Verdict 6.1 / 10 The 2019 Mercedes-AMG G63 throws sensibility out the window. It accelerates like a sports car but extra weight burdens its formidable off-road kit; it's got the goods to theoretically take on just about any off-road obstacle but it rides on sticky summer tires that struggle to find grip on anything but tarmac. If common sense drives your vehicular purchasing decisions, then the G63 is not for you. Ain't Nothin But A G Thang: 2019 Mercedes-Benz G550 First Drive: Brute Goes To Finishing School 2019 Mercedes-AMG G63 First Drive: G-sus Christ Supercar However, those with the means to welcome a little irrationality into their lives are sure to love Mercedes-AMG's high-performance SUV. Like a SEMA concept come to life, the G63 is stupid-fun in the best ways possible. Sure, a Mercedes-AMG GT is a better on-road performance car and the less powerful Mercedes-Benz G550's standard all-season tires offer greater off-road performance (real off-roaders will want to slap on knobbier all-terrain rubber, though), but there's something innately satisfying about this nearly three-ton SUV and the ways it attempts to impersonate a legitimate sports car. For more on how Motor1.com rates cars, click here . Pricing ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ 6/10 With a starting price of $147,500, the G63 costs a cool $23,000 more than a G550 . Is the AMG-badged box really worth the extra money over its lesser Benz branded sibling? That depends. While the standard G is plenty powerful and luxurious, the AMG model's extra power, dynamic improvements, and more sporting looks give it an appeal that's matched only by the more expensive, $178,500 Land Rover Range Rover SV Autobiography Dynamic. (This G's $166,095 as-tested price, however, narrows this pricing gap.) The G63 has all the trimmings of a luxury machine, though, and it sports standard equipment such as soft leather seats, heated and power-operated front seats with memory, heated rear seats, tri-zone automatic climate control, a power sunroof, and a 12.3-inch infotainment screen with navigation and Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility. Noticeably missing, however, are features such as a proximity key or power cargo door, neither of which are optionally available. Blame the exterior door handles, which the latest G63 shares with its predecessor, a vehicle whose origins date back to 1979. A time well before the advent of keyless entry, let alone proximity keys. Design ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ 9/10 Despite its familiar looks, the 2019 G63 shares only the aforementioned exterior door handles, headlight-washer sprayers, and spare tire cover with its forebear. Mercedes's flagship SUV stands out for its simple, purpose-built design, and the latest iteration of the G63 benefits from 6.0-inch wider front and rear tracks. A number of AMG-specific cues such as the addition of the performance sub-brand's now-ubiquitous Panamericana grille, a more aggressive lower fascia hidden behind a chunky bull bar, flared fenders, burly side exhaust pipes, and a set of 20-inch wheels and tires make the G63 look even more audacious than its G550 counterpart. The G63 we're testing, however, takes things a few steps further, courtesy of a $2,300 coat of Designo Cardinal Red paint, and the $3,950 22-inch wheel and tire package. It's no less charming inside the G63, which combines modern Mercedes amenities with classic G cues such as an upright windshield, shallow dashboard with prominent buttons for the locking differentials, and a large grab handle fore of the passenger seat. That said, the G63's cabin marks a far greater departure from tradition than its exterior. Alongside new features such as cup holders integrated into the center console and a fold-down rear armrest, the G63 also benefits from a big 12.3-inch dashboard-mounted infotainment screen, a meaty three-spoke steering wheel, and an array of attractive metal, plastic, and leather pieces. We're particularly fond of the air vents and door-panel grab handles, which possess craftsmanship and quality worthy of this SUV's six-figure price tag. Adding to this tester's interior's appeal is $1,300 in Designo open-pore ash wood and a steering wheel wrapped in $500 of leather and faux-suede. Meanwhile, the engine wears a $1,500 carbon-fiber cover. Comfort ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ 6/10 With 1.5 inches of extra leg and shoulder room up front relative to the previous model, the new G63 is more comfortable than ever. This tester is all-the-more cushy by way of the $7,200 Exclusive Interior Package Plus that adds items diamond-stitched leather, a faux suede headliner, a leather-covered dashboard, and heated and ventilated massaging front seats. Nor are those in the rear forgotten about, as the G boasts a massive 5.9 inches of extra legroom and 1.1 inches of additional shoulder room over the old model. The extra space works in conjunction with standard heated outboard rear seats and a fold-down rear armrest (something missing from the previous G) to make the 60/40 split-folding three-across rear bench a legitimately comfortable place. Still, the G63 is no S-Class, and Mercedes's big box is sure to let down those in search of the brand's flagship sedan's rear-seat accommodations in an SUV package. Fortunately, Mercedes is reportedly at work on a Maybach variant of its GLS-Class, which ought to offer opulence worthy of the ultra-luxury sub-brand. The cargo area is another sore spot for the G63, as its swing-open gate is not power operated and requires considerable force to close. Although the cargo bay is reasonably sized, the lack of a flat load-floor upon folding the rear seats limits its overall versatility. Technology & Connectivity ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ 6/10 In spite of the arrival of MBUX, the G63 continues to rely on Mercedes's older COMAND infotainment system. With a standard 12.3-inch central display that includes an in-dash navigation system and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, the setup remains impressively intuitive to use. Most commands are available via a centrally mounted control knob and touchpad, although two small touch points on the left and right steering wheel spokes afford control of the system's functions, as well. Analog gauges come standard, however, this G63 includes an optional 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. At $850, it's a bullet worth biting as the cluster's graphics are as crisp and clear as fresh spring water, as well as highly configurable. Performance & Handling ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ 7/10 There's no reason a nearly three-ton SUV needs to scoot to 60 miles per hour in an estimated 4.4 seconds , but the G63 says hell to reason and does so anyway. Key to the bulky box's performance is its hand-built, twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 engine that produces a monstrous 577 horsepower and 627 pound-feet of torque. That's 20 horses and 111 pound-feet of twist more than the supercharged V8 in the Range Rover SVAutobiography Dynamic, which needs an estimated 5.1 seconds to reach the mile-a-minute mark. While AMG spruces up the G's performance, this is still an off-road machine at heart and the nine-speed automatic transmission pushes the engine's grunt to all four wheels courtesy of a standard four-wheel-drive system that includes a transfer case with a dedicated low range and locking center, front, and rear differentials. Further assisting things are three AMG-specific off-road drive modes: Sand, Trail, and Rock. Good luck off the beaten path, though, as the G63's road-oriented tires are sure to struggle in the dirt and dust . On pavement, though, this G's $3,950 worth of 22-inch wheels and Goodyear Eagle F1 rubber prove impressive tools. Grip is surprisingly plentiful, and the adaptive dampers do an impressive job of keeping body motions at bay without ruining the ride quality in Comfort mode (Sport and Sport+ make for a noticeably stiffer ride). Further assisting the G63's on-road performance is the four-wheel-drive system's default torque split that sees 60 percent of the engine's grunt sent rearward (the previous model sent 50 percent of the engine's oomph to both axles), big 15.7- and 14.6-inch front and rear brake rotors (1.7 and 1.0 inches bigger than the units on the lesser G550), and a new independent front suspension system in place of the old G's live front axle. No, the G63 isn't a sports car, but it is laughably quick and far more fun to drive and composed than an SUV this enormous has any right to. Safety ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ 6/10 Neither the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) nor the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has crash-tested the G63. Testing aside, Mercedes equips its most powerful G-Class with modern safety kit such as blind-spot monitoring, rear-cross-traffic alert, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, automatic high-beam headlights, adaptive cruise control, and forward collision alert with automatic braking and pedestrian detection. A surround-view system is optional and adds $400 to the bill. Noticeably missing from the options sheet is lane-centering or Mercedes's Distronic Plus semi-autonomous driving system. Fuel Economy ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ 3/10 Fuel efficiency is not the G63's forte and the brick-like SUV drinks premium-grade gas at an EPA-rated 13 miles per gallon in the city, 15 mpg highway, and 14 mpg combined. The G63 manages these figures courtesy of a cylinder deactivation system that cuts fuel to half of the V8's cylinders when conditions permit. For comparison, the EPA rates the Range Rover SVAutobiography Dynamic at 14 mpg city, 19 mpg highway, and 16 mpg combined. Competitors Land Rover Range Rover SVAutobiography Dynamic 2019 Mercedes-AMG G63 Engine Twin-Turbocharged 4.0-Liter V8 Output 577 Horsepower / 627 Pound-Feet Transmission 9-Speed Automatic Drive Type All-Wheel Drive Speed 0-60 MPH 4.4 Seconds (est.) Maximum speed 137 MPH (electronically limited) Fuel Economy 13 City / 15 Highway / 14 Combined Weight 5,842 Pounds Seating Capacity 5 Base Price $147,500 As-Tested Price $166,095


It isn't often NFL players admit to being star-struck, but there are a few players that even the biggest stars have to admit are nerve-racking to meet. Houston Texans cornerback Johnathan Joseph is visiting London ahead of their game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium later this year, and on Monday he was asked by reporter Neil Reynolds at an NFL UK live event if there was a player that came to mind that had caused him to feel starstruck during his illustrious career. His answer was immediate: Deion Sanders . . @NFLUK Live event in London, @neilreynoldsnfl asked @JJOE2424 what @NFL player he was starstruck to meet? His answer, @DeionSanders ! #PrimeTime pic.twitter.com/RdrMumBAGC - Texans PR (@TexansPR) July 1, 2019 Yes, the 35-year-old cornerback admitted that the first time he met the former Atlanta Falcons, Dallas Cowboys, and San Francisco 49ers cornerback, widely known by his nickname "Primetime," he was meeting his "childhood hero." Joseph stated that growing up "everybody wanted to be 'Primetime,'" and it is hard to blame him. Easily one of the most decorated players of all time, Sanders won two Super Bowls during his 14 year NFL career he was named to eight Pro-Bowls, became a six-time All-Pro, and has since been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. MORE: Jimmy Butler's decision to sign with the Miami Heat just got super awkward 10 Best NBA Free Agents Still Available NBA Free Agency 2019: The top players Is Raiders RB Chris Warren's roster spot 'up in the air' for 2019? Kawhi Leonard wants LeBron-level influence in hiring personnel with Lakers


