The Fraziers have a deep passion for European cars and amazing service. With Collector Car Appreciation Day upon us, it's a wonderful time to highlight a family-owned and operated dealership which is valiantly promoting the cause. Since 1976, Jeff Frazier has been selling classic European and exotic cars. While Frazier Motorcar Company opened in 2017, the boutique dealership relies on the years of experience gained by Jeff Frazier and his daughter Caitlin. Despite being small, Frazier Motorcar Company has an impressive inventory . Two warehouses store all kinds of classic Porsches, MGs, Jaguars, Maseratis, and more. To walk through and view these vehicles is almost like visiting an automotive museum. The quality, originality, and overall appeal of the machines cannot be denied. Buying a collector car is a deeply personal experience. It's not like purchasing a new Honda Accord or Ford F-150, which are just regular vehicles with maybe a few options added. Each car has a history, a reason why it has been preserved so well for so long. After all, most people essentially throw away their car after a certain period of time, yet these classics were treated the exact opposite. Because Frazier Motorcar Company is run by enthusiasts, you'll find they focus on portraying the history and story of each car. It's a way of keeping the past alive, instead of just closing the book on life and how people got around back in the day. That means each vehicle which passes through the boutique shop is treated with the upmost care and respect, even a reverence since they're all special. Of course, a dealer is only as good as its word, and Frazier Motorcar Company gets that. The Fraziers strive to provide the most honest representation of the history and current state of each car they sell. That's key since in this day and age of the Internet most customers don't live near the dealership, sometimes even residing out of the country. It's always reassuring to know you're buying from an honest business, instead of having a long-awaited car delivered only to find it isn't what you thought it would be. Classic Cars This 1965 Austin-Healey Sprite Is An Affordable Vintage Cruiser 1952 MG TD Roadster: The English Sports Car


Helmets, shoulder pads, jerseys and other equipment from the defunct Alliance of American Football was purchased by a former commissioner of the Arena Football League at a bankruptcy auction. Jerry Kurz, who worked in Arena Football for much of that sport's history and was its commissioner from 2010 to 2014, paid $455,000 to buy all of the AAF's equipment, according to the San Antonio Express-News . What Kurz plans to do with the equipment is unknown, but given his background, it seems likely that he has plans for some kind of minor league football venture. The XFL, which will launch next year, was said to be interested in buying the AAF's equipment but apparently didn't think it was worth what Kurz was willing to spend. The AAF, which went under before finishing its first season, has few significant assets to divvy up in bankruptcy proceedings. The one asset that has drawn attention is the league's real-time betting app , which may result in a fight over MGM's attempt to buy it for just $125,000.


ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates   Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, the 29-year-old commander of the almost negligible air force of the United Arab Emirates, had come to Washington shopping for weapons. In 1991, in the months after Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, the young prince wanted to buy so much military hardware to protect his own oil-rich monarchy   from Hellfire missiles to Apache helicopters to F-16 jets   that Congress worried he might destabilize the region. But the Pentagon, trying to cultivate accommodating allies in the Gulf, had identified Prince Mohammed as a promising partner. The favorite son of the semi-literate Bedouin who founded the United Arab Emirates, Prince Mohammed was a serious-minded, British-trained helicopter pilot who had persuaded his father to transfer $4 billion into the United States treasury to help pay for the 1991 war in Iraq. Sign Up For the Morning Briefing Newsletter Richard A. Clarke, then an assistant secretary of state, reassured lawmakers that the young prince would never become "an aggressor." "The U.A.E. is not now and never will be a threat to stability or peace in the region," Mr. Clarke said in congressional testimony. "That is very hard to imagine. Indeed, the U.A.E. is a force for peace." Thirty years later, Prince Mohammed, now 58, crown prince of Abu Dhabi and de facto ruler of the United Arab Emirates, is arguably the most powerful leader in the Arab world. He is also among the most influential foreign voices in Washington, urging the United States to adopt his increasingly bellicose approach to the region. [ Here are five takeaways from our report on Prince Mohammed. ] Prince Mohammed is almost unknown to the American public and his tiny country has fewer citizens than Rhode Island. But he may be the richest man in the world. He controls sovereign wealth funds worth $1.3 trillion, more than any other country. His influence operation in Washington is legendary (Mr. Clarke got rich on his payroll). His military is the Arab world's most potent, equipped through its work with the United States to conduct high -tech surveillance and combat operations far beyond its borders. For decades, the prince has been a key American ally, following Washington's lead, but now he is going his own way. His special forces are active in Yemen, Libya, Somalia and Egypt's North Sinai. He has worked to thwart democratic transitions in the Middle East, helped install a reliable autocrat in Egypt and boosted a protégé to power in Saudi Arabia. At times, the prince has contradicted American policy and destabilized neighbors. Rights groups have criticized him for jailing dissidents at home, for his role in creating a humanitarian crisis in Yemen , and for backing the Saudi prince whose agents killed the dissident writer Jamal Khashoggi. Yet under the Trump administration, his influence in Washington appears greater than ever. He has a rapport with Mr. Trump, who has frequently adopted the prince's views on Qatar, Libya and Saudi Arabia, even over the advice of cabinet officials or senior national security staff. Western diplomats who know the prince   known as M.B.Z.   say he is obsessed with two enemies, Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood . Mr. Trump has sought to move strongly against both and last week took steps to bypass congressional opposition to keep selling weapons to both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. "M.B.Z. has an extraordinary way of telling Americans his own interests but making it come across as good advice about the region," said Ben Rhodes, a deputy national security adviser under President Barack Obama, whose sympathy for the Arab Spring and negotiations with Iran brought blistering criticism from the Emirati prince. When it comes to influence in Washington, Mr. Rhodes added, "M.B.Z. is in a class by himself." Prince Mohammed worked assiduously before the presidential election to crack Mr. Trump's inner circle, and secured a secret meeting during the transition period with the president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner. The prince also tried to broker talks between the Trump administration and Russia, a gambit that later entangled him in the special counsel's investigation into foreign election interference. Today, at least five people working for Prince Mohammed have been caught up in criminal investigations growing out of that inquiry. A regular visitor to the United States for three decades, Prince Mohammed has now stayed away for two years, in part because he fears prosecutors might seek to question him or his aides, according to two people familiar with his thinking. (His brother, the foreign minister, has visited.) The United Arab Emirates' Embassy in Washington declined to comment. The prince's many American defenders say it is only prudent of him to try to shape United States policy, as many governments do, and that he sees his interventions as an attempt to compensate for an American pullback. But Prince Mohammed's critics say that his rise is a study in unintended consequences. The obscure young prince whom Washington adopted as a pliant ally is now fanning his volatile region's flames. By arming the United Arab Emirates with such advanced surveillance technology, commandos and weaponry, argued Tamara Cofman Wittes, a former State Department official and fellow at the Brookings Institution. "We have created a little Frankenstein." The Perfect Prince Most Arab royals are paunchy, long-winded and prone to keep visitors waiting. Not Prince Mohammed. He graduated at the age of 18 from the British officers' training program at Sandhurst. He stays slim and fit, trades tips with visitors about workout machines, and never arrives late for a meeting. American officials invariably describe him as concise, inquisitive, even humble. He pours his own coffee, and to illustrate his love for America, sometimes tells visitors that he has taken his grandchildren to Disney World incognito. He makes time for low-ranking American officials and greets senior dignitaries at the airport. With a shy, lopsided smile, he will offer a tour of his country, then climb into a helicopter to fly his guest over the skyscrapers and lagoons of Dubai and Abu Dhabi. "There was always a 'wow' factor with M.B.Z.," recalled Marcelle Wahba, a former American ambassador to the United Arab Emirates. In the capital, Abu Dhabi, he has overseen a construction craze that has hidden the former coastline behind man-made islands. One is intended to become a financial district akin to Wall Street. Another includes a campus of New York University, a franchise of the Louvre and a planned extension of the Guggenheim. When he meets Americans, Prince Mohammed emphasizes the things that make the United Arab Emirates more liberal than their neighbors. Women have more opportunities: A third of the cabinet ministers are female. Unlike Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates allow Christian churches and Hindu or Sikh temples, partly to accommodate a vast foreign work force. (The country is estimated to have nine million residents, but fewer than a million citizens; the rest are foreign workers.) To underscore the point, the prince last year created a Ministry of Tolerance and declared this the "Year of Tolerance." He has hosted the Special Olympics and Pope Francis. "I think he has done admirable work not just in diversifying the economy but in diversifying the system of thought of the population as well," said Gen. John R. Allen, former commander of United States and N.A.T.O. forces in Afghanistan, now president of the Brookings Institution. (In between, General Allen was an adviser to the United Arab Emirates' Ministry of Defense.) The United Arab Emirates are a tiny federation of city-states, yet Abu Dhabi alone accounts for 6 percent of the world's proven oil reserves, making it a tempting target to a larger neighbor like Iran. In 1971, when the U.A.E. gained independence from Britain, the shah of Iran seized three disputed Persian Gulf islands. The Muslim Brotherhood, a 90-year-old Islamist movement founded in Egypt, has become mainstream in many Arab countries. On that subject, Prince Mohammed says his dread is more personal. His father assigned a prominent Brotherhood member, Ezzedine Ibrahim, as Prince Mohammed's tutor, and he attempted an indoctrination that backfired, the prince often says. "I am an Arab, I am a Muslim and I pray. And in the 1970s and early 1980s I was one of them," Prince Mohammed told visiting American diplomats in 2007, as they reported in a classified cable released by WikiLeaks. "I believe these guys have an agenda." He worries about the appeal of Islamist politics to his population. As many as 80 percent of the soldiers in his forces would answer the call of "some holy man in Mecca," he once told American diplomats, according to a cable released by WikiLeaks. For that reason, diplomats say, Prince Mohammed has long argued that the Arab world is not ready for democracy. Islamists would win any elections. "In any Muslim country, you will see the same result," he said in a 2007 meeting with American officials. "The Middle East is not California." The United Arab Emirates began allowing American forces to operate from bases inside the country during the Persian Gulf war of 1991. Since then, the prince's commandos and air forces have been deployed with the Americans in Kosovo, Somalia, Afghanistan and Libya, as well as against the Islamic State. He has recruited American commanders to run his military and former spies to set up his intelligence services. He also acquired more weaponry in the four years before 2010 than the other five Gulf monarchies combined, including 80 F-16 fighters, 30 Apache combat helicopters, and 62 French Mirage jets. Some American officers describe the United Arab Emirates as "Little Sparta." With advice from former top military commanders including former Secretary of Defense James Mattis and General Allen, Prince Mohammed has even developed an Emirati defense industry, producing an amphibious armored vehicle known as The Beast and others that he is already supplying to clients in Libya and Egypt. The United Arab Emirates are also preparing a low-altitude propeller-driven bomber for counterinsurgency combat   an idea Mr. Mattis had long recommended for the United States, a former officer close to him said. Prince Mohammed has often told American officials that he saw Israel as an ally against Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood. Israel trusted him enough to sell him upgrades for his F-16s, as well as advanced mobile phone spyware. To many in Washington, Prince Mohammed had become America's best friend in the region, a dutiful partner who could be counted on for tasks from countering Iranian influence in Lebanon to funding construction in Iraq. "It was well known that if you needed something done in the Middle East," recalled Richard G. Olson, a former United States ambassador to Abu Dhabi, "the Emiratis would do it." A Prince Goes Rogue Prince Mohammed seemed to find a kindred spirit when President Barack Obama took office in 2009, White House aides said. Both were detached, analytic and intrigued by big questions. For a time, Mr. Obama sought out phone conversations with Prince Mohammed more than with any other foreign leader, several senior White House officials recalled. But the Arab Spring came between them. Uprisings swept the region. The Muslim Brotherhood was winning elections. And Mr. Obama appeared to endorse the demands for democracy   though in Syria, where the uprising threatened a foe of the Emiratis, he balked at military action. Then it emerged that the Obama administration was in secret nuclear talks with Iran. "They felt not only ignored   they felt betrayed by the Obama administration, and I think Prince Mohammed felt it particularly and personally," said Stephen Hadley, a national security adviser under President George W. Bush who has stayed close to the prince. After the uprisings, Prince Mohammed saw the United Arab Emirates as the only one of the 22 Arab states still on its feet, with a stable government, functional economy, able military and "moderate ideology," said Abdulkhalleq Abdulla, an Emirati political scientist with access to the country's senior officials. "The U.A.E. is part of this very dangerous region that is getting more dangerous by the day   full of chaos and wars and extremists," he said. "So the motivation is this: If we don't go after the bad guys, they will come after us." At home, Prince Mohammed hired a company linked to Erik Prince, the founder of the private security company formerly known as Blackwater, to create a force of Colombian, South African and other mercenaries. He crushed any hint of dissent, arresting five activists for organizing a petition for democratic reforms (signed by only 132 people) and rounding up dozens suspected of sympathizing with the Muslim Brotherhood. The United Arab Emirates revved up its influence machine in Washington, too. They were among the biggest spenders among foreign governments on Washington advocates and consultants, paying as much $21 million in 2017, according to a tally by the Center for Responsive Politics. They earned good will with million-dollar donations after natural disasters, and they sought to frame public debate by giving millions more to major think tanks. The Middle East Institute recently received $20 million. Its chairman is Mr. Clarke, the former official who pushed through the U.A.E. defense contracts. After leaving government in 2003, he had also founded a consultancy with the United Arab Emirates as a primary client. He did not respond to requests for comment. Emirati Ambassador Yousef Otaiba hammered his many contacts in the White House and on Capitol Hill, arguing that Mr. Obama was ceding the region to extremists and Iran. The prince himself made the case at the highest levels. He "gave me an earful," former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates recalled in a memoir. In the Middle East, Prince Mohammed did more than talk. In Egypt, he backed a military takeover in 2013 that removed an elected president who was a Muslim Brotherhood leader. In the Horn of Africa, he dispatched a force to Somalia first to combat piracy and then to fight extremists. He went on to establish commercial ports or naval bases around the Gulf of Aden. In Libya, Prince Mohammed defied American pleas and a United Nations embargo by arming the forces of the militia leader and would-be strongman Khalifa Hifter. Emirati pilots carried out airstrikes in Tripoli and eventually established an air base in eastern Libya. In the past, the prince looked for a "green light" from Washington, said Ms. Wahba, the former American ambassador. Now he may send a heads-up, she said, but "he is not asking permission anymore." Saudi Arabia, the giant next door, had quarreled with the United Arab Emirates over borders and, as the regional heavyweight, also constrained U.A.E. foreign policy. By the end of 2014, the position of crown prince   next in line for the throne   had passed to a known foe of the Emirati prince. So he plunged into the internal Saudi succession battle and waged an all-out lobbying campaign in Washington on behalf of a little-known alternative: the 29-year-old Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a favorite son of the aged Saudi king. "M.B.Z.'s message was, if you trust me and you like me, you will like this guy because he is cut from the same cloth," recalled Mr. Rhodes, the Obama adviser. By March 2015, the two princes had invaded Yemen together to roll back a takeover by a faction aligned with Iran. Then in 2017, as the Saudi prince consolidated his power, they cut off all trade and diplomatic ties with Qatar to pressure it into abandoning support for the Muslim Brotherhood. Both the Yemen and Qatar conflicts are routinely described as Saudi-led, but the Emirati prince first sought to sell them to Washington, Mr. Rhodes and other former officials recalled. By late 2015, American diplomats say, Prince Mohammed was also suggesting that the United Arab Emirates and a new Saudi leadership could be crucial in bringing the Palestinians around to some new peace agreement   the so-called "outside-in" approach to a deal. But for that, Prince Mohammed awaited a new administration. All the Prince's Men It was meant to be a personal farewell. Despite their sharp differences, Prince Mohammed had remained cordial with Mr. Obama, and the president thought they shared a mutual respect, according to four senior White House officials. So when the prince requested a final meeting, as friends, Mr. Obama agreed to a lunch at the White House in December 2016. But Prince Mohammed backed out without much explanation. He flew instead to New York for his first face-to-face meeting with Jared Kushner and other advisers to the president-elect, Donald J. Trump. To arrange the meetings, Prince Mohammed had turned to a financier, Richard Gerson, founder of Falcon Edge Capital. He had worked with the prince for years, and he was also a friend of Mr. Kushner. "I am always here as your trusted family back channel any time you want to discreetly pass something," Mr. Gerson wrote to the prince after the election in a private text message, one of several provided to The Times by a third party and corroborated independently. He signed off another message as "your loyal soldier." The trip was supposed to be secret, but intelligence agencies detected the prince's arrival. Mr. Obama's advisers were stunned. But Prince Mohammed was already working to reverse the administration's policies, talking to Mr. Trump's advisers about the dangers of Iran and about Palestinian peace talks, according to two people familiar with the meetings. "They were deeply impressed with you and already are convinced that you are their true friend and closest ally," Mr. Gerson wrote to the prince after the meetings. Prince Mohammed was positioning himself as an intermediary to Russia, too. One of Prince Mohammed's younger brothers had introduced Mr. Gerson to a Russian businessman who acts as a liaison between President Vladimir V. Putin and the Persian Gulf monarchs, according to the special counsel's report. The Russian businessman, Kirill Dmitriev, conferred with Mr. Gerson about a "reconciliation plan" for the United States and Russia, and shortly before the inauguration Mr. Gerson gave a two-page summary of the plan to Mr. Kushner. Mr. Gerson declined to comment for this article. The next month, in January, Prince Mohammed invited Mr. Dmitriev to an Emirati retreat in the Seychelles to meet with someone else they thought represented the Trump team: Mr. Prince, the Blackwater founder who had recruited mercenaries for the United Arab Emirates. Why Prince Mohammed would seek to connect Russia with Mr. Trump's circle remains a matter of debate, but he has worked for years to try to entice Mr. Putin away from Iran, according to American diplomats and leaked emails from the Emirati ambassador in Washington. But prosecutors are also investigating the activities of other operatives and go-betweens working for the prince who tried to insinuate themselves around Mr. Trump . Investigators are still examining the campaign contacts of an Israeli specialist in social media manipulation who has worked for Prince Mohammed and of a Lebanese-American businessman who acted as his emissary . Other prosecutors are investigating whether another top Republican donor whose security company worked for the prince should legally have registered as his agent. The special counsel's office has also questioned Rashid al-Malik, an Emirati real-estate developer based in Los Angeles who is close to Prince Mohammed and to his brother   the head of Emirati intelligence. Mr. al-Malik is also close to Mr. Trump's friend Tom Barrack, and investigators are asking whether Mr. al-Malik was part of an illegal influence scheme, according to two people familiar with the matter. Another investigation, prompted by a whistle-blower, is examining the possibility that the United Arab Emirates used cyberespionage techniques from former American operatives to spy on American citizens. Yet the prince's courtship of the Trump administration has not been damaged. In the two and a half years since his first meeting with Mr. Kushner, Prince Mohammed has received almost everything he sought from the White House. A Prince Undaunted Each winter, Prince Mohammed invites financiers and former officials to Abu Dhabi for a salon that demonstrates his global influence. The guest list last December included former British Prime Minister Tony Blair; former French President Nicolas Sarkozy; former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice; Mr. Hadley, the Bush-era national security adviser; the American investors Mohamed A. El-Erian, David M. Rubenstein and Thomas S. Kaplan; and the Chinese computer scientist and investor Kai-Fu Lee. Undeterred, the prince also included Mr. Dmitriev, the Russian businessman linked to Mr. Putin. Prince Mohammed's post-Arab Spring interventions have hardly stabilized the region. An aide he sent to Cairo to help turn around the moribund economy has returned in frustration. Egypt's military-backed government still depends on billions of dollars a year in assistance from the United Arab Emirates and its Gulf allies, and despite Emirati help and Israeli airstrikes, Cairo has not yet quelled a militant backlash centered in the North Sinai. The isolation of Qatar has failed to change its policies. In Libya, Khalifa Hifter is mired in a bloody stalemate. Prince Mohammed's push in the Horn of Africa has set off a competition for access and influence among rivals like Turkey and Qatar. In Somalia, after allegations of bribery by the fragile central government, Emirati forces have shifted to the semiautonomous regions of Puntland and Somaliland. Djibouti, alleging neglect, last year replaced its Emirati port managers with a Chinese rival. "He thinks he is Machiavelli but he acts more like Mussolini," said Bruce Riedel, a scholar at the Brookings Institution and a former official in the Central Intelligence Agency. In Saudi Arabia, the Emirati prince has been embarrassed by the conclusion of American intelligence agencies that his Saudi protégé had ordered the brutal murder of Mr. Khashoggi, a Virginia-based Saudi dissident and Washington Post columnist. Their joint, four-year-old intervention in Yemen is turning into a quagmire, with horrific civilian casualties. "The U.A.E. is a stain on the world conscience   the U.A.E. as it is currently governed is violating every norm of the civilized world," said Representative Ro Khanna, Democrat of California. Yet the prince's standing remains strong inside the Trump administration. The "outside-in" proposals for Israeli-Palestinian peace passed over by the Obama administration are at the core of Mr. Kushner's emerging plans. Mr. Trump has repeatedly backed the positions of the Emirati prince: by endorsing his Saudi protégé after the Khashoggi killing, by applauding the isolation of Qatar even as the secretary of state and secretary of defense publicly opposed it, by canceling the nuclear deal with Iran, by seeking to designate the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist group, and by vetoing legislation to cut off American military support for Saudi and Emirati forces in Yemen. Last month, Mr. Trump publicly endorsed the Emiratis' favored militia leader in Libya one day after a phone call with Prince Mohammed   even through Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had previously urged the same leader to retreat. Mr. Mattis, the former secretary of defense, last month delivered a lecture in Abu Dhabi sponsored by Prince Mohammed. When he joined the Trump administration, Mr. Mattis disclosed that he had received $242,000 in annual fees as well as valuable stock options as a board member at the defense contractor General Dynamics, which does extensive business with Abu Dhabi. He had also worked as an unpaid adviser to Prince Mohammed. "It's the Year of Tolerance. How many countries in the world right now are having a year of tolerance?" Mr. Mattis asked. "I don't know of any," he said. "You are an example." Mark Mazzetti and Adam Goldman contributed reporting from Washington, and Ronen Bergman from Jerusalem.


