PLAYER OF THE YEAR: BASEBALL Zach Kokoska * Latrobe Outfielder-pitcher * Senior It was a special season for Latrobe -- and Special K was one of the main reasons. Kokoska hit .538 for a team that won both WPIAL and PIAA championships for the first time in school history. Kokoska is a sweet-swinging left-handed hitter who hit .538 with five home runs and 29 RBIs. He also scored 30 runs. Kokoska was also excellent defensively. He hit close to .400 as a sophomore and .456 as a junior. As a pitcher this season, he was 4-0 with a 1.73 ERA and struck out 35 in 24 innings. Was also selected Gatorade Pennsylvania Player of the Year. Will play next season at Virginia Tech.   THE REST OF THE ALL-AREA BASEBALL TEAM   Ryan Okuda Pine-Richland P * Senior Okuda led Pine-Richland to the WPIAL Class 6A title. A left-hander, Okuda was 8-0 with a 0.38 ERA. He gave up only five runs all year, three earned. He also allowed only 25 hits and struck out 63. Was 12-0 in two seasons with … [Read more...]

Washington Nationals pitcher Tanner Roark had five days to mentally flush away any lingering doubt from his last two starts — giving up six runs to the Miami Marlins on June 19 and seven runs to the Atlanta Braves on June 14.  Roark’s struggles were amplified when New York Mets analyst Keith Hernandez was caught last week on a hot mic saying the pitcher was “getting his tits lit” lately. By just his second pitch in the Nationals’ 6-2 loss Sunday to the Cincinnati Reds, it was apparent Roark’s issues weren’t going away anytime soon. A two-seam fastball on the inside of the plate to Reds leadoff-hitter Billy Hamilton led to a double and spiraled into a five earned-run inning for Roark. Roark got out of the first after a 40-pitch inning and followed up in the second by giving up a home run to Reds second baseman Scooter Gennett. There’s no easy answer as to why Roark, who had just a 2.83 ERA and was fifth in the National … [Read more...]

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Mississippi is in for a long court fight over constitutional questions about its law dealing with religious objections to same-sex marriage. Legislators in 2016 passed House Bill 1523 , called the “Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination Act.” It aims to protect three beliefs: marriage is only between a man and a woman; sex should only take place in such a marriage; and a person’s gender is determined at birth and cannot be altered. Legal experts say it is one of the broadest bills passed by any state in reaction to the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. It would allow clerks to cite religious objections to recuse themselves from issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, and would protect merchants who refuse services to LGBT people. It could affect adoptions and foster care, business practices and school bathroom policies. Multiple lawsuits were filed by gay and … [Read more...]

NEW YORK (AP) — Opera has been popping up recently at the most unlikely New York places: a revamped garage, a dive bar, a basketball court and even an old aircraft carrier.It's part of a festival with an in-your-face goal — to bring this once grandiose art form to ordinary places where people hang out.The New York Opera Fest 2017 that ends in late June has drawn casual, but curious, spectators, some of whom may never have gone to an expensive production in a plush theater.On Saturday, composer Darius Milhaud's "The Guilty Mother" got its U.S. premiere in the onetime garage on Manhattan's West Side — a story rife with adultery and intrigue.The more than 30 festival spectacles included a Brooklyn basketball court that hosted a hip-hop opera called "Bounce," with a group of public school kids participating. Children … [Read more...]

Senate Republicans and the White House are facing down an increasingly daunting challenge to secure the votes necessary to pass legislation before the July 4 congressional recess that would make dramatic changes to President Barack Obama’s signature health care law. At least five Republicans have already come out against their party’s bill — which can only afford to lose two votes — and over the weekend more began expressing serious reservations and skepticism about the proposal, saying they would like more time to debate and tweak the plan. A key moment will arrive early this week when the Congressional Budget Office releases an analysis of the bill estimating how many people could lose coverage under the Republican plan, what impact it might have on insurance premiums and how much money it could save the government. The stalled Republican effort to pass a sweeping rewrite of the Affordable Care Act was further threatened Sunday when Republican senators from … [Read more...]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - Joey Rickard hit a tiebreaking double in the ninth inning and the Baltimore Orioles, boosted by three home runs, beat the Tampa Bay Rays 8-5 Sunday. Caleb Joseph, Trey Mancini and Jonathan Schoop homered for the Orioles. It was 5-all when Joseph opened the ninth with his third hit, a single off Alex Colome (1-3). Rickard put the Orioles ahead, Schoop was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and Adam Jones added a sacrifice fly. Brad Brach (2-1) earned the win with two innings of shutout relief. Schoop’s 15th home run, a solo shot off reliever Chase Whitley, tied in the eighth. Evan Longoria’s three-run homer off starter Chris Tillman put the Rays up 5-3 in the fifth. It was Longoria’s 12th home run of the season and the ninth of his career off Tillman. It was the Rays’ only homer of the game, ending a streak of six straight multihomer games. Joseph and Mancini connected off starter Jake Odorizzi, marking the 11th … [Read more...]