PITTSFORD, N.Y. (AP) -- Scott Parel took advantage of ideal scoring conditions Thursday morning to shoot a 4-under 66 and take the first-round lead in the weather-delayed Senior PGA Championship. The gusting afternoon wind, which buffeted flags and shook hospitality tents across Oak Hill Country Club's East Course, hadn't yet fully arrived when Parel closed with birdies on the par-4 17th and 18th. Retief Goosen, Marco Dawson and Ken Tanigawa were a stroke back. The round was completed just before 9 p.m., about a half-hour after the sun set, and 14 hours after the first group teed off. The long day was the result of late-morning thunderstorms that caused a delay of 2 hours, 15 minutes. Parel also eagled the par-5 fourth, dropped a stroke on the par-4 seventh and birdied the par-5 13th. Jesper Parnevik, Jeff Maggert and Darren Clarke shot 68s on the 6,800-yard course that changed in complexion with the dramatic shifts in weather that rolled through suburban Rochester. The day began with temperatures in the mid-60s and hardly a whiff of a breeze. Though rain softened the usually fast greens in the afternoon, players faced 15 to 25 mph wind, with gusts up to 40. That played havoc on the narrow course with tiny greens and placed a premium on avoiding the rough. Of the 15 players who finished under par, 12 came from the morning groups and just three from the afternoon. The morning groups combined to finish averaging a score of 73, with the average ballooning to nearly 76 among the afternoon players. "We couldn't have had it any easier," said Goosen, who had four birdies and a bogey after teeing off at 8:20 a.m. "There was not a breath of wind and the greens were still fresh. So birdies were there to be made early on." Defending champion Paul Broadhurst was in a group of 12 players who shot even-par 70. PGA Tour Champions money leader Scott McCarron failed to take advantage of morning advantage by shooting 2 over. He was playing his third major in three weeks after winning the senior major Regions Tradition and then missing the cut at the PGA Championship at Bethpage on Long Island last weekend. Play was suspended at 11:29 a.m. and didn't restart until 2:44 p.m. The 54-year-old Parel, who teed off at 8:50 a.m., was even par through the first three holes before holing a putt for eagle on the 570-yard No. 4. He posted just one bogey, which came on No. 7. Parel said he benefited from the lack of wind in the morning, and also got a boost once play resumed with the wind at his back on the 477-yard, par-4 closing hole, which he birdied. He felt bad for those who were still on the course. "From the way the wind's blowing now, 100 percent yet, the guys this afternoon are going to have a much harder time," Parel said. "Luckily, I took advantage of being on the good end of the wave in good conditions." Parel didn't take up professional golf until his 30s, and in his third full season on the senior tour. He joked about benefiting from this being his first time playing at Oak Hill, unlike many others who have competed at previous majors the course has hosted. "Maybe I don't have the scars from this golf course that a lot of other guys have," Parel said. Dawson, whose group teed off at 2:25 p.m., expressed relief in shooting 3 under given the conditions. "Very happy with the round. I wasn't expecting it. I thought it was going to be a tough day," said Dawson, the 2015 British Senior Open winner. "Two-over-par was probably a good score with this wind." Tanigawa got off to the day's best start. He was 3 under through nine and then birdied Nos. 10 and 13 in getting to 5 under before bogeying each of the next two holes. "That's not really how I envisioned my first bogey," he said, referring to a three-putt on the 323-yard, par-4 14th hole. "I thought I might hit it in the rough and have to chop out to make a routine bogey." The 51-year-old joined the PGA Tour Champions last year, and after he walked away from professional golf after an unsuccessful year on the then-Nationwide Tour in 2003. Tanigawa counts one senior victory, the PURE Insurance Championship at Pebble Beach, California, last year. He grew up in southern California, and was teammates with PGA Tour regulars Scott McCarron and Brandt Jobe at UCLA, and spent 11 years playing professionally in Australia, Asia and Japan. ------ More AP golf: https://apnews.com/apf-Golf and https://twitter.com/AP--Sports


Kyle Busch held on for his fourth victory of the Monster Energy Series season Sunday afternoon, prevailing at Pocono Raceway. Busch's Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 Toyota led 79 of the 160 laps in the Pocono 400, holding on for a 2.224-second margin of victory. His third win at the 2.5-mile track was the 55th of his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career, moving him into a tie with NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace on the all-time list. RELATED: Race results | Full schedule for Michigan, Texas Brad Keselowski settled for second place in the Team Penske No. 2 Ford. Erik Jones, Chase Elliott and Clint Bowyer rounded out the top five finishers in the 400-mile event. Martin Truex Jr. entered Pocono as the defending race winner, buoyed by momentum from three wins in the last five points-paying races. His bid for victory evaporated after just 91 laps with an engine issue for his Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19 Toyota. Truex placed 35th. MORE: Truex sputters with mechanical woes Kevin Harvick was in contention until his Stewart-Haas Racing No. 4 Ford team absorbed a pit-road penalty for an uncontrolled tire on Lap 124. He served a pass-through penalty, dropping him out of the top 20 and off the lead lap. Harvick finished 22nd, the first driver one lap down. Austin Dillon was the race's first retiree. After a nudge from Paul Menard's No. 21 Ford, Dillon's No. 3 Chevrolet made sizable contact with the outside retaining wall. The damage was too great to repair, and Dillon took last in the 37-car field, completing just 28 laps. MORE: Dillon sidelined early Kyle Larson led 35 laps and won the race's first two stages, but his Chip Ganassi Racing No. 42 Chevrolet scraped the outside wall in a late-race restart, pitted and was scored 26th at the checkered flag. The event was run with the threat of inclement weather in the vicinity of Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains, but conditions for on-track activity remained dry. NASCAR officials moved the start time up 10 minutes for extra time in the event of a delay. The series' next race is the FireKeepers Casino 400, scheduled for next Sunday (2 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM) at Michigan International Speedway. This story will be updated. ]]>


The funky crossover will be replaced by a new compact car. An Internet sensation in the United States where Citroën has been absent since 1974, the C4 Cactus is not long for this world. The eccentric small crossover will not live to see a second generation as per a reveal made by the company's product boss in an interview with Top Gear magazine. According to Xavier Peugeot, a replacement is in the works, but it will lose the "Cactus" moniker and it'll be an entirely different car. The name "Cactus" might come back one day for a new model, but the next iteration of the C4 is going to represent a departure from the funkiness of the outgoing model. To be fair, the crossover has lost most of its charm anyway, with the mid-cycle refresh toning down the signature "air bumps" for a more conventional design. As you may recall, when Citroën decided to go mainstream with the Cactus' looks, it killed off the regular C4 compact hatchback in the process. Rest assured the company with the double chevron logo is working on something special for the next C4 as Xavier Peugeot says it will live up to Citroën's ethos of doing designs in an unconventional way. He went on to specify the car will have a polarizing appearance in a bid to create a model that's different than its competitors. When can we expect the all-new C4? Citroën's product boss didn't say, but with the Cactus facelifted nearly two years ago, its replacement will probably be launched sometime next year or 2021 at the latest. It will have to face some tremendously stiff competition in Europe coming from the latest Ford Focus and the upcoming next-generation Volkswagen Golf , not to mention other important segment players like the soon-to-be-facelift Renault Megane along with the revamped SEAT Leon and Skoda Octavia. Will we ever see Citroën back in North America? It's possible, considering sister brand Peugeot is allegedly eying a 2023 comeback rather than the initial plan to make it to the U.S. by 2026. Follow MSN Autos on Facebook and Twitter