Packing school lunches that kids will like and are easy to eat can be a challenge, according to Amy Reed, a registered dietitian at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. Even when parents carefully craft sandwiches into fun shapes, stack fruit kabobs to resemble animals and chop veggies to look like a rainbow, these foods may come home uneaten. Reed explained there are many reasons why kids may pass on these seemingly enticing foods, including: Time constraints. All schools are different, but some students get only a 15-minute window to eat their lunch. This is often not enough time for young kids, who are likely socializing, to eat. A desire to stay clean. Some kids choose not to eat lunch if they feel their meal would be too messy. Loose teeth. Children with loose or missing teeth may have more trouble eating certain foods. Too many choices: Some kids may be overwhelmed if there is too much food packed into their lunch box. But, there are ways parents can sidestep some of these issues and help ensure their children eat a healthy lunch at school. Reed offered the following suggestions: Don't overpack. For children who have a limited time to eat their lunch or feel overwhelmed by too much food, provide smaller portions of food. This doesn't mean the lunch should be less nutritious. Be sure to provide a limited serving of foods from at least four food groups. Limit containers. It may take a lot of time for children to open just one container. If they need to open a few, it could use up valuable time they need to eat their lunch. In some cases, small children may not be able to open certain containers at all. Try packing kids' lunches in a bento box - one container that has a few small compartments with a lid on top. Make sure food is easy to eat. Children who have loose or missing teeth may need to eat foods that don't require biting with their front teeth and can be chewed on the side of the mouth, such as lunch meat, lettuce and cheese rolled-up (instead of a sandwich); thin slices of pineapple, apples or pears; and cheese sticks, squeeze yogurt and fruit pouches. Limit treats. Children may choose to eat treats first. If they have limited time, this may be all they eat. Some kids may also fill up on treats and never try the other more nutritious foods in their lunch box. Seek advice. For kids who have medical problems, food allergies or sensory issues, eating a variety of foods may be more difficult. Parents who are concerned about their child's food intake can get help from their pediatrician and a registered dietitian.


