automated and further eliminate the potential for human bias, the company wrote in a blog post on Friday.
The update is Facebook’s latest attempt in recent months to stress its neutrality as its influence grows.
The feature came under scrutiny in May after a news report alleged it suppressed conservative news, which prompted a demand from Republican members of the U.S. Congress for more transparency. Facebook said an internal probe found no evidence of bias.
The Trending feature shows users the most-talked about stories and topics on the top right-hand corner of Facebook’s home page with one-sentence descriptions. To eliminate the potential for bias, Facebook said it would no longer rely on editors to write descriptions for the topics and would instead show users the topic and how many people are discussing it.
Facebook said in an e-mailed statement that the composition of its Trending team would focus more on technical expertise since it no longer needed editors to write descriptions. The company did not say whether it was laying off employees.
Facebook maintains it is a neutral platform, but its political influence has come under scrutiny, especially as its user base swells. It has 1.7 billion people on its social network, and studies have shown it has the power to influence people’s behavior, ranging from registering as organ donors to registering to vote.
After the May news report first surfaced, Facebook penned a lengthy blog post explaining how the Trending feature works, the first time it had done so. Less than two weeks later, the company said it changed some procedures and outlined those changes in an effort to be more transparent.

Facebook changes ‘Trending’ feature to rely less on human editors


Facebook Inc (FB.O) changed its popular "Trending" feature, which shows users the most-talked about topics of the day, to make it more automated and further