LAS VEGAS   This was the most anticipated Summer League ever. For the first time in its history, the first two days of the NBA's July convention were completely sold out days in advance   more than 17,500 fans filling an arena in the middle of the desert, in the hottest part of the year, to watch a rookie play basketball. More than 1,000 media credentials were issued. The Zion hype was palpable. In an NBA that has become more about off-season chess moves than the games themselves, here were fans buying scalped tickets into a sold-out arena to watch a young star burst onto the scene. Or not. Zion Williamson has spent most of his Summer League in street clothes, and he is not alone: Only one of the top six players in the last draft has played regularly in Las Vegas ( R.J. Barrett of The Knicks), and other stars never touched the court. A quick rundown: • No. 1 pick Williamson played nine minutes in one half of one game before New Orleans broke out the bubble wrap , citing knee-to-knee contact and an "abundance of caution." • No. 2 pick Ja Morant had arthroscopic surgery to get his knee cleaned up at the start of June and was not rushed back for any games in Vegas. • No. 4 pick D'Andre Hunter played in his first game Sunday night after missing the start of Summer League for Atlanta. • No. 5 pick Darius Garland has not played and is unlikely to suit up for Cleveland (nor has the Cavs' high profile No. 30 pick, Kevin Porter Jr. ). • No. 6. Jarrett Culver officially signed with Minnesota on Monday but is not expected to play for the team in Las Vegas. • No. 10 pick Cam Reddish is not suiting up for Atlanta in Summer League. • Denver's Michael Porter Jr.   a guy thought to be a steal in the 2018 draft who sat out last season to get healthy   was going to make his debut at Summer League but sprained a knee just a day before games started and is out. Las Vegas has been robbed of some of its star power, but most of that was about Zion. Summer League felt deflated after Williamson was put in street clothes. "It was a crazy experience, the gym was sold out, I didn't expect that many people to be here," Williamson said of his one game, adding that his being sidelined for Summer League " was more precautionary ." The impact of him being out could be seen immediately. By the time word started to circulate through the arena he would not play in the second half of that July 5 game, fans had begun to file out of the building. There were a lot of empty seats in the Thomas & Mack arena by the time an earthquake shut the night down . Beyond that, a couple of Las Vegas residents I spoke with talked about people they knew who were planning to come for Summer League games turning around and deciding to stay home instead. The concern among Summer League observers is this is the start of a trend of sitting stars. Call it "Summer League load management"   or risk management may be more accurate   but what happened with those top players could become more of a norm. With the larger rookie-scale contracts in the new CBA, meaning teams making substantial investments in these players, will teams start to reduce or eliminate the amount of time their prized young players are on the court in Las Vegas? If that happens, it would begin to erode what has become a happening   and for some fans a pilgrimage   in the middle of the offseason. With Summer League   much like the NBA itself   fans come to see stars. This year, teams had reasons not to suit up their rookies. Ask coaches or team officials about the guys being out and you got some variation of the Pelicans' "abundance of caution" statement. "The guys are a little beat up. We don't want them to get hurt, then we could never develop them," Cavaliers Summer League coach Antonio Lang said of Garland and Porter not playing. From the teams' perspective, this is logical   what are they risking these players for? Summer League do not matter. In fact, plenty of teams quietly will tell you there are too many games   go to the Summer League Tournament Finals to play for the title and team will have played in eight games. Often after four or five games teams are shutting down their best players. Or, as some of the veteran players get offers from teams overseas, they shut themselves down to avoid injury risk (as Jimmer Fredette did this year). There is no financial incentive for teams to play the best guys. Teams do not make a lot of money in Summer League (teams basically want to break even, which happens if they make the tournament) and many executives don't want to be in Las Vegas longer than they have to be. That said, there is value for teams in seeing their top players in different settings. For example, the Wizards have No. 9 pick Rui Hachimura on the court playing in Las Vegas for developmental reasons. "Just to have him see different situations, to be exposed to the NBA game," said Robert Pack, Wizards' Summer League coach. "He's going to see different coverages, schemes that he may not have seen in college, and you want him to get a taste of that before he gets into vet camp and into the regular season. Playing here he'll get a lot more touches than he'll probably get in the regular season." Coaches have long seen Summer League as a chance to get a baseline on players   what are they good at, and what needs to be worked on the rest of the summer. It's a starting point to build from. Cavaliers coach John Beilein said to NBC Sports, during the Salt Lake City Summer League, that with Garland and Porter out it gave him a chance to put the ball in No. 26 pick Dylan Windler 's hands and see what the Belmont star could do as a playmaker. "That's why you put [Hachimura] in different situations, you're seeing where he can go strong right, go strong left, is he good in the midrange, is he ready for the NBA three," Pack said. "Those are things you get to see, you get film on, you can teach him and study film with him on things. These minutes are so valuable to us as a staff to continue to develop him." Is it valuable enough to keep star players on the court at Summer League? Or, as it has during the NBA regular season, will the "load management" trend of keeping players out for health and risk-management reasons start to impact Summer League? If it does, will the NBA league office start to get involved in an effort to keep an event where games are broadcast on ESPN and NBA TV going strong? The NBA loves the buzz, the sold-out games for Summer League. It loves the way the event has grown. Which is why this summer's reduced-star version has been a bit deflating for everyone. Related slideshow: 2019 NBA offseason moves (Provided by imagn)


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WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.   Sandy Del Duca was mourning the death of her father when Lulu, a curly haired goldendoodle, came bounding down the stairs at the Ballard-Durand funeral home. Del Duca thought Lulu was simply the pet of funeral home owner Matthew Fiorillo, who she was meeting to make arrangements. But the dog also works there   one of an increasing number of dogs being offered by American funeral homes to comfort mourners. It didn't take long for Del Duca to be won over. "That dog looked into my eyes and I was done," Del Duca said. "She seemed to know just what I needed. A funeral is a funeral, it's not a great thing. But that dog gave the service a family atmosphere and made it more of a celebration." Funeral directors say dogs, especially trained therapy animals, can lighten the often awkward, tense atmosphere at a wake or funeral service, and sometimes seem to know exactly who needs their help. Whenever a dog joins a group of mourners, "the atmosphere changes," said Mark Krause, owner and president of Krause Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Milwaukee. "In a funeral home, people are typically on edge, uncomfortable. But everyone lights up, everyone has to greet the dog." Krause bought Oliver, a Portuguese water dog, in 2001 to be a family pet. But his wife had Oliver trained to be a therapy dog and he made the usual therapy-dog visits: schools, nursing homes, hospitals. "Then my wife said, 'Why can't he do this in the funeral home?' and in the 10-plus years we had him, he probably touched a couple thousand families," Krause said. Oliver seemed to "sense grief and who needed him." In one case, a boy about 7 years old had lost his 3-year-old sister and had stopped talking, even to his parents. "The minute the dog came in, the boy started talking to him about his sister," Krause said. "This little boy tells the dog, 'I don't know why everyone's so upset, my sister said she's fine where she is.'" "I don't suppose Oliver understood, but he looked at the boy as if he did," Krause added. Oliver died in 2011   his funeral was attended by 150 people and many of their pets   and has been succeeded by another Portuguese water dog, Benny. When Oliver started, a dog in a funeral home was a rare sight. Statistics aren't kept, but Jessica Koth, spokeswoman for the National Funeral Directors Association, said, "We hear from members that more and more of them are bringing animals into funeral homes, be it a dog or a cat, whether it's a certified therapy dog or just an extremely well-behaved family pet." Some of the funeral directors are dubious about cats, however. "Dogs are the only creature that love you more than they love themselves," Krause said. "Cats tend to lurk. They could surprise people." Added Fiorillo, "I've never seen a gregarious cat." Gayle Armes, owner of the Armes-Hunt funeral homes in Fairmount and Marion, Indiana, says his dog Judd, a golden retriever, serves a vital function by giving mourners "something else to focus on." "The ones who need it, they tend to go over to him, maybe kneel and love on him and he loves on them," Armes said. At Merkel Funeral Service, based in Monroe, Michigan, outreach coordinator Renee Mullendore said the owner's cockapoo, Lola, "can pick out who needs attention" and sometimes tries to sit on their laps. In White Plains, 1-year-old Lulu has been on duty since last month. She lives with Fiorillo and her devotion to him is evident as she follows his every step and command. Lulu even "prays" when prompted, bowing her head between her front paws while perched on a kneeler. Fiorillo said he first thought about using a dog in the business when he saw how a tiny Maltese being carried through an airport helped distract and calm passengers as flights were being canceled and delayed. "My purpose was to take a tense, uncomfortable situation and ease the tension a little bit," he said. He bought Lulu as a newborn and had her trained for almost a year for a total cost of about $5,000. She wears a blue and white vest that says "Therapy Dog" on one side and "Pet me, I'm friendly" on the other. When mourners come to the stately funeral home to make arrangements, Fiorillo asks if they'd like to meet Lulu and tells them she's available   no extra charge   for any wake or funeral. Almost all have accepted. "It's not like she's running around during the wake," he said. "If Lulu's getting too much attention, then I might say she's tired and pull her back." Lulu has her own business cards and "sends" thank-you notes to children she's befriended. "If something were to happen to me," Fiorillo said, "I would want Lulu to be there for sure." ___ News Researcher Jennifer Farrar contributed from New York.


Satirist, publisher, author and American counter-culture figure Paul Krassner died at his home in Desert Hot Springs, California on July 21. He was 87. His daughter Holly Krassner Dawson, confirmed the news to the Associated Press. Born in New York City on April 9, 1932, Krassner eventually moved to Southern California where he lived with his wife Nancy Cain in Desert Hot Springs. He's best known for editing Lenny Bruce's autobiography, "How to Talk Dirty and Influence People," in 1965 and founding The Realist, the forerunner to National Lampoon, which he published from 1958 to 2001. A child prodigy on violin, he performed at Carnegie Hall when he was six. Krassner later attended Baruch College in New York. Inspired by Bruce, he went back to the stage, but as a stand-up comedian at popular clubs like the Village Gate. He became friendly with Groucho Marx and famously got the comedian to take LSD, which he chronicled in a High Times cover story in 1981. Krassner wrote and edited several other books, including "How a Satirical Editor Became a Yippie Conspirator in Ten Easy Years (1971)," "Confessions of a Raving, Unconfined Nut: Misadventures in the Counter-Culture" (1994), "Pot Stories for the Soul" (1999), "Psychedelic Trips for the Mind" (2001), "Magic Mushrooms and Other Highs" (2004) and "Who's to Say What's Obscene?" (2009). Krassner co-founded the Youth International Party (YIPPIE), which he named, in 1967. The Yippies, based in New York, took a more humorous approach to politics, running a pig for president and attempting to levitate the White House. The other YIPPIE founders were Abbie and Anita Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, Phil Ochs, Ed Sanders, Bob Fass, Stewart Albert, Nancy Kurshan and Keith Lampe. The Yippies played a major role during the demonstrations in Chicago at the Democratic National Convention in 1968. Since he wasn't arrested, Krassner was not a member of the notorious Chicago 8 (Hoffman and Rubin were) who were jailed and whose case went to trial in a Marx Brothers style court proceeding. "I was lucky," Krassner recalled in 2018 . "There was a lot of cops and National Guard, and I remember they had bayonets. There was one guy with a bayonet who said, 'Hey, where are you going?' and I just kept walking away. I figured out, is he going to run with a bayonet after one individual? So, I sort of avoided it. I would go around the perimeter, taking notes. So, I didn't get beaten." He was also associated with Ken Kesey 's Merry Pranksters. Yippie member Aron Kay, who was known to throw pies in the faces of politicians in the '70s, says Krassner "inspired many. His impact on us was similar to the Beatles . Without Paul, a lot of things wouldn't have happened." Always ahead of his time, Krassner contributed articles to Cavalier, the forerunner to Playboy, beginning in 1964. About his experiences at the magazine, he recently wrote in Variety : "I wrote some movie reviews for Cavalier. I always went to two screenings. The first one I would go stoned with magic mushrooms. The second one I took notes. However, I got fired by Cavalier. "They declined to publish a particular column   my review of ' MASH ' as though it were a Busby Berkeley musical called 'Gook Killers of 1970'   ostensibly on the grounds of bad taste, but I learned that three wholesalers had told the publisher they were pressured by the FBI and would refuse to distribute Cavalier if my name appeared in it. It was over for me, but it had been fun." Paul Krassner is survived by his wife and daughter. Related slideshow: Stars we've lost in 2019 (via Photo Services)