NBA coaches likely will be challenging one call per game next season. The league told teams Friday that, pending expected approval by the board of governors on July 9, coaches may challenge a personal foul charged to their team, a called out-of-bounds violation, a goaltending violation or a basket-interference violation. No other call may be challenged. "We anticipate this rule will be in effect in the NBA next season as a one-year pilot program," NBA Basketball Operations President Byron Spruell told teams in the memo, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press. ESPN first reported the memo's contents. The NBA already has a call-challenge program in place in the G League and tinkered with it during summer league last year. It will be used during all three summer leagues this season -- the four-team league in Sacramento and Salt Lake City that open Monday, and the one in Las Vegas that opens July 5. Unlike the NFL version of a challenge, there's no flag to be used and teams will not retain them even if successful. A team will have to call timeout and the coach "must immediately signal for a challenge by twirling his/her index finger toward the referees," the memo said. A challenge must come immediately after the play and challenges of out-of-bounds calls, goaltending or basket interference will not be permitted in the last two minutes of the fourth quarter or the last two minutes of overtime. "As with other replay reviews, in order to overturn the event as called on the floor, there must be clear and conclusive visual evidence that the call was incorrect," the memo said. If the challenge is unsuccessful, the team will lose its timeout. If the challenge is upheld, no timeout will be charged. Also likely coming to the league: Instant replay can be triggered by officials in the review center in Secaucus, New Jersey, without the involvement of the on-court crew. The league said it wants to give the replay center the authority to review whether a shot was a 2-pointer or 3-pointer without on-court crews asking for it, as well as the ability to review potential shot-clock violations. A courtside administrator would be added to the crew at the scorer's table to communicate with the replay center and then be the liaison to announce any immediate scoring changes. For summer league only, there will be a "transition take foul" -- one free throw and retention of the ball when a defender commits a take foul against any offensive player during a transition scoring opportunity but does not meet the criteria of a clear-path foul. And in Las Vegas, a new high-tech element will make its debut. What the NBA calls a "connected basketball" will sometimes be in use for those games. The NBA said it has been working with Spalding and other vendors to develop a basketball with a tracking chip inside, and prototypes will be tried out during the Vegas league. Some companies have been in the smart-ball game for a few years, offering users the chance to use apps to track their accuracy and other data. Related slideshow: Top 50 NBA free agents (Provided by Yardbarker)


FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami/AP)   Florida wildlife officials are clarifying instructions to the public about killing non-native iguanas. That's because the work doesn't end once the iguana is dead. A Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission statement released Thursday says members of the public who are not capable of safely and humanely removing iguanas from their property should seek assistance from professionals. An FWC news release earlier this month said people should exterminate the large green lizards on their properties, as well as on 22 public lands areas across South Florida. It didn't say just how civilians should try to do that. In Thursday's statement, Commissioner Rodney Barreto says it was unfortunately conveyed that they were asking the public to shoot iguanas. He says that's not case, explaining "This is not the 'wild west.'" Iguanas aren't dangerous but can dig lengthy tunnels and damage seawalls, sidewalks and landscape foliage. (© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)


Looking to get out into the community this weekend? From a new Smithsonian exhibit of fossils to the Capital Pride Parade, there's plenty to do when it comes to community and cultural meetups coming up in Washington. Read on for a rundown. Hoodline offers data-driven analysis of local happenings and trends across cities. Links included in this article may earn Hoodline a commission on clicks and transactions. Dinosaurs: The Smithsonian's Hall of Fossils Exhibit Opening Day From the event description: The new, 31,000-square-foot fossil hall invites you to explore the epic story of how Earth's distant past is connected to the present and informs our future. Travel through ancient ecosystems, witness the evolution of life and get up close to some 700 fossil specimens. When: Saturday, June 8, 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Where: Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, 10th Street and Constitution Avenue NW Admission: Free Click here for more details, and to get your tickets The Fields at RFK Campus Grand Opening and Community Celebration From the event description: Mayor Muriel Bowser and Events DC, the District's convention and sports authority, will celebrate the opening of The Fields at RFK Campus. The ribbon-cutting ceremony will be followed by a community celebration with activities, live music and refreshments for all residents to enjoy. When: Saturday, June 8, 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Where: The Fields at RFK Campus, 2400 E. Capitol St. SE Admission: Free Click here for more details, and to get your tickets March with Mayor Muriel Bowser at the 2019 Capital Pride Parade From the event description: Walk with the Bowser Administration at the Capital Pride Parade, one of Washington, D.C.'s landmark parades. The parade travels through Dupont Circle and 14th Street and ends in the Logan Circle neighborhood. It will include more than 180 contingents   floats, vehicles, walkers and entertainment. When: Saturday, June 8, 3:30-7:30 p.m. Where: Parade starting point, 21st and P streets NW Admission: Free Click here for more details, and to get your tickets Not The White House Pride Party From the event description: It's not pride weekend without brunch. ... We're partnering with LGBTQ44 again, the unofficial network of Obama LGBTQ Alumni, to turn our pride into action. Last year we raised over $10,000 for TransLaw   Trans Legal Advocates of Washington. When: Sunday, June 9, noon-4 p.m. Where: Republic Restoratives Distillery and Craft Cocktail Bar, 1369 New York Ave. NE Admission: $20 Click here for more details, and to get your tickets Parking in Washington, D.C. can be tough, especially during popular events. To find free or cheap parking and to book parking in advance, see this map of D.C. parking from SpotAngels. And to get there by public transportation, check the Metro website for nearby stations and schedules. This story was created automatically using local event data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.


A New York Police Department supervisor called the death of Eric Garner   killed during an arrest for selling loose cigarettes   "not a big deal," according to testimony at the departmental trial of the officer who applied a deadly chokehold. After Daniel Pantaleo choked Garner from behind before three officers tackled him, Sgt. Dhanan Saminath told Lt. Christopher Brannon in a text message that Garner was "most likely DOA ... he has no pulse," according to evidence presented Thursday, the Staten Island Advance and New York Times both reported. That's when Lt. Brannon responded, "Not a big deal, we were effecting a lawful arrest," both newspapers reported. When the text message was read out loud, gasps and cries could be heard from the courtroom audience, the papers said. Pantaleo, the officer who was seen on video clutching Garner's neck, is facing an administrative trial to determine if he should be fired for using a chokehold on Garner on July 17, 2014. Garner, 43, who was asthmatic, died not long after repeatedly uttering, "I can't breathe," as a team of officers brought him down outside of 202 Bay St. in the Staten Island borough of New York City. Garner's death was ruled a homicide but a Staten Island grand jury presented evidence by prosecutors of then-District Attorney Dan Donovan, declined to indict Pantaleo . The embattled police officer has remained employed by the NYPD. The City of New York reached a $5.9 million civil settlement with Garner's family in 2015. The choking death of Garner and fatal police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri , a month later helped galvanize the Black Lives Matter movement against police brutality.


We've made it to Day 6 of Kansas City Chiefs training camp. After a brief intermission on Thursday, the Chiefs are back for another training camp practice in St. Joseph, Missouri. The sixth open practice is set to begin today at 8:15 a.m. CT, located on the campus of Missouri Western State University. The full team will sign autographs after practice for Chiefs alumni day. If you're planning on attending practice again, you'll want to keep an eye on the weather. There's a 30 percent chance of rain with isolated thunderstorms expected in the area during the course of practice. If you tried to attend Wednesday's practice, you'll recall that the Chiefs move indoors if there is lightning and thunder in the area. We'll update you here and with another post if the Chiefs do decide to cancel practice. Injury reports: Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Recap and reactions: Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 No day 4 recap No day 5 recap Chiefs 2019 training camp primer: Click here . Chiefs' 2019 training camp schedule: Date Times Activities Saturday, July 27 3:30 p.m. First Practice Open to the Public - $5 Admission Fee | Team Autograph Session Sunday, July 28 8:15 a.m. Season Ticket Member Day | Team Autograph Session Monday, July 29 8:15 a.m Autographs: Linebackers Tuesday, July 30 8:15 a.m Autographs: Defensive backs Wednesday, July 31 9:15 a.m. Autographs: Wide receivers & Tight ends Friday, August 2 8:15 a.m. Chiefs Alumni Day | Gatorade junior camp | Team Autograph Session Saturday, August 3 8:15 a.m. Family Fun Day | $5 Admission Fee | Team Autograph Session Sunday, August 4 8:15 a.m. Season Ticket Member Day | Team Autograph Session Monday, August 5 9:15 a.m. Autographs: Offensive line & Defensive line Wedsday, August 7 8:15 a.m. Autographs: Quarterbacks, running backs & specialists Thursday, August 8 8:15 a.m. Autographs: Linebackers Saturday, August 10 7:00 p.m. Preseason Game 1 vs. Bengals Monday, August 12 8:15 a.m. Autographs: Defensive backs Tuesday, August 13 8:15 a.m. Autographs: Wide receivers & Tight ends Wednesday, August 14 8:15 a.m. Autographs: Offensive line & Defensive line Thursday, August 15 9:15 a.m. Military Appreciation Day | Final Camp Practice Chiefs' 2019 training camp autograph schedule: Chiefs Wire Twitter list and live updates: A Twitter List by TheChiefsWire MORE: How Kawhi Leonard broke the news to Raptors coach Nick Nurse that he was leaving Five potential Jeremy Lin landing spots in free agency Biggest winners from the first week of Packers training camp Steven Jackson gets random drug test from NFL after signing 1-day contract Tom Brady's Evolution Across 17 Years of Madden is Fascinating


The Devils have acquired Russian star winger Nikita Gusev in a trade with the Vegas Golden Knights. New Jersey is sending a third-round draft pick in 2020 and a second-round selection in 2021 to Vegas in exchange for Gusev. The Devils announced Monday they also have signed the restricted free agent to a two-year, $9 million contract. The Golden Knights added Gusev in a June 2017 trade with Tampa Bay, but he chose to remain in the Kontinental Hockey League in Russia. He joined Vegas during the playoffs last season but never played for the Golden Knights. In 62 games with SKA St. Petersburg in 2018-19, Gusev had 17 goals and a league-leading 65 assists and 82 points. The 27-year-old was a four-time KHL All-Star. Gusev is the latest notable addition to the Devils this offseason. Last month, New Jersey drafted center Jack Hughes first overall and then traded for veteran defenseman P.K. Subban.