Story highlights The senators reflect different positions in the party Both have criticized the bill Washington (CNN)Two Republican critics of the Senate's health care bill expressed strong doubts Sunday that the legislation can make it through the chamber before the July 4 recess, as the GOP leadership wants. "It's certainly going to be very difficult," Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said on ABC's "This Week" when asked whether the Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and President Donald Trump could get her support by week's end. "For my part, I'm very concerned about the cost of insurance for older people with serious chronic illnesses and the impact of the Medicaid cuts on our state governments, the most vulnerable people in our society, and health care providers such as our rural hospitals and nursing homes, most of whom are very dependent on the Medicaid program." Collins, a … [Read more...]

The Donald Trump Pentagon, in so many words, is saying that the Obama administration’s decision to waive punitive sanctions and buy combat helicopters from Russia was a bad deal. The Pentagon’s first congressionally required report on Afghanistan under President Trump says the Russian Mi-17 chopper has proved a failure in the long war and will be phased out in favor of American-made UH-60 Black Hawks. The Obama administration came to realize the failure in its last weeks in office and stopped the deal. The report this month on “Enhancing Security and Stability in Afghanistan” marks official confirmation that the Russian model broke down too often for the Afghan air force logistics system to keep up. “Along with the increased expense and difficulty in maintaining the Mi-17 helicopter fleet, utility helicopters are in high demand and the required maintenance exceeds current capacity and capability, leading to maintenance backlogs and a reduced number … [Read more...]

After 21 starts at quarterback over three years at San Diego State, Kevin O'Connell had distinguished himself in a number of areas. He was 10th in Aztec career history in passing yardage, eighth in passing attempts, seventh in completions and fifth in total offense with 5,530 yards. There was one area in which his success was superlative: O'Connell’s 906 rushing yards — that’s 43 per start — were the most in school history by a quarterback. Fast forward to today and O’Connell, 32, is in his first year as the Redskins quarterbacks coach. His task is to take Kirk Cousins, who threw for nearly 5,000 yards last season, and make him better. A bit of extra mobility may be just the thing. “It’s all situational,” O'Connell said. “Understanding, maybe it’s in the red zone, maybe it’s third down when a defense drops eight into coverage, you know you’ve got a little bit extra time to hold it and try to see if Jamison or … [Read more...]

President Trump promised to shake up Washington, but he’s following at least one swampy tradition by nominating wealthy political allies and campaign donors to cushy ambassador posts. While presidents typically dole out about 30 percent of U.S. ambassadorships to political appointees, Mr. Trump through Friday had awarded 14 of his first 19 ambassador posts to political nominees rather than career foreign service professionals. They include San Diego hotelier Doug Manchester, nominated for the very pleasant assignment of ambassador to the Bahamas. Mr. Manchester was one of Mr. Trump’s early political backers; he and his wife, Geniya, each gave $454,800 to political committees supporting Mr. Trump’s campaign. George E. Glass of Oregon, founder of Pacific Crest Securities, is Mr. Trump’s choice to become ambassador to Portugal. He donated $33,400 to the Republican National Committee in July 2016 and gave $22,500 to Mr. Trump’s inaugural committee. … [Read more...]

Story highlights Video shows girl dangling, dropping from gondola-style attraction A 40-year-old man was hurt as he tried to catch the girl (CNN)A 14-year-old girl was injured when she dropped from a ride Saturday night at a Six Flags amusement park in upstate New York, the sheriff's office said. The girl was not seriously injured and was in stable condition Sunday morning at the Albany Medical Center, the Warren County Sheriff's Office said. Employees at The Great Escape & Splashwater Kingdom in Queensbury treated the girl before emergency crews arrived, the sheriff's office said. She was taken initially to the Glens Falls Hospital and later flown by helicopter to Albany. The girl, from Greenwood, Delaware, was on the Sky Ride, a slow gondola-style attraction. Video shows her hanging by her hands as a crowd 25 feet below reaches up and calls to her. She lets go, strikes a … [Read more...]

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The Latest on a satellite launch from California (all times local): 1:35 p.m. SpaceX has succeeded in landing a Falcon 9 first-stage booster on a vessel in the Pacific after a launch from California. The rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base at 1:25 p.m. Sunday, carrying 10 satellites for Iridium Communications. The first-stage booster landed about 7 minutes later. The Falcon’s second stage is continuing to carry the satellites toward orbit. ___ 1:30 p.m. A SpaceX rocket has lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, in the second half of a weekend double-launch for the company. The SpaceX Falcon 9 blasted off at 1:25 p.m. PDT Sunday from the coastal base. It carried 10 more satellites for Iridium Communications, which is replacing its entire constellation with next-generation satellites. On Friday, a Falcon 9 launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida. It was carrying a communications satellite for Bulgaria into … [Read more...]

Story highlights Samantha Vinograd: After withdrawing from Paris Climate Accords, Trump must convince Asian leaders that America means what it says This week's meetings with Prime Minister Modi and President Moon are his opportunity, Vinograd writes Samantha Vinograd (@sam_vinograd) served on the National Security Council from 2009 - 2013 including as Director for International Economics and the Senior Advisor to National Security Advisor Thomas E. Donilon. The views expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author. (CNN)As President Trump prepares to welcome Prime Minister Modi of India and President Moon of South Korea to Washington, he should strongly consider clearly telling both of them that President Obama's Asia rebalance strategy is alive and well. But two key questions also need to be answered for this Asia rebalance to continue. Is the … [Read more...]