Over the course of a given week, we here at The Loop see a number of impressive Darwin Award contenders. That's just what happens when you spend the day scouring the internet for fire content (Phil alone can't sustain a website, after all.) Rarely, however, have we come across anyone as perfectly brave or as perfectly stupid as this aspiring young Happy Gilmore imitator, seen here taking actual batting cage pitches off his actual chest as an homage to his favorite rock-brained golfer. Ladies and gentlemen, DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME. View the Instagram photo. Now don't get us wrong, Happy Gilmore is an incredible piece of modern performance art. It's the greatest golf movie ever made and it remains an absolute crime that the Golf Channel shows Bagger Vance on Tuesday afternoons in December instead. But it's also ENTIRELY FICTIONAL. Shooter was an archetype, the gold jacket was more of a dijon mustard, and there's no chance in hell a girl like Virginia falls for a barely literate Bruins fan with deep-seeded rage issues. This may be a shock to hear, but even Chubbs Peterson was played by a former boxer named Apollo Creed. RELATED: What PGA Tour pros would look like if they played in the NHL instead In other words, you should never, ever try taking batting cage fastballs off your heart, even if hockey tryouts really are only (counts on fingers) 106 days away. If one of these pitches gets up and in, you could end up taking the long dirt nap in the sky. Then who's gonna challenge Shooter all for the Tour Championships? Potter? Yeah, we don't think so. See the video on YouTube.


A young boy died Thursday after drowning in a backyard pool in Malden, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and Malden Chief of Police Kevin Molis said. First responders were called to 68 Princeton Road at 11:53 a.m. for a report of a possible missing child, officials said. A cousin of the boy said he found the child in a neighbor's pool and pulled him out. "I feel really bad right now. I'm shaking still. The first thing I thought was just jump the fence. The officer was on the other side … the first thing I could do was jump. That was my first instinct," relative Dieutson Francois said. Two women, who had both just graduated from nursing school, tried to resuscitate the boy. The family has identified the boy as Jeremiah Joseph, 5. First responders attempted lifesaving efforts and the boy was taken to Melrose Wakefield Hospital. He was pronounced dead at about 1 p.m. The incident is under investigation, and no foul play is suspected, officials said. READ MORE: Boy dies after being pulled from backyard pool CHECK OUT WCVB: Get the latest Boston news, weather and sports online, anytime. Stay in the know with Boston's news leader   WCVB.


The Golden State Warriors found themselves trailing the Toronto Raptors 59-54 at halftime and already trailed the NBA Finals 0-1. They had to dig deep missing superstar Kevin Durant and avoid an 0-2 hole and they certainly dug deep enough to explode the way they did to open the third quarter. The Warriors uncorked a ridiculous 20-0 run stemming from the end of the second quarter and take control of the game in the second half. It was a dizzying array of ball movement, player movement off the ball, and shot making to confuse the Raptors and take their spirit. The 20-0 run was the longest in the Finals by any team since the NBA/ABA merger. The Warriors turned the game with a 20-0 run, the longest by any team in a Finals game since the NBA/ABA merger (1976-77) (h/t @EliasSports ) - ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 3, 2019 The end result was a 109-104 win to earn the 1-1 split as this series now shifts to Oracle Arena in The Bay for Games 3 and 4. You can point to this 20-0 run and this team's willingness to sacrifice for each other and come away with a big win. With the possibility of Durant returning for Game 3, the Warriors have to like their chances of winning that game and taking control of this series. MORE: James Holzhauer breaks his silence about the leaked 'Jeopardy!' result Report: Suns, Bulls offering lottery picks for Lonzo Ball Darnell Savage, Josh Jackson could unlock full potential of Packers secondary Report: Kevon Looney's X-Rays return as clean after injury scare Raiders WR Tyrell Williams named 'breakout star' of OTAs


The Golden State Warriors have dominated most teams in their recent dynasty run, but the Toronto Raptors have taken the most damage . Point guard Stephen Curry, in particular, has had an almost perfect career against the Raptors. According to Fan Duel , he has taken only two losses to Toronto in his career. Curry leading the Golden State Warriors to a 15-2 record against the Toronto Raptors in 17 matchups that span the course of 10 years is certainly a prime example of one of those patterns. While Toronto swept the Warriors in their two regular-season meetings this season, Curry was inactive for his team's 3-point loss on the road in the first matchup with the Raptors back in late November. Aside from this year's hiccup, Curry and his Warriors have swept the Raptors, 2-0, in the past four straight seasons. The Warriors look to go for a three-peat and win their fourth title in five seasons beginning Thursday at 9:00 p.m. ET from Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on ABC. MORE: Five potential Chris Paul trade destinations This 'Jeopardy' contestant failing to beat James Holzhauer to buzzer sums up his epic run Belichick felt fortunate Harry fell to Pats in draft Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti shocked by C.J. Mosley's contract with Jets Packers RB Aaron Jones sheds light on 'more balanced' offense in 2019


Champions League winners Liverpool suffered another injury in pre-season, with youth keeper Vitezslav Jaros sustaining an elbow ligament strain that will keep him out of action for a number of weeks. The 17-year-old made his first-team debut as a second-half substitute earlier in pre-season against Tranmere Rovers but picked up the injury in training at Melwood. The Czech stopper was brought in to be Simon Mignolet's back-up after Irish keeper Caoimhin Kelleher suffered a broken wrist while on holiday. Jaros, a member of the FA Youth Cup-winning side last season, is now set to miss the whole of pre-season after being assessed by the Liverpool club doctors who deemed it not possible for the shot-stopper to return for the USA tour and the subsequent fixtures against Napoli and Lyon. With first-choice keeper Alisson Becker still on holiday after triumphing in the Copa America with Brazil, and Kamil Grabara also out after the Under-21 European Championship campaign with Poland, the Premier League club have very few options for a replacement for Jaros. Liverpool Under-23 keeper Daniel Atherton is the most likely to replace Jaros for pre-season who, like Jaros, made an appearance in the friendly against Tranmere where he came on as an outfield player for striker Paul Glatzel who suffered an injury. The Reds' injury list is becoming alarmingly larger during pre-season with first-team players like Andy Robertson suffering a hand injury. After being relatively injury-free during last season, it looks like the luck in Merseyside is about to take a turn for the worse.