Meet the Cannes jury as the film festival rolls out the red carpet. Rough cut (no reporter narration)


NEW YORK   The sister of former NBA player Sebastian Telfair was accused on Monday of threatening a woman who testified against him at his New York City gun-possession trial. Octavia Telfair was charged in federal court in Brooklyn with transmitting an interstate threat and released on $100,000 bail. She is also subject to home detention and must wear an ankle bracelet. There was no immediate response to an email seeking comment from her lawyer. Sebastian Telfair   a once highly touted point guard with a disappointing NBA career and a history of brushes with the law   was convicted last month of carrying loaded guns in his pickup truck. Witnesses included his estranged wife and a girlfriend. Shortly after the guilty verdict, Octavia Telfair made threatening phone calls to one of the witnesses in California, according to a criminal complaint that didn't identify the alleged victim. The sister told the woman she either was "gonna die" or going to have to live with a "rearranged face," the complaint says. The Brooklyn-born Sebastian Telfair was a first-round draft pick out of high school in 2004. He started with the Portland Trail Blazers and spent time with the Boston Celtics, Minnesota Timberwolves and other teams before ending his career in China in 2014. Telfair and a friend were arrested in 2007 after a traffic stop during which police found a loaded handgun in the vehicle. He pleaded guilty to criminal possession of a weapon and was sentenced to three years' probation. Telfair faces 3 ½ to 15 years in prison at his sentencing next month for his current gun case.


Georgia authorities are searching for the mother of a newborn found wrapped in a plastic bag and abandoned in a wooded area in Cumming. Residents of a nearby home were unloading their car after a trip Thursday night when they heard a noise coming from a secluded, wooded strip of land. At first, they thought they were animal sounds. (We) grabbed our flashlights and we're driving around and we're, like, 'That doesn't sound like an animal,'" Kayla Ragatz told CNN affiliate WSB. They went into the woods and followed the sound to a pile of leaves and sticks, and then saw the baby wrapped in a plastic bag. "You don't anticipate hearing a baby in the woods," Sheriff Ron H. Freeman told reporters Friday. "Thank God they went out and investigated." They called 911, and a baby girl believed to be hours-old was found in a plastic bag, Freeman said. Police and hospital staff involved in the baby's rescue wanted her to have a name because they feel "like she is one of theirs," he added. Instead of Baby Jane Doe, a local Forsyth County hospital named her India. India is in a hospital receiving medical attention, and the Department of Family and Children's Services will likely place her in foster care, Freeman said. Law enforcement officials are canvassing the area, checking cameras and asking for the community's assistance in figuring out how India got there. If she was left there, the person involved could be charged with offenses such as abandonment and cruelty to children in the first degree. But authorities are not going to speculate on criminal charges until they know what happened, Freeman said. Their priority is making sure India and the woman who gave birth to her are both safe and in good condition, he said. Cumming is about 40 miles from Atlanta.


Titleist's new U500 and U510 utility irons are an attempt to do what on first blush seems unthinkable and maybe even inadvisable: bring the long iron back to the game of golf. But these new low-lofted hollow designs bring a technology package that suggests that yes, tour players are eager to at least situationally bring the 2-iron and even the 1-iron yes, the 1-iron back to their games, but also some average golfers may find themselves eyeing a low-lofted iron to replace that hybrid in their bags they can't hit. The U500 and U510 were officially unveiled this week on the range at the Open Championship and will be available at retail in August. The U500 and particularly the average-golfer-targeted U510 represent a transformational product for Titleist's iron line. The U500 builds on the L-face design seen in Titleist's T-MB from 2017 . The new models use a forging process to thin the high-strength steel L-face even further to 1.9 millimeters, or less than the thickness of a nickel. That saves weight, which is then repositioned in the form of tungsten weighting. That tungsten weighting an average of 98 grams per head on the U500 and 95 grams on the U510 lowers the center of gravity, making these low-lofted irons easier to launch. That's 4-7 percent more tungsten than was used in the T-MB irons. "It's really a unique product for us because in the case of the U510 we've really never had something with this footprint before," said Marni Ines, Titleist's director of product development for irons. "The 510's low-profile shape and wide sole allows us to put weight down low and back. That combination with the faster face gives us launch plus launch with ball speed and that equals high and far." Indeed, some Titleist tour players are even exploring the idea of the lowest-lofted U510 models replacing a fairway wood. That includes a 16-degree model which will have the numeral "1" on the sole. The rise of utility irons gets its fuel annually at the Open Championship, but it may be a viable alternative for more players more than one week a year . As Josh Talge, vice president of golf club marketing for Titleist puts it, "The U500 is definitely for the better player who wants to play a utility iron. It's a very compact shape with a lot of speed in it. The U510 is a totally different animal in that it's for the guy who might be the vocal minority but who says I know I should play a hybrid but I just can't hit them. This really gives them hybrid-like performance from a utility iron. When these guys hit this club it literally gives them the kind of performance a hybrid might give for other golfers." The U500 and U510 use a 17-4 stainless steel body hosel to frame the thin L-face and house the internal tungsten weighting. Both models are offered with stock shafts in graphite. The U500 uses the 90-gram HZRDUS Smoke Black, while the U510 uses the 80-gram version of the same shaft. The U500 is offered in three lofts (17, 20 and 23 degrees), while the U510 is available in four lofts (16, 18, 20 and 22 degrees). Both models will be available for fitting at authorized Titleist locations on Aug. 8, and will be available at retail Aug. 30 ($250 each). See the video.