CHICAGO — As the Penguins come out of this weekend’s NHL Draft and prepare for free agency next week, general manager Jim Rutherford’s main priority is the same as it was 72 hours ago. If anything, it might even be more pressing than it was at the start of the weekend. The biggest concern Rutherford faces as he assembles the Penguins’ roster for next season is still the team's depth at center. And after trading away Oskar Sundqvist to St. Louis Friday night, they might even have one more hole to fill, too. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin will center the team’s top two lines, but the bottom two spots are still up in the air. “I would say [center] is the priority now,” Rutherford said. “We have to see what Nick [Bonino]’s going to do. We’ve been talking to him and his agent. Hopefully we can figure out something there, but if not we have some options that we’ll be comfortable with.” The desired result would be … [Read more...]

The IRS is about to launch yet another digital system designed to spot “frivolous” tax returns after the last several systems let too many bogus claims through, according to a recent tax audit released this month. The tax agency had thought it had solved the problem when it moved to a new system in 2012, but there was a major drop in the number of frivolous tax claims flagged. Employees eventually figured out the new system was missing a number of bogus claims. So they went back to the original system — one the agency initially had said was too time consuming. Yet the agency’s inspector general said the IRS is still missing a number of frivolous tax claims, either because employees aren’t trained well enough to spot them or because the dollar threshold for investigating is too high. The IRS insists it has a new system ready for the upcoming filing season that will finally set things right. “Our review identified that the IRS’ processes … [Read more...]

BOISE, Idaho (AP) - The Latest on a century-old sequoia moving to make way for a Boise, Idaho, hospital expansion (all times local): 1:20 p.m. A large sequoia tree with a history rooted in conservation was standing in the way of progress, so on Sunday, it was moved. More than a century after it was sent to Idaho as a sapling by naturalist John Muir, the 10-story tree was shifted across the street to make way for a hospital expansion. The tree reached its new turf Sunday morning. St. Luke’s Health System spokeswoman Anita Kissée says crews started rolling the tree down Fort Street at 1 a.m. Once it reached its destination, crews had a bit of trouble because the inflation tubes that carried the tree were too long for the hole that had been dug. They made the hole bigger and placed the tree in at about 11:15 a.m. ___ 8:50 a.m. A sequoia tree with a history rooted in conservation is standing in the way of progress. The tree was sent to Idaho more than a … [Read more...]

NEW YORK — Matthew Howard Sr. was just leaving a New York amusement park Saturday evening when he heard someone screaming. He looked up to see a young girl dangling about 25 feet off the ground from a slow-moving gondola ride. Her little brother sat next to her in the green two-person pod, crying hysterically for help, saying he couldn't hold on. Howard, 47, and his 21-year-old daughter, Leeann Winchell, positioned themselves under the girl as the ride stopped and security came running. A crowd of onlookers gathered, many filming, others calling for help. "I said: 'It's 'OK! It's OK to … [Read more...]

Smile! A whole set of new emojis are coming your way and this round includes gender-neutral characters, a woman in a headscarf and even a breast feeding emoji. More than 6 billion emojis are sent every day, according to a 2016 report, and they appear in every form, on billboards, in movies and on clothes. Emoji originated in Japan but have now become a universal language across the world. That’s where the Unicode Consortium comes in — they are the group responsible for making sure that all words and images are read the same on any device in any part of the world. And they control what emojis get made and added to your phone. … [Read more...]

STATELINE, Nev. (AP) - More than two decades after developers first faced a series of stringent regulations, a $100 million lodge has opened on the south shore of Lake Tahoe to rave reviews from politicians, business leaders and environmentalists. Completion of the 154-room Edgewood Tahoe Lodge on the edge of the golf course that hosts a nationally televised celebrity golf tournament was contingent on protecting wetlands and limiting storm water runoff harmful to the lake’s famed clarity, the Tahoe Daily Tribune (http://tinyurl.com/y8nxjp2z) reported. “It’s going to employ 240 local residents and give them incredible and meaningful jobs,” Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval said at the lodge’s grand opening earlier this week. Just as important, he said, “is pairing redevelopment with conservation.” “There’s some conservation as a result of this project that wouldn’t have happened otherwise. It’s going to help preserve and … [Read more...]

The scorching weather that ravaged the Southwestern United States last week, with highs consistently in the triple digits, will cool somewhat this week, but life will remain more than uncomfortable for 23 million people still under an excessive heat advisory. Although weather forecasts show Sunday topping out at 116 degrees in Phoenix — with some parts of the desert climbing as high as 120 degrees — meteorologists say the Southwest will begin to cool off in the coming days. Phoenix is experiencing weather that is 10 to 15 degrees hotter than average, according to Jon Rowe, a meteorologist for The Weather Channel. … [Read more...]