The second Grand Slam of the season has arrived with all eyes of the tennis world on Paris and Roland-Garros for the next two weeks. theScore's Joe Wolfond and Devang Desai answer the three biggest questions heading into the 2019 French Open. Rafael Nadal is fresh off his first tour victory of the season and is an 11-time French Open champion. Who ya got: Nadal or the field? The pick is Rafael Nadal, but reaching that conclusion was more complicated than it seemed when the tour reconvened for the European clay court swing. Semifinal losses to Fabio Fognini in Monte Carlo, Dominic Thiem in Barcelona and Stefanos Tsitsipas in Madrid made the Rafa hive genuinely concerned. "What happened in Monte Carlo happened. And what happened in Barcelona happened. And what happened in Madrid happened. And here we are. We are in Rome," Nadal said prior to the Italian Open. Any concerns about his mental state were put to rest in Rome, where Nadal was at his best. He bageled Novak Djokovic in the first set of the final and eventually prevailed in three sets over the world No. 1. (The schedule was a bone of contention throughout the rain-soaked week in Italy and did not exactly help Djokovic, who labored through consecutive, grueling night matches before the final, but the point remains.) Nadal's strengths on clay - incredible movement, an unfair topspin forehand, and tactical brilliance - remain unblemished by age. Nadal has a great draw. He starts with two qualifiers and Thiem, the "next one" in Paris, is in Djokovic's half. The daunting task of beating the 17-time Grand Slam champion on clay, over five sets, will not be accomplished by any player this year. - Desai The field. It's a tribute to Rafa's tyrannical Roland Garros hegemony that picking a 127-player pool to collectively outlast him feels reckless, but here we are. This pick has a lot to do with my faith in Dominic Thiem. It's been a characteristically up-and-down season for the prince of clay, but he showed once again in Barcelona that he's maybe the only player in the world capable of taking the racket out of Nadal's hands on the red dirt. Thiem's now beaten Nadal on clay four times, more than any player not named Djokovic. If Thiem doesn't get him, it feels like Djokovic can. Nadal looked dominant in Rome, but up to that point, he'd looked more vulnerable on clay than he had since his disastrous 2015 season, failing to even reach a final in the three run-up events. Djokovic's had a really nice clay season and is as likely as Thiem to come out of the top half of the draw - assuming he's past the physical struggles that dogged him in the latter stages of Rome. It's true that Nadal's own half of the draw is devoid of any significant obstacles until the semis, with most of his biggest threats clustered on the opposite side. But if one of Roger Federer or Stefanos Tsitsipas or possibly even Diego Schwartzman can take a piece out of him before he gets there, maybe he can be had in the final? Like I said, reckless. - Wolfond Naomi Osaka has won the last two Grand Slams but she enters the French Open with lowered expectations. Who will prevail on the women's side? Karolina Pliskova. Clay courts are no longer just a playground for the guileful, crafty, and fleet-footed. Raw power has become increasingly viable on the surface, even when it's wielded by a comparably immobile player. Pliskova is a pretty good case in point. She's quietly become a very solid clay-courter, with the results to back it up. She rode her huge serve and forehand to within a set of the French Open final two years ago, and just pole-axed her way to her first clay-court Premier title in Rome. Her draw couldn't possibly have broken better, with fewer landmines than any other contender. While Kiki Bertens, Sloane Stephens, Elina Svitolina, and Garbine Muguruza duke it out in the opposite quarter, the highest seeds standing between Pliskova and the semis are Angelique Kerber, Anastasija Sevastova, and Caroline Wozniacki, none of whom is particularly threatening on clay. Broadly speaking, I just believe in Pliskova's ability and think she's due to break through and win a Slam sooner than later. Why not now? - Wolfond With a tournament every week, it's easy to forget what happened a couple of weeks ago, let alone months. Let's travel back to the Australian Open, then, where Osaka captured her second slam in a row, beating Petra Kvitova in three sets. Since then, much has changed. The 21-year-old switched coaches, shacked up with Nike, and suffered a dip in form. During that dip, the peloton caught up. Kvitova took Stuttgart, Kiki Bertens continued her excellent 2019 campaign with a title in Madrid, and Pliskova won in Rome. You can make a championship case for any of the women currently in the top 10, and even one for dangerous outliers like Belinda Bencic or Maria Sakkari. Osaka's French Open draw is extremely tough, with Jelena Ostapenko, Sakkari, and Madison Keys lurking as possible first-week opponents. She also had to withdraw from Rome due to a hand injury. Even knowing all that, my pick is Osaka. Injuries have been a big factor during her clay-court campaign, but when healthy, the world No. 1 has shown she is growing into the surface. "Every match that I've played I've learned a lot," she said following her withdrawal in Italy. There is also the matter of Osaka's ability to raise her level when the stakes require it. She knows she can hang with Kvitova over three sets at a slam, and the same can be said if she encounters Simona Halep or Bertens, who figure to be around when the business end of this tournament arrives. This pick may be more heart than head, but I remain convinced we are watching an all-time great. Osaka will add to her major haul in Paris. - Desai We've been waiting for the next generation of stars on the ATP to make a statement at a Grand Slam. Who will make the leap in Paris? If you were able to catch the Next Generation Finals in Milan last year, you are aware of just how talented this crop of players is. You're also aware that Stefanos Tsitsipas has something his peers don't have, at least not yet: fearlessness. Tsitsipas is one of three players to have defeated Nadal on clay in the past three years. In the last 10 months alone, the Greek has also defeated Djokovic and Federer. He's not rattled by the big occasion and has refused to rest on his laurels, making doubles a part of his schedule in the lead-up to Paris. We know about Tsitsipas' big forehand, but his ability at the net has developed at a startlingly fast pace. The draw is a good one for the world No. 6, who will meet a pair of unseeded journeymen before a possible third-round clash with Frances Tiafoe. Federer is in Tsitsipas' quarter, but it doesn't seem foolish to pick the 20-year-old in a five-set match against the legendary Swiss. The game is there and, perhaps more importantly, so is the belief he can win against the big three. If there is someone who can give Nadal problems in the bottom half of the draw, it's Stefanos. - Desai He's only 18, but Felix Auger-Aliassime's game is already shockingly well-rounded, and he's shown how conducive it is to success on clay. His combination of power, control, footwork, and speed make him something like the platonic ideal of an all-courter. There are still holes (his serve is inconsistent, his backhand liable to break down) and he has predictably struggled against top players (again, he's 18). But he looks poised for a Grand Slam breakthrough sooner than later, and his draw here is relatively favorable. Seeded 25th, he has a pretty cushy first-rounder against Jordan Thompson before things get a bit trickier against one of Ivo Karlovic or Feliciano Lopez. The biggest X-factor may be his return game, which will have to hold up against some massive servers if he's to make it to the second week. Karlovic, Juan Martin Del Potro, and Karen Khachanov all reside in his eighth of the bracket. Whatever happens, I'm excited to watch him try to parry and counterpunch his way through his first Slam as a seeded player. - Wolfond Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license. Related slideshow: Best of Wimbledon 2018 (provided by photo services)


Philadelphia will see a return of last week's light rainfall as early as tomorrow, according to drone-powered weather forecasting service Saildrone . Tomorrow's forecast shows the highest likelihood of rain at 94 percent, with predicted rainfall of 0.95 inches. The coming days will also see warm temperatures, expected to stick around through Tuesday. Temperatures will reach a high of 86 degrees on Sunday. Skies will be mostly cloudy today, Saturday and Tuesday and partly cloudy on Friday. Winds should reach a modest high of 16 mph on Friday, and continue to be in the teens through Sunday. This story was created automatically using Saildrone's local weather forecast data, then reviewed by an editor. We also incorporate historic weather data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.


The infotainment system gains new controls. A new batch of spy shots reveals the refreshed Cadillac XT5 without any camouflage on the exterior or on the interior. The changes aren't significant but look attractive. On the outside, the revised XT5 features slight tweaks to the front end. Rather than crossbars, the center of the grille now has a mesh pattern. The lower fascia is a little different by adding a metallic strip of trim that stretches across the piece's lower edge. At the back, the rear bumper's metallic trim now surrounds the exhaust outlets. The inside also looks similar, and the biggest tweak is on the center console. There are now knobs there for controlling the infotainment system. Zooming into the images reveals shortcut buttons for jumping to music, making calls, and going to the home screen. The XT5 currently comes exclusively with a 3.6-liter making 310 horsepower (231 kilowatts) and 271 pound-feet (373 Newton-meters) of torque. An eight-speed automatic sends the output to either the front wheels or to an all-wheel-drive system. A rumor suggests that a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder might join the lineup when the refreshed crossover debuts. The mild hybrid variant with a nine-speed automatic might also come to the United States because the powertrain is already available in China . While not evident on this car, the refreshed XT5 might also gain Cadillac's Super Cruise semi-autonomous driving tech. The brand says that the system is coming to more models than the CT6 starting in 2020 , so the timeframe would be right for it to be a new option on this crossover. Follow MSN Autos on Facebook and Twitter


A torn ACL in training camp two years ago put Forrest Lamp's rookie campaign to an end before he was even able to take a professional snap. Now, Lamp is one of the most highly anticipated players entering the 2019 season, eager to show he's able to perform at a high level like in college. Los Angeles will be giving Lamp every opportunity to win a starting job this season. Many fans are hoping that he cracks the starting lineup going into this upcoming and for NFL Media's Daniel Jeremiah, he would be surprised if isn't starting. Lamp has been outstanding in the offseason. I'll be shocked if he doesn't start. He can play RT too. People forget that. - Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) June 26, 2019 Lamp made the majority of his collegiate starts at left tackle, but it appears that he will be kicked inside to compete at guard with Dan Feeney and Michael Schofield, like most anticipated when he was drafted. In training camp, he'll split reps with the ones and with the twos. If Lamp is healthy, then he shouldn't have an issue of garnering a starting spot, knowing that Feeney or Schofield aren't premiere players at their position and don't necessarily have a locked in starter inside. Feeney was one of the bigger problems up front last year. He finished with a below average grade of 45.5, according to Pro Football Focus. Schofield fared fairly well in 2018, but Lamp is more superior and would still be an upgrade. With the mystery surrounding left tackle Russell Okung and his undisclosed injury, there's also a chance of him earning a starting spot as a tackle. If Okung misses a significant amount of time, Lamp would likely fill in at right tackle, assuming that they slide Sam Tevi over to the left side. The bottom line is that this will be the most monitored positional battles throughout training camp and the preseason. Nothing is set in stone for Lamp, but there's a very strong chance that fans will get to see him Week 1 when the Chargers take on the Colts with a strong showing the next two months. MORE: Patriots veteran Julian Edelman does a hilarious Bill Belichick impression Four potential DeMarcus Cousins landing spots in free agency Los Angeles Lakers Rumors: D'Angelo Russell and Kawhi Leonard Are Top Targets Report: Former Celtics player criticizes Brad Stevens' coaching style Heading into training camp: Which rookie OL have best chance at the 53-man roster


Like clockwork every December, the celebrities begin to migrate south. Whether remaining Stateside in luxurious locales like Miami Beach or hopping the pond to enjoy island life in Turks and Caicos, celebrities get to continue their lives of unending vacation while the rest of us brace ourselves for terrifying weather patterns , forced family time, and a prompt return to work on (or even before) January 4. Do the celebrities care that we are chained to our desks in the soon-to-be-snowy northeast as they frolic happily in bathing suits that reveal their fit forms? No. Do they look lightyears happier than us when they mount those useless paddleboards and lob themselves out to sea? Yes. Can we really blame them for finding and embracing the keys to success ? Hardly. As the old saying goes: If you can't beat 'em, you may as well gawk at them while you toil.


A rarely seen oarfish is found washed ashore on one of Los Angeles' coastal isles, Catalina Island.