The best news photos of the week. Kashmir, India A masked Kashmiri protester jumps on an Indian police armored vehicle as he throw stones at it during a protest in Kashmir, India on May 31. San Martino di Castrozza, Italy Cyclists are seen during the 102nd Giro d'Italia on May 31 in San Martino di Castrozza, Italy. Bursa, Turkey Whirling dervishes perform at Culture Centre Of Karabas-i Veli, in Bursa, Turkey on May 31. New York City Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) shakes a margarita behind the bar at the Queensboro Restaurant on May 31 as part of a event promoting a higher minimum wage for tipped workers. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina An installation at Central Park in Sarajevo on May 31 for White Banner Day commemorates the victims of wartime atrocities in the town of Prijedor. Paris, France Serena Williams reacts after her loss against Sofia Kenin during the Women's Singles third round match at the 2019 French Open Tennis Tournament on June 1. West Alton, Missouri Floodwater from the Mississippi River rises around a home on June 1. Virginia Beach, Virginia Brittany Myers, right, embraces her husband, Ryan, during a vigil on June 1 in response to a fatal shooting at a municipal building. Moscow, Russia Participants attend an outdoor ballet lesson during the Global Ballet Holidays Festival on June 1. Madrid, Spain Jordan Henderson of Liverpool lifts up the trophy as he celebrates with teammates after winning the Champions League final soccer match against Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium on June 1. Mexico City, Mexico Karla Esperanza, a transgender sex worker, poses for a photo with her iguana on International Sex Workers Day on June 2. Venice, Italy The damaged River Countess tourist boat is pictured after it was hit early on June 2 by the MSC Opera cruise ship (right) that lost control as it was coming in to dock. San Diego, California Trent Polcyn sprays a bee swarm on a microphone on the field which caused a delay during the third inning of the Miami Marlins-San Diego Padres baseball game on June 2. Sutamarchan, Colombia People participate in the 10th annual tomato fight festival, known as "Tomatina", on June 2. Brussels, Belgium Cyclists ride the "Space Bikes" attraction on the eve of the World Bicycle Day on June 2. Salem, Germany A Barbary ape baby is cuddled by its mother on June 2. Khan Sheikhun, Syria Smoke rises following reported airstrikes on the town of Khan Sheikhun in the southern countryside of the rebel-held Idlib, Syria, on June 3. Leipzig, Germany A baby elephant and its mother go to the little one's christening in Leipzig Zoo on June 3. Mexico City, Mexico Taxis, supported by public transport bus drivers, fill the Zocalo in front of the National Palace, during a protest against ride-sharing apps in a bid to demand the city shut them down, on June 3. Tokyo, Japan A man runs over the famous Shibuya crossing on June 3. Buenos Aires, Argentina Women play drums during a protest against gender violence on June 3. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Briana Perez (3) of the UCLA Bruins hits a home run against the Oklahoma Sooners during the Division I Women's Softball Championship held at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium-OGE Energy Field on June 3. London, England President Donald Trump and Queen Elizabeth II make a toast at Buckingham Palace on June 3. Colleville-Montgomery, France A dog rides in a sidecar at the World War II Hillman Fortress camp on June 4 ahead of commemorations of the 75th anniversary of D-Day. Moscow, Russia Members of Russia's National Guard line up as Muslims attend the morning prayers of Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan, on June 4. Mumbai, India Fishermen pull a boat ashore ahead of monsoon rains on June 4. Makati, Philippines Filipinos take part in a protest and candlelight vigil on June 4 outside the Chinese embassy to mark the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre. Yogyakarta, Indonesia A man performs with fire during a parade celebrating Eid Al-Fitr on June 4. Portsmouth, England. British Prime Minister, Theresa May reads a letter written by Captain Norman Skinner of the Royal Army Service Corps on stage during the D-Day 75th anniversary events on June 5. Ciudad Hidalgo, Mexico Migrants on rafts reach the shore after crossing the Suchiate River from Guatemala to Mexico on June 5. New Delhi, India People offer Eid al-Fitr prayers at the Jama Masjid in New Delhi, India on June 5. Sannerville, France Military re-enactors look on as 280 paratroopers take part in a parachute drop on June 5 as part of the events marking the 75th anniversary of D-Day. Las Vegas, Nevada An aerialist performs during the grand opening of "Celestia" at the Stratosphere Casino Hotel on June 5. Mexico City On June 5, volunteers hold images of 49 children killed in a fire at the ABC daycare center during a march marking the 10-year-anniversary of the tragedy. Prague, Czech Republic A western lowland gorilla named Richard eats frozen fruits in his zoo enclosure on June 6.


The Tennessee Titans have dealt with issues at the quarterback position for years now. Several names have come and gone as the team has attempted to remedy the issue, but very few have had quite as unfortunate of a time as quarterback Jake Locker did. Locker was drafted by the Titans at No. 8 overall in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft. When the Touchdown Wire's Barry Werner listed his 45 worst NFL draft picks since 2010, he mentioned Locker. "Jake Locker chose football over baseball. And it didn't work out," he wrote. "In four seasons as a Titan, the most games the Washington star appeared in was 11. Overall, he was 9-14 as a starter and announced his retirement in 2015, saying he no longer had the desire to play." It was hard to predict Locker would struggle as much as he did in the NFL, considering a decorated college career that saw him named as a three-time Honorable Mention All-Pac-10 (2007, 2009, 2010), Freshman All-American (2007), Pac-10 Freshman of the Year (2007) and Holiday Bowl Champion (2010) for Washington. By the time his NFL career had come to a close in 2014, he had completed 408-of-709 passes for 4,967 yards with 27 touchdowns and 22 interceptions. MORE: This perfect Shaq impersonation at the NBA Awards show had fans in tears NBA Free Agency 2019: The top players Raven Greene looks like a top player to watch at Packers training camp 3 adjustments the Raiders should make on offense in 2019 D'Angelo Russell Rumors: Lakers, Timberwolves Interested in Young Point Guard


Weather delayed the start of the FireKeepers Casino 400 on Sunday at Michigan International Speedway. Rain in the area led to the green-flag time of 2 p.m. ET being missed. When the race gets started, Joey Logano will lead the field to the green flag in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford. Aric Almirola, in the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford, will join Logano on the front row for the season's 15th race in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. RELATED: Full lineup for Michigan Clint Bowyer, the defending winner of the race, will line up fifth as Ford drivers make up eight of the top 10 starting spots. NASCAR has a sizable contingent of track-drying equipment on hand to prepare the 2-mile oval: 13 Air Titans, 10 jet dryers, one track blower, two track vacuums and one Elgin sweeper. Television coverage of the race is on FS1 with radio coverage on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Stay tuned to NASCAR.com for weather and schedule updates. This story will be updated. ]]>


Want the intel on Long Beach's most happening local spots? We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to analyze which eateries have been getting a notable increase in attention this month. To find out who made the list, we looked at Long Beach businesses on Yelp by category and counted how many reviews each received. Rather than compare them based on number of reviews alone, we calculated a percentage increase in reviews over the past month, and tracked businesses that consistently increased their volume of reviews to identify statistically significant outliers compared to past performance. Read on to see which spots are worth exploring, right now. El Torito Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Long Beach's El Torito , the well-established bar and Mexican spot is a hot topic according to Yelp review data. While businesses categorized as "Bars" on Yelp saw a median 1.5 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, El Torito bagged a 4.4 percent increase in new reviews within that time frame, maintaining a mixed 3.5-star rating. Open at 3301 Atlantic Ave. since 2006, El Torito offers margaritas, mojitos, Moscow mules and beers on draft. Check out the menu . Agaves Kitchen & Tequila Long Beach's Agaves Kitchen & Tequila is also making waves. Open since 2012 at 200 Pine Ave., the popular bar and Mexican spot has seen a 1.6 percent bump in new reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 1.9 percent for all businesses tagged "Mexican" on Yelp. Agaves Kitchen & Tequila serves guacamole, shrimp taquitos, enchiladas with red sauce and pork tacos. Here is the full menu . Over the past month, it's maintained a mixed 3.5-star rating among Yelpers. The Boathouse on the Bay Long Beach's The Boathouse on the Bay is the city's buzziest seafood spot by the numbers. The well-established steakhouse and sushi bar, which offers seafood and more and has been open at 190 N. Marina Drive since 2014, increased its new review count by 3.5 percent over the past month, an outlier when compared to the median new review count of 1.3 percent for the Yelp category "Seafood." The Boathouse on the Bay offers pan-roasted crab cakes, angel hair pasta and blackened shrimp, miso-glazed Chilean sea bass and a raw bar. View the menu here . Fusion Sushi Long Beach's well-established Fusion Sushi is currently on the upswing in the sushi bar category on Yelp. While businesses categorized as "Sushi Bars" on Yelp saw a median 1.4 percent increase in new reviews over the past month, this sushi bar and Japanese spot increased its new reviews by 2.3 percent and kept its rating consistent at four stars. Open for business at 6415 E. Spring St. since 2007, the business offers sushi and sashimi, hand rolls, special sushi rolls and tempura rolls. See what else is on the menu . This story was created automatically using local business data, then reviewed and augmented by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.


I recently taste-tested french fries from McDonald's, Burger King , Arby's , Dairy Queen , Five Guys , Wendy's , Chick-fil-A , and Shake Shack to see how they compared. My decision to crown Shake Shack the winner was a controversial one. Two weeks and a barrage of hate mail later, I stand by my decision. Here's why. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories . On June 2, I published a french fry taste-test that sent shockwaves through fast-food nation . Since then, I've received helpful suggestions, love letters, and hate mail because of my controversial decision to crown Shake Shack king of the fast-food fry. Checker's and Rally's fans complained about its omission, which I take full responsibility for. I'm a West Coast gal, and Checker's has never really been on my radar. Others were offended by my choice of a crinkle-cut fry. "I'd just never choose a crinkle fry over a non-crinkle fry," a colleague told me. Two weeks and a barrage of totally valid personal opinions later, I stand by my choice. Read more: I tasted french fries from 8 major fast-food chains, and the winner surprised me My choice of Shake Shack was an unlikely one considering that before trying Shake Shack's fries, I had never once in my life previously enjoyed a crinkle-cut fry. For me, as perhaps for many others, crinkle-cut fries were the soggy, flavorless denizens of school cafeterias and grocery store frozen aisles. They were the fries that made me wish I had real fries when I ate them. But everything changed when Shake Shack attacked. The taste test was not the first time I had eaten Shake Shack's fries, but I remember that first time. I was a nonbeliever. My mom and I were visiting Washington, DC, and we popped into Shake Shack for some burgers. We got fries to accompany said burgers, although I was put off by the crinkle cut. My first Shake Shack fry was a revelation that converted me, and every fry since has only strengthened my faith. Every single Shake Shack crinkle-cut fry I've had since the first one has delivered the same immaculate golden crisp, well-rounded flavor, and mouthmelting texture one seeks from a fry. What about the others? For me, the virtues of fries can be described with the metrics by which I judged my June 2 taste test: salt, crisp, flavor, and mouthfeel. Read more: I tried 5 signature burgers from major chains. This meaty beast was the winner. Though salt level is a matter of preference, it's my opinion that an oversalted fry is the worst criminal in this department. McDonald's sometimes oversalts, but its fries are always completely unsalted on the inside. That's poor balance. Shake Shack's fries are evenly salted throughout. Shake Shack has the crispiest fries. Arby's came close, but they didn't have the same lasting power. McDonald's also has crispy fries - sometimes, and only when they're fresh out of the fryer. As for Five Guys, if I have to ask for my fries to be crispy, that's an extra step that shouldn't be there. Shake Shack's golden shell of crisp is impenetrable even after being left out for an hour. Flavor is also a matter of preference. Some prefer the taste of Five Guys' hand-cut potatoes, but Shake Shack had the most well-rounded flavor with no distracting oily, artificial, or fishy undertones. Shake Shack also has the perfect mouthfeel. Its fries are neither gritty nor undercooked. The crunchy exterior blends into the smooth exterior for a bite that goes down easier than sugar. Sure, Shake Shack's fries are crinkle cut. But why does that matter? Fries, like people, should not be judged by their creed or shape, but instead by the qualities they bring to the table. Related video: Are McDonald's fries made out of potatoes? (Provided by CNBC)


Every so often in a season such as this, Joey Votto has to pause, ponder the sky and say what the (heck). Doesn't he? Look at the first 47 games of this year and last year's 162, then compare them to what Votto did in 2017. If you're wondering what the deal is, imagine what Votto is wondering. He's conscientious in all things, diligent in his preparation and utterly faithful that his good work and diligence will conspire across the long, hot summer to produce the hitter he used to be. Votto came in after Sunday's dreary 8-3 loss to the Dodgers and helped clubhouse manager Rick Stowe pry the mud from players' cleats. Votto does this often enough, Stowe has given him an official clubbie work shirt. It's white, rough cotton. One breast, stitched in red, is "Joey''. The other has "Reds clubhouse'' written across it. Is Votto a ballplayer? Or a Friday night bowler? At least he hasn't lost his humility or his sense of humor. More: Tanner Roark expresses frustration about early hook in Reds loss to Dodgers More: Reds' Yasiel Puig left game with shoulder sprain, hopes to avoid IL stint He has lost something, though. That's not to say it won't return, but we live more in the moment these days than we ever have before. This particular moment, Joey Votto is playing like an average baseball player. He is walking less and striking out more than ever in his career. It's still remarkable when Votto pops up. It's no longer earth-stopping. Here are some of the numbers from Votto's last 162 games, including the first 47 this season and the last 115 of 2018: 513 at-bats 71 runs 133 hits 10 home runs 52 RBI .259 batting average His on-base percentage now is .324, down almost 100 points from last year, and 130 from 2017, when he finished second in MVP voting. On Sunday, Votto argued a taken third strike in the first inning, on a check swing that home plate umpire Dan Bellino claimed nicked Votto's bat. "Go to the video'' was all Votto would say about that. He struck out swinging in the sixth, on a tentative half swing that resembled a practice stroke. Boos were audible after that one. "I don't feel overwhelmed by this. I feel frustrated for sure. But it's a long season. And I do trust the work,'' Votto said. "I have a pretty good target on what I need to fix and I'm heading in that direction. "A season isn't automatic, like cruise control. I've had cold starts before.'' For a decade at least, Votto's seasons were automatic. They were cruise control. He would lead the league in getting on base, he would hit with power and he would never, ever pop the ball up. As recently as 2017, he'd convinced some of us that he could be any sort of hitter he chose. This year, I'm going to adjust my launch angle, to hit more home runs… Votto on occasion said as much. Paraphrasing: "I could hit 40 homers every year, if I wanted to.'' Now? "I swung the bat well last year,'' Votto said. Given the mediocre-for-Joey results, is that encouraging or condemning? "This year, my swing has been good for a little bit now. It was really shaky at the very beginning of the season. I don't think this is anything but a slow start.'' Struggling is a different experience for Votto. "When you're at your most challenged, you have moments when you have doubts. You overwork yourself. I always want to work. I've always been able to make adjustments and I've always succeeded.'' He said it again. "I've always succeeded.'' He isn't alone in his struggles. The Reds continue their season-long droop at the plate. They didn't score Sunday until Jose Peraza's homer with two outs in the ninth. They're near the bottom of the league in almost every relevant stat, save home runs. Dodgers starter Hyun-Jin Ryu needed just 88 pitches to navigate seven shutout innings. More Doc: Tiger Woods seems OK he's not Tiger of old More Doc: Want to speed up baseball? Start with pitchers and batters. More Doc: Reds manager David Bell's office could be a metaphor for his team Hitters hit. That's usually a reliable thing to say. Votto and Yasiel Puig will not be carpooling to September while cruising the Mendoza Line. Problem is, we don't own authentic crystal balls. We know only what we see. Votto trusts himself. He believes what Scott Rolen called The Big 162 will bear that out. The Big 162 doesn't lie. Big and hasty judgments in May sometimes do. "It's a very funny game. I've seen teams and players turn around seasons in a month,'' Votto said. "It's early.'' When does it get late, I asked him. "September 30th,'' he said. Sunday's game ended on a full-count, called third strike to Nick Senzel. Votto was in the on-deck circle, standing in the rain. You suspect he knew what Senzel was feeling. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Reds' Joey Votto will get things turned around, right? Related slideshow: 2019 MLB season (provided by imagn)


There's a good chance many throughout New England are telling Enes Kanter to get in line. After all, they were here first. Kanter, who officially signed his contract with the Boston Celtics on Wednesday, got on the good side with Boston sports fans not once but twice during his media availability at the Auerbach Center. First, Kanter threw shade at Public Enemy No. 1 Kyrie Irving . If that wasn't enough, he doubled-down on what he knew was beloved topic in all of New England. "I'm actually a very big fan of Tom Brady," Kanter told the media Wednesday. "I actually want to meet him. I was going to say it at the press conference, but I was thinking should I do it or not? "I'm definitely a big fan. I would love to meet him. What he does on and off the (field) is amazing. Not just football, but for sports. If he's listening right now, I want to meet you, my man." I asked @EnesKanter for his thoughts on @TomBrady and I think he'll fit in just fine here. pic.twitter.com/SmDJ6jsV9T - Rachel Holt (@ItsRachelHolt) July 17, 2019 Kanter may get his chance sooner rather than later as the Patriots open up an open-to-the-public training camp next week. It could call for an introduction with No. 12 and the Celtics new-and-improved No. 11. MORE: See the dramatic final hand of 2019 WSOP Main Event that won Hossein Ensan $10 million Baker Mayfield swings and misses with attempted rip of Giants fans LeBron James Boasts About '300 Mil Later' After Rich Paul Klutch Sale to UTA The top 100 players in the NFL today News: Cowboys' $100 million men underpaid, and more dangerous in 2019