A former Springboro physical education teacher has been charged with multiple counts of sexual misconduct for inappropriately touching elementary school students, according to prosecutors. John Austin Hopkins, 25, of Springboro, has been indicted on 36 counts of gross sexual imposition, according to Warren County Prosecutor David Fornshell. On Monday, Fornshell said all of the charges involved first grade girls at Clearcreek Elementary. Over three month period, there were more than 100 incidents of inappropriate touching captured on school surveillance, Fornshell said. He said 88 students were involved. All of those incidents were presented to the grand jury. Fornshell said the grand jury found 36 incidents of touching that rose to a criminal level. Those incidents involved 28 first grade girls. Fornshell said those situations of touching included having his hands up shirts or skirts, on buttocks, or straddling lap. Hopkins is in custody but there is no arraignment scheduled. Fornshell called this a situation of "grooming." The investigation started after a parent contacted Springboro Schools regarding inappropriate contact of their student. The district contacted Springboro Police. At the time of the incidents, Hopkins was employed by the Springboro Community City Schools as a physical education teacher at Clearcreek Elementary and Springboro Intermediate. According to the indictment, released by Fornshell at a press conference on Monday, Hopkins had "sexual contact" with a minor under the age of 13 in December 2018 on more than one occasion. Hopkins taught first and sixth grade at both schools this school year, officials said. In March, Hopkins was placed on paid administrative leave when the investigation into his behavior began. Shortly after, he submitted a letter of resignation. School officials sent out a letter in March, telling parents and guardians that they had been in contact with police regarding possible misconduct involving Hopkins. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Former Springboro phys. ed. teacher accused of inappropriate touching


Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with advertisers on this site. Audi is recalling 138,000 of its 2015-2019 A3 cars because an electrical connector can malfunction and deactivate the front passenger-side airbag, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Should this problem occur, the "passenger airbag off" warning will illuminate on the dashboard and the airbag would not deploy in a collision, increasing the risk of injury. Audi dealers will repair any new or used vehicles they still have in inventory. Not every A3 within those model years is included in this recall; some versions were built with updated parts. Owners will be notified in mid-August, with instructions to bring their cars in for repair. The automaker advises owners who experience the problem (an error message and airbag warning light even when the front passenger seat is occupied) to take their car to their local dealership as soon as possible for inspection and repair. The Details Vehicles recalled: 138,896 of its 2015-2019 A3 vehicles, including: 2015-2019 A3 Sedan 2015-2019 A3 Cabriolet (convertible) 2016-2018 A3 E-Tron (plug-in hybrid) 2017-2019 RS3 (based on the A3) 2015-2016 S3 Sedan (based on the A3) The problem: An improper electrical contact may cause the car to detect a malfunction and deactivate the passenger airbag. The fix: Dealers will replace the faulty electrical connector and reroute the airbag cable to avoid sharp bending. The work will be done at no charge to owners. How to contact the manufacturer: Owners may contact Audi customer service at 800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 69Z4. NHTSA's campaign number: 19V474 Check to see whether your vehicle has an open recall: NHTSA's website will tell you whether your vehicle has any open recalls that need to be addressed. If you plug your car's 17-digit vehicle identification number (VIN) into NHTSA's website and a recall doesn't appear, it means your vehicle doesn't currently have any recalls. Because automakers issue recalls often, and for many older vehicles, we recommend checking back regularly. Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. CR does not endorse products or services, and does not accept advertising. Copyright © 2019, Consumer Reports, Inc.


In a Facebook post, owner Charlie Swanson posted on Facebook announced that the Davis institution will shut its doors on June 30.


Since the departure of C.J. Anderson, the Panthers have lacked a true backup running back behind Christian McCaffrey. Here are a few candidates who could potentially back up McCaffrey in 2019. The favorite: Jordan Scarlett Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports At Florida, Scarlett split time in the backfield with Lamical Perine. He declared for the draft after rushing 131 times for 776 yards and five touchdowns his junior season and was selected in the fifth round by the Panthers. Scarlett posted a 4.47 40-yard dash at the combine. That speed should translate well to the pros. What separates him from the competition is his power as a runner, which should help make him a good short yardage option. Extremely limited experience with pass catching will limit Scarlett's ceiling, though. He only had 10 catches in college. Despite being the favorite, Scarlett is far from a shoe-in for the job. The no. 2 contender: Elijah Holyfield Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports Perhaps the most exciting undrafted rookie to be signed to a contract this year, Holyfield hails from Georgia, following in the footsteps of the many prominent Bulldogs running backs that came before him. A more limited back than Scarlett, Holyfield tanked his draft stock when he ran a 4.78 40-yard dash. On the bright side, his 26 bench press reps showed he has impressive strength for his size. Holyfield's background and low center of gravity will help him compete with Scarlett for those short yardage snaps. He is a true north-south runner, and his strength allows him to run through any and all arm tacklers in his path. However, unless he shows he has better game speed than his 40-yard dash time suggests in the preseason, he may be too one-dimensional to sit behind McCaffrey. Sleeper candidates: Cameron Artis-Payne, Elijah Hood Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports Artis-Payne has spent the majority of the 32 games with the Panthers in a special-teams role. Assuming the team carries four running backs, it's possible that the loser of the Scarlett/Holyfield battle will have to beat out Artis-Payne and his special teams value. Elijah Hood, a local player out of North Carolina, was a feel-good story for the Panthers in 2018 as he attempted to make his hometown team. But he tore his ACL in the preseason and was placed on injured reserve before he got his true chance to make the team. Hood has an even more uphill battle to make the roster this year, coming off an injury and with the addition of two solid young backs. His true competition is likely to be with Holyfield for the last RB spot on the team. MORE: 'You don't know me like that': Kevin Durant, the Warriors and a toxic locker room USWNT fans had so much fun dunking on Piers Morgan after World Cup win over England Stephen A. Smith: 'Andre Iguodala is planning on joining the Lakers' Roundup: Pence Abruptly Cancels NH Trip; U.S. Advances to World Cup Final; Betsy Ross Flag Controversy Projected depth chart for the 76ers with Al Horford, Josh Richardson


Retirement is filled with uncertainty. Some retired people have costly unforeseen health issues, while others outlive their financial benefits completely. Specifically, there's a lot that can go wrong with your financial standing while in retirement. Business Insider spoke with financial experts who specialize in retirement to learn what you can do now to avoid a financial crisis in your retirement. Consider taking the following five steps to avoid going broke later in life: First create a realistic retirement income plan Poor planning and overspending are the fastest ways to go broke in retirement. Dana Anspach, the founder and CEO of Sensible Money , said you must create a retirement income plan so that you're financially prepared. To create this plan, you must ask yourself a few questions. "How much will you get from Social Security, pensions, annuities, or rental income?" Anspach told Business Insider. "How will you supplement that with withdrawals from your savings and investment accounts? How will you monitor your plan, so you know you aren't withdrawing so much that you are running the risk of coming up short later?" While these questions may be hard to answer for most 20 and 30-year-olds, it's important to at least consider them early in your career. On the other hand, people closer to retirement must know the answers to the questions before making the lifestyle change. If you can answer these questions before retirement, you'll be better off financially later in life. Related video: Retirees are outliving their savings (provided by Bloomberg) Next, start saving 10% of your income immediately Anspach goes on to say that everyone should save at least 10% of their income. The younger you start this practice, the more financially sound you'll be in retirement. She said she understands that most people don't start saving for retirement until later in life, so many should consider saving a higher percentage. "A 30-year-old making $40,000 a year and planning to work until age 66 may only need to save 10% of their income to maintain a $40,000 a year lifestyle into retirement," Anspach told Business Insider. But on the other hand, "A 45-year-old making $200,000 a year may need to save 30% or more of their income each year if they want a reasonable chance at maintaining their same standard of living in retirement." Consider delaying your Social Security benefits The retirement age to receive your full social security benefits is 66, but some retire before that age and opt for early retirement benefits. Ben Storey, the director of Retirement & Personal Wealth Solutions Office of Thought Leadership at Bank of America, told Merrill that people should consider delaying their benefits instead. "As most people know, the longer you wait to begin taking benefits, the greater the monthly amount you receive," Storey said. "That's especially significant should you live a very long life. And because market interest rates are still quite low today, allowing the government to keep your money longer could potentially provide a higher return than you could get from most fixed-income investments." Invest your time in a side hustle Another way to increase your income in retirement is to take up a side hustle in your 30s and 40s. Some people who have taken on a part-time job increased their annual income by $1,000 to $30,000. Ken Steiner, a fellow of Society of Actuaries who runs How Much Can I Afford to Spend in Retirement, told Business Insider this extra cash can go straight into your retirement fund, but he does have a warning. "The best approach is to stay fully employed if that is not too painful because you can continue to save and you will defer commencement of your Social Security benefit," Steiner said. Finally, meet with a financial adviser Meeting with a financial adviser early in your career can pay off later in retirement. "The most important issue to discuss with a planner earlier in one's career would be how to save for retirement. There are a number of important decisions that can be made," Dirk Cotton, financial expert and Retirement Cafe blogger, told Business Insider. "A planner can explain the time value of money, the power of compounding interest and the notion of human capital. These are critical to finding the right path to funding retirement." More from BI How much Social Security will you get? Find out with a free tool Even wealthy millennials who started saving in their 20s think they'll retire with debt Here's what the average retirement home community costs in each state