Travelers have a range of tastes and opinions wider than the Grand Canyon, but there's one topic where they agree almost universally: resort fees stink. In recent years, resort fees have only become worse . They have increased in amount, spread to properties that are decidedly not resorts, been renamed ("destination fees"), and are sometimes even charged per person instead of per room. Resort fees can cost more than the room rate itself, especially at some of the more budget hotels in Las Vegas. At some properties, they have already grown to more than $100 per night . But there's a new glimmer of hope that perhaps resort fees won't continue on their one-way upward trajectory. As reported by Vital Vegas and Skift , Booking.com is reportedly taking steps to collect commissions on resort fees. Currently, hotels generally don't pay a commission on the resort-fee portion of the rate when it is paid directly by the customer at the hotel. This could change everything: https://t.co/zps0AAOsjm is reportedly informing hotels they'll charge commissions on resort fees. Avoiding commissions on resort fees is a huge reason they exist. Will hotels push back, or is this the beginning of the end for resort fees?   Vital Vegas (@VitalVegas) May 17, 2019 There are many reasons hotels charge resort fees, including appearing to have a cheaper nightly room rate at first glance. The fee portion of the rate often goes right into the hotel's pocket and isn't subject to losing a cut via the commission paid to third-party booking sites. If hotels begin paying a commission on that part of the rate, that's one fewer incentive to continue charging resort fees. A more consumer-friendly, all-in rate might (again) begin to make more sense. However, it is unknown if Booking.com's take will spread to the other OTAs   Online Travel Agencies   such as Expedia. Currently, Booking.com bundles the resort fee in the amount you pay to make the reservation online (when you have to pay in advance), whereas Expedia does not charge that portion of the reservation up front, though it is displayed in both cases in the booking breakdown. Booking.com payment screen with resort fee paid all-in: Expedia booking screen with resort fee paid at hotel: There's no guarantee that this will be a tipping point for the pesky fees, but there's a chance it could make a difference. It will be important to see if other OTAs follow Booking.com's lead. Yes, this is a self-serving move that puts more money in the OTAs' pockets, but if it simplifies the booking process for consumers, it might still be a win for us all. We have reached out to Booking.com for comment and will update this story when we hear back. WATCH: Taco Bell is opening a summer hotel (provided by Buzz60) Featured image by Isabelle Raphael/The Points Guy


Max Verstappen says "a bit more power and a bit more balance" will make Red Bull-Honda's situation look "a lot different" in the coming Formula 1 races. Verstappen has scored two podiums in seven races at the beginning of Red Bull's new partnership with Honda, and would have three top-three finishes had he not lost his second place in Monaco due to a time penalty. Read Also: Tech verdict: Analysing the 2019 F1 design trends so far Red Bull had a tougher time at last weekend's Canadian Grand Prix, where Verstappen missed the top-10 shootout and only recovered to fifth, but Verstappen does not believe the power-sensitive Montreal circuit exposed anything problematic for his team or Honda. Addressing a claim that his father Jos had indicated he could leave Red Bull in 2020, Verstappen said: "I always said I'm enjoying myself. "Of course we all know that we need to do better but I believe in the project we are in together with Honda. So, we are just working hard now to of course step up the performance and we'll see in the upcoming races where we will be. "If you get a bit more power, a bit more balance in the car, then suddenly it looks a lot different." Honda has already introduced its first engine upgrade of the season and accepts it is still behind Mercedes and Ferrari in the engine pecking order. As it introduced its current Spec 2 in Azerbaijan, a fresh engine   not necessarily aligned with a new specification   is likely to be introduced at some point over the next three grands prix. On the chassis side, Red Bull has been trying to make progress after admitting its car is lacking compared to the championship-leading Mercedes. Verstappen said those factors meant he was already aware that facing a power deficit may have bigger consequences on certain tracks than last year, and that the team has not had "a big shock" in such scenarios. "In Monaco we were the second best team," he said. "I knew [Montreal] was not going to be great. Last year we were quite competitive but I think back then our car was quite a lot better than the Mercedes and Ferrari and now I wouldn't say we are superior to them. "Then automatically it becomes quite hard."


Stocks closed higher Friday, boosted by bank shares, as traders looked ahead to a key meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Wall Street also wrapped up its best first half to a year in two decades. The Dow finished 73 points higher as J.P. Morgan Chase shares outperformed. The S&P 500 advanced about 0.6%, led by the financials sector. The Nasdaq gained 0.5%. J.P. Morgan Chase jumped 2.7% while Citigroup, Bank of America, Goldman Sachs and Wells Fargo all closed more than 2% higher. Morgan Stanley shares advanced 0.7%. Their gains come after they passed the Fed's annual stress test and got approval to boost dividends and share repurchase programs. Goldman hiked its quarterly dividend by nearly 50% while J.P. Morgan raised its dividend by 10 cents. But Wall Street's gains were kept in check as traders awaited the Trump-Xi trade meeting. The two leaders are scheduled to meet Saturday at the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan. "All eyes are on the G-20. It's all anyone's been talking about and focuses on all week," said James Masserio, the head of equity derivatives trading of the Americas at Societe Generale. "We're definitely seeing a bid to short-term volatility. The market is bracing for a move one way or another." "There's a pretty healthy premium built into short-term options," Masserio said. "Part of that premium is this 50-50 coin flip where you could get something that's a surprise step in the right direction or you come out with a whole bunch of nothing. Either way, the market is going to pick a short-term direction" after the G-20. Trump and Xi's meeting comes after the U.S. hiked tariffs on billions of dollars worth of Chinese imports last month, escalating the ongoing trade war between the two countries. China retaliated with higher tariffs of its own. Both China and the U.S. have maintained their firm stances on trade, with the Chinese Ministry of Commerce calling on Washington to cancel its pressure and sanction measures on Huawei and other Chinese companies, while Trump reiterated a threat to impose tariffs on all Chinese imports if talks fail. "The market is not desperate, but in need of continued evidence of progress toward resolving the trade issues," said Ernie Cecilia, the CIO at Bryn Mawr Trust. "We need to hear something specific. Maybe it's a timetable or a targeted date to get this done. There has to be some specificity. Although at that level I'm not sure how much specificity you're going to get in such a short time." Speaking to CNBC on Thursday, Morgan Stanley CEO James Gorman said that China and the U.S. must come to a truce in their dispute, otherwise "it will have a devastating effect to the global economy." Friday's session marks the end of a stellar start to the year for stocks. The S&P 500 is up more than 17% for 2019, marking its best first half to a year since 1997. The major indexes rose sharply for the month as well. The Dow gained 7.2% in June, its best June performance since 1938. The S&P 500 rose 6.9% this month, its biggest June gain since 1955. The Nasdaq advanced 7.4%. June's sharp gains came as the Fed opened the door for easier monetary policy later this year. The Fed said earlier this month it will "act as appropriate" to maintain the current economic expansion. This lifted market expectations for a July rate cut to 100%. "The market has the perception that the Fed is going to get easy really quickly. The data is mixed, especially on the housing front," said Larry Benedict, the founder of The Opportunistic Trader. "But I think the market may have expectations of much more than what might actually be done. The Fed may do one rate cut here as an appeasement to the market and then maybe wait a little bit longer on the next move." Silvia Amaro contributed to this report.


Alaska's months of budgeting strife has culminated in efforts to recall Gov. Michael J. Dunleavy . The Recall Dunleavy group began efforts to recall the governor with signature collection events in nearly two dozen Alaska cities Thursday. The group accuses Dunleavy, who came into office in December 2018, of refusing to appoint a judge, misusing state funds, violating separation of powers and incompetently vetoing state funds. The group would need to collect signatures numbering at 10% of those who voted in the general election for the recall to go ahead, according to the Alaska Division of Elections . "I think whenever you make difficult decisions and people are involved, such as these vetoes, this is not necessarily a shock or surprising. I believe in public engagement. I believe that the people have a right to voice their opinion. There is a process for everything including the idea of a recall -- it's got criteria for that recall to be successful," Dunleavy told reporters . However, he added, he believes his actions to create a budget were in line with the constitution and that there is no ground for a recall. The budget has been a big topic of contention for the governor for months. In June, Dunleavy cut $444 million from the state operating budget for the 2020 fiscal year, including $130 million in state funding to the University of Alaska system. Alaska lawmakers unsuccessfully attempted to override the veto that made the cut possible. The legislature has, however, sued the governor for the cuts against schools, which has ensured that the funds would be provided while the case is in court. The governor also vetoed court system funding, the recall group alleges, to retaliate against the Alaska Supreme Court for its ruling on public funding of elective abortions. The group also alleges that Dunleavy mistakenly vetoed $18 million more in funding than he intended to, used public funds for partisan advertisements and failed to appoint a Superior Court judge in the mandatory 45 days after nominees were presented to him. The governor's office said in a statement to CNN that his focus has been on "addressing the challenges the many before him have been unwilling to tackle." "While some will focus on political gamesmanship, Governor Dunleavy's administration is focused on empowering Alaskans through the agenda he ran on, including addressing Alaska's unsustainable budget, improving public safety, growing the economy, fighting for pro-business policies, and championing a full statutory PFD," the statement said.


WASHINGTON (AP) Three home runs. Solid work from the bullpen