NPS or net promoter score is a measure of customer satisfaction that has developed a cultlike following among CEOs. An increasing number of companies use it to develop new products and assign bonuses. It also may be misleading. Best Buy and American Express use it to dole out employee bonuses. Target and Intuit point to it to justify investments. Delta Air Lines and UnitedHealth can't stop talking about it. Much of Corporate America is obsessed with its net promoter score, or NPS, a measure of customer satisfaction that has developed a cultlike following among CEOs in recent years. Unlike profits or sales, which are measured and audited, NPS is usually calculated from a one-question survey that companies often administer themselves. Last year, "net promoter" or "NPS" was cited more than 150 times in earnings conference calls by 50 S&P 500 companies, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of transcripts. That's more than four times as many mentions, and nearly three times as many companies, compared with five years earlier. Executives pointed to strong or rising NPS as proof that shoppers preferred to pick up orders at Target Corp. stores or that Google's newest Pixel smartphone was off to a good start. Out of all the mentions the Journal tracked on earnings calls, no executive has ever said the score declined. Dozens of public companies are reporting the score in securities filings. Last year, "net promoter" was mentioned in 56 proxy filings. Some companies, including American Express Co., Best Buy Co. and Citigroup Inc., list the metric as a criteria for executive compensation, alongside traditional measures such as revenue growth and earnings per share. The score was introduced in 2003 in a Harvard Business Review article titled "The One Number You Need to Grow." The Bain & Co. consultant who wrote the article called NPS the "simplest, most intuitive and best predictor of customer behavior" and a "useful predictor of growth." Get news and analysis on politics, policy, national security and more, delivered right to your inbox Since then, the metric has taken on a life of its own, so much so that the inventor, Fred Reichheld, said he is astonished companies are using NPS to determine bonuses and as a performance indicator. "That's completely bogus," Mr. Reichheld, who still consults for Bain, said in an interview. "I had no idea how people would mess with the score to bend it, to make it serve their selfish objectives." The score is typically derived from customer responses to a single question that companies ask at the checkout register of a store or in an email or web pop-up online: On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend the company's product or service to a friend? The survey usually includes a follow-up question asking customers to explain their ratings. NPS is based on the premise that every company's customers can be divided into three groups. People who answer 9 or 10 are "promoters," or loyal enthusiasts who keep buying. Those who give a score of 0 to 6 are "detractors," or unhappy customers. Those who answer 7 or 8 are considered "passives," satisfied but easily wooed by competitors. The score is determined by subtracting the percentage of customers who are detractors from those who are promoters, with the result falling in a range between -100 to 100. Passives are ignored in the calculation. Management consultants are notorious for pushing ideas to CEOs using jargon and claims of improved business performance. Total quality management, or TQM, which advocated installing quality programs at companies, and business re-engineering process, and BRP, which was a way to restructure companies, gained traction in the 1990s and then faded. NPS has outlived such fads, spawning a cottage industry of consultants and software firms that help businesses implement and boost their score. Some academics have questioned the whole idea, suggesting that NPS has been oversold. Two 2007 studies analyzing thousands of customer interviews said NPS doesn't correlate with revenue or predict customer behavior any better than other survey-based metric. A 2015 study examining data on 80,000 customers from hundreds of brands said the score doesn't explain the way people allocate their money. "The science behind NPS is bad," said Timothy Keiningham, a marketing professor at St. John's University in New York, and one of the co-authors of the three studies. He said the creators of NPS haven't provided peer-reviewed research to support their original claims of a strong correlation to growth. "When people change their net promoter score, that has almost no relationship to how they divide their spending." Some data scientists said the way NPS is calculated, in which one survey metric is subtracted from another, increases the margin of error and requires a larger sample size to get useful results. "It's common for companies to track NPS data as if it's gospel not knowing that it's super noisy by design," said Kim Larsen, who has worked as a data scientist at several companies, including Charles Schwab Corp. Bain, which now refers to NPS as "net promoter system," said some companies are focusing too heavily on the score, but still defended the approach for some practical benefits. It is simple to communicate to employees, provides an easy way to follow up with customers and can be used to benchmark against rivals. The firm also said third-party analyses, including the 2007 studies, of whether NPS correlates with revenue aren't as good as the analyses companies conduct internally. "These are not stupid people. They are running large, successful companies," said Rob Markey, a Bain partner who helps clients use NPS. "They have demonstrated to their own satisfaction that it's good." Among the first companies to implement NPS were General Electric Co., Intuit Inc. and Charles Schwab Corp., whose leaders were convinced of the benefits after meeting with Mr. Reichheld and other Bain consultants. Now, hundreds of companies are using the score and many have tweaked the methodology, such as making the numerical scale 1 to 5 or including additional survey questions. International Business Machines Corp. said it switched from a three-question survey to NPS in 2015. Employees in different departments can see the NPS feedback on their phones. "What it's become here is a shared truth," said Kathy McGettrick, vice president of market development and insights at IBM. Some NPS users in the Journal analysis said the score correlates with revenue growth, though no company would disclose data to prove that point. Several companies said NPS is just one of many metrics they use to make decisions and that it helps them improve products or services. Intuit, which makes QuickBooks and TurboTax, began asking its customers the NPS question around 2003. Shortly after, CEO Steve Bennett attributed the company's growth in self-prepared taxes to its net promoter efforts, since feedback had spurred improvements in some products. Intuit has referred to NPS more than 60 times on earnings calls since the survey was first implemented. The company has used it to explain investments, including its 2007 acquisition of web-hosting company Homestead Technologies and the expansion of the ad budget for its QuickBooks Online service last year. "We have not intended to imply that NPS is related to, or a driver of, revenue," said an Intuit spokeswoman, adding that NPS is one of many metrics the company uses. "It allows our teams to gather customer insights so they can make decisions internally to deliver customer benefits." Mr. Bennett, who left Intuit at the end of 2007, later went on to serve as CEO of antivirus software maker Symantec, where he asked employees to stop using NPS, according to people familiar with his tenure. In response to the Journal, Mr. Bennett said he came to learn that the score is less meaningful than the open-ended question that can follow the rating. "A big challenge with the methodology is that organizations tend to focus on the metric as the objective instead of gaining the insight to learn and act on to improve the customer experience," he said. "When organizations manage to the metric, they find ways to game the system." The results are easy to manipulate, whether intentionally or unintentionally. On Reddit posts, Best Buy employees share tips and tricks to improve NPS, which the company derives from a random sample of customers. They said they can get better results when they explain to customers how the scoring works, or tell them their compensation is connected to the result. Some said they remind only the happiest customers to take the survey. "When horrible NPS comments would come in, the management would rail at the employees," said Alan Sabido, a former Best Buy employee who worked at a Las Vegas store for three years until he quit last year. Mr. Sabido recalled an instance when his store team received a bad score because a customer had a poor experience at a different Best Buy location. NPS took on a greater role after Hubert Joly joined as Best Buy's chief executive in 2012. The company said it was administering the NPS survey question to customers who bought products as well as those who didn't. Best Buy also made the metric one of the criteria used to determine bonuses. Since then, Best Buy has mentioned NPS or net promoter more than 50 times on earnings calls. The company has created a team of employees at its Richfield, Minn., headquarters called "Enterprise NPS" and some of its store workers are also tasked with "driving positive NPS results," according to job postings. "We use a number of methods to measure customer satisfaction and NPS is just one of them. We are aware of its limitations but believe it is valuable," said a Best Buy spokesman. "Our revenue and earnings have increased at the same time we've seen NPS improvements." When Mr. Joly announced he was stepping aside as CEO in April, Best Buy listed among his accomplishments that NPS grew by three points in the past fiscal year. In securities filings, Delta Air Lines Inc. has said it measures "customer service performance" as the percentage point improvement in its average NPS. The methodology, the company said, was approved by a board committee and its progress is reported periodically to the board. NPS is also listed as criteria for executive bonuses. Carol Campbell, Delta's managing director of customer experience, said most of her work entails using NPS to find opportunities to make investments. The airline added fresh-baked cookies on trans-Atlantic flights, chose to put nine seats in each Boeing 777 row instead of the standard 10 and made enhancements to its app because of NPS. Delta executives describe NPS as the "true North Star," she said, though the airline uses other customer metrics as well. "We have been able to statistically correlate our NPS performance with our revenue premium," she said, referring to how much more Delta is able to charge than a competitor because of its brand. UnitedHealth Group Inc. has mentioned NPS more times on earnings calls than any other S&P 500 company in the Journal's analysis. In April, CEO David Wichmann said the insurer's net promoter scores "continued to advance meaningfully in the first quarter 2019 as we march toward an aggressive target of 70 by 2025." "UnitedHealth Group uses NPS as an important measure to understand and continually improve upon the quality of the experience for those we serve," a spokesman for the company said. It's hard for investors to interpret the score because companies don't typically share response rates, margin of error, or whether results are adjusted for cultural and other biases. Research shows NPS tends to be higher when response rates are lower, and Americans tend to give higher scores than consumers in some countries such as Japan and Korea. Since so many NPS surveys are sent to customers through emails, web pop-ups and phone calls, it has become harder to elicit a response these days, survey firms said. Email response rates are usually less than 5%, according to an estimate by Qualaroo, a software startup that helps companies conduct user research. Software providers like Medallia and Qualtrics said they help companies get higher response rates. Satmetrix, which originally helped Mr. Reichheld develop the score and is now a division of software-provider NICE, said it sells access to the "world's best net promoter certification program." J.D. Power said it signed an agreement with Bain to "become the officially recognized authority for benchmarking the Net Promoter Score." Related video: Why Amazon is gobbling up failed malls Write to Khadeeja Safdar at khadeeja.safdar@wsj.com and Inti Pacheco at inti.pacheco@wsj.com


A man in Northern California has been arrested after a violent purse snatching captured the moment a woman and her daughter were dragged down a flight of stairs earlier this month, officials announced. The San Jose Police Department said in a news release Tuesday that Pablo Cabrera was arrested Saturday at his home in San Jose after he was identified as the suspect based on his description, vehicle, and method of operation. "We are fortunate this predator was caught before any more members of the public were victimized," San Jose Police Chief Eddie Garcia told KTVU. "It's just horrifying to watch that this guy is preying on women who are by themselves or in this case with a young child." FLORIDA MAN SLAPPED GIRLFRIEND WITH CHEESEBURGER, KICKED HER DOWN STAIRS: POLICE Authorities were able to link him to other robberies based on evidence recovered in his apartment described by Garcia as "ambush" attacks. All of the victims were Asian females carrying expensive purses. "Cabrera attacked victims from behind, grabbed their purse, and ran to his car," police said . The most recent attack took place May 6, when a woman and her young daughter were seen on a surveillance video being approached from behind while walking up a flight of stairs. Cabrera could be seen grabbing the purse from the victim's arm and then dragging the woman down the stairs along with her daughter. FATHER USED 'WATERBOARD-LIKE TECHNIQUE' ON DAUGHTER, 7, POLICE SAY "The girl was crying," Huy Voung, who called 911 after hearing the incident, told KTVU . "The mom was screaming multiple times. I don't know if the mom or the child slammed on the ground or the wall but I heard a very loud noise like boom and that's when I rushed out. The mom and the child went flying down the stairs. That's crazy. For the girl this small, it was too dangerous." CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP Robbery detectives were able to locate video surveillance of the robbery, along with a potential suspect vehicle, described as a black Lexus 4-door, leaving the area that led them to Cabrera, who was on parole for burglary, authorities said Officials said Cabrera was booked into Santa Clara County Jail for robbery and parole violation.


CHICAGO (AP) Lucas Giolito doesn't regard his victory as a complete game. After a long rain delay, five innings equaled nine - at least in the record book. Giolito struck out the side in the top of the fifth before play was halted because of rain, Leury Garcia homered and the Chicago White Sox beat the Toronto Blue Jays 4-1 Saturday. ''Everyone was joking about that, `Shower, complete game!''' Giolito said. ''I don't consider it a complete game until I get nine. But I went out there for the fifth and saw the rain coming down. I was like, `We've got to pick up the tempo a little bit,' and luckily we were able to get through five and close it out.'' The game was called after a wait of three hours. ''The raindrops were so big that they were getting into my glove, on the ball, getting on my hand,'' said Giolito, who improved to 5-1. ''So my approach was just to attack the strike zone with a fast pace and hopefully get a nice 1-2-3 inning, and that's what we did.'' Yonder Alonso had two singles and two RBIs for the White Sox, who have won five of seven. Ryan Feierabend (0-1) allowed four runs and seven hits in four innings for Toronto in his first start in the majors since 2008. He struck out two and walked one. The Blue Jays have lost 10 of 13. ''Our offense is swinging the bats a lot better, so I think we still had a chance,'' Toronto manager Charlie Montoyo said. ''Mother Nature says there's no way you can play.'' Garcia homered to left field on Feierabend's second pitch for his second home run this season, and second career leadoff drive. Freddy Galvis doubled down the right field line in the second inning, and a ball boy fell over while moving out of the way of the ball. Brandon Drury followed with a groundout to tie it at 1. Alonso and Charlie Tilson singled to drive in two runs for a 3-1 lead in the bottom half. Alonso added another RBI single in the third. The Blue Jays selected Feierabend's contract before the game from Triple-A Buffalo, where went 2-0 with a 2.70 ERA in three starts. He has pitched in Korea since last appearing in the majors in 2014 with the Texas Rangers. He entered with a career record of 2-11 with a 7.15 ERA and no road victories. The knuckleballer also throws a fastball and changeup. Giolito gave up a run and three hits and was credited with his first career complete game. He struck out four and walked two. Giolito had allowed one earned run in his previous 16 2/3 innings. ''The maturation that he's shown, the ability to continue to repeat that delivery, thank goodness,'' manager Rick Renteria said. WEATHER UPDATE Rain soaked the field before the game was called. ''MLB waited as long as they could - I appreciate that - to give us a chance, but then it was not playable,'' Montoyo said. ''There was nothing we could do about it.'' A SMALL WORLD In his last start, Feierabend pitched against the father of current teammate Vladimir Guerrero Jr. That's just one connection he has with former All-Stars and their offspring. Two others are in the Toronto farm system: the sons of Craig Biggio and Roger Clemens. ''It's kind of crazy,'' Feierabend said. ''I actually had this conversation with the guys in spring training: Not only Guerrero, but I played against Cavan Biggio's dad and (Kacy) Clemens' dad at one point or another.'' TRAINER'S ROOM Blue Jays: RHP Javy Guerra (0-0, 3.86 ERA) was designated for assignment to make room for Feierabend. ... RHP Clay Buchholz (right shoulder inflammation) had an MRI on Saturday that showed a Grade 2 elbow strain. He will follow up with Dr. James Andrews on Monday for a second opinion, according to the team. ... RHP David Phelps, who had Tommy John surgery in March 2018, has thrown two live bullpens with no issue, the team said. He was scheduled to throw another live bullpen Saturday. White Sox: LHP Carlos Rodon (3-2, 5.19) underwent successful Tommy John surgery on Wednesday. He is expected to return for the second half of next season. ... Renteria hopes OF Eloy Jimenez (right ankle sprain) will be ready to return from the injured list for the team's road trip that begins Monday at Houston. UP NEXT RHP Trent Thornton (1-4, 4.81 ERA) is expected to start for Toronto in the series finale. Thornton got his first major league victory after allowing two runs in 5 2/3 innings against San Francisco in his last start. RHP Reynaldo Lopez (3-4, 5.58) is scheduled for the White Sox. He has a 3.65 ERA in his last four starts. --- More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports


What's the number-one cruise destination in the British Isles and non-Mediterranean Western Europe? London? Lisbon? Bordeaux? Not according to the results of a 2019 readers' poll by Cruise Critic , which calls itself "the leading cruise reviews site," and boasts that it hosts "the largest cruise community in the world." Cruise Critic users have anointed...Kirkwall. Hardly a household name, even in well-traveled households, Kirkwall is the capital of Scotland's Orkney Islands, sometimes called simply Orkney, situated off the northern Scottish coast, where the Atlantic meets the North Sea. At their northernmost point, the islands are only 50 miles south of Greenland. Seabourn, Norwegian, Princess, Viking, and Fred. Olsen are among the cruise lines that include the port on their itineraries. Many travelers consider certain cruises to be better than other vacations . Kirkwall scored 121 five-star reviews (and only five one-stars) out of 185, with respondents hailing the "very friendly community" and calling it a "great little town" with an "interesting...variety of homes and churches" and a "gin distillery worth a visit." Even better for many were the sites of Orkney itself beyond Kirkwall -- including prehistoric sites, a beautiful countryside, and "the manor home of Laird who found remains of ancient people on his property and donated vast areas to science." Presumably nobody encountered another of the Orkney's attractions, its pint-size chinstrap penguins. Cruise Critic's readers gave the number-two slot in their rankings to Cobh, in Ireland's County Cork, and third place to Lerwick, the capital of a Scottish archipelago even further north than the Orkneys -- Shetland, which is closer to Bergen, Norway, than it is to Edinburgh. The number of cruise passengers has been increasing annually. Demand increased by more than a fifth between 2011 and 2016. The cruise industry has realized that the clientele is changing and is looking for more than endless pool parties and Broadway-like shows to keep passengers happy -- these are the cruises with best entertainment options . Related video: These are the best cruises, reviewers say (Provided by CNN)


A day removed from announcing 2019 Cincinnati Bengals training camp will start in Dayton to help celebrate the NFL's 100th season , the team released the full training camp schedule. Of the handful of practices open to the public, only the opener will take place in Dayton. The rest will occur at their usual spot outside Paul Brown Stadium. Here's a look at the schedule, plus when the gates open, per the team's official website : Saturday, July 27 2:30 p.m. Welcome Stadium | Dayton, OH Gates open at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, July 28 3 p.m. Practice Fields | Paul Brown Stadium Gates open at 2:30 p.m. Monday, July 29 3 p.m. Practice Fields | Paul Brown Stadium Gates open at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 30 3 p.m. Practice Fields | Paul Brown Stadium Gates open at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 31 3 p.m. Practice Fields | Paul Brown Stadium Gates open at 2:30 p.m. Friday, August 2 3 p.m. Practice Fields | Paul Brown Stadium Gates open at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, August 3 3 p.m. Game Field | Paul Brown Stadium Family DEY, Gates open at 2 p.m. Tuesday, August 6 3 p.m. Practice Fields | Paul Brown Stadium Gates open at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, August 7 3 p.m. Practice Fields | Paul Brown Stadium Gates open at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, August 8 3 p.m. Practice Fields | Paul Brown Stadium Gates open at 2:30 p.m. Monday, August 12 3 p.m. Practice Fields | Paul Brown Stadium Gates open at 2:30 p.m. Dates not included won't have public access. The team's website has an official frequently asked questions guide for fans in search of help. The practices after the opener are expected to take in the two-hour range with player availability after, along with the usual Family DEY event. MORE: Shaq got so frustrated with Ryan Hollins' basketball takes on ESPN Brett Favre Says He's Coming Out of Retirement on Instagram NBA Free Agency 2019: The top players Mike O'Hara says Matthew Stafford played with broken back in 2018 Lowe: Steven Adams may be moved despite challenge with sizable contract


NEW YORK   Mayor Bill de Blasio's NYPD security detail travelled with him to Iowa and South Carolina this past weekend as the mayor kicked off his presidential campaign. Those officers will rack up overtime pay as they protect the mayor throughout election season. Even if de Blasio wins the Democratic nomination in the race and gets Secret Service protection, the NYPD will stick with de Blasio as long as he's mayor of New York City. The NYPD is reportedly on track to exceed its fiscal year overtime budget by tens of millions of dollars, but NYPD Deputy Commissioner John Miller says there is no way around the de Blasio's security tab. "As long as he's the mayor and he's traveling, the NYPD is going to protect him," Miller said. In an effort to reign in budgetary over-runs, the NYPD recently put a cap on allowable overtime for its officers. But some overtime can't be prevented. "The NYPD position on this is, we protect the mayor because he's the mayor wherever he goes," Miller said. "Whether that's on vacation, out of the county, out of town   and this fits into that model." Overtime for de Blasio's detail is managed the same way it's managed in the Intelligence and Counterterrorism Bureau. "So far I haven't seen any significant increases in their overtime," Miller said.     ©2019 WPIX-TV, New York Visit WPIX-TV, New York at www.pix11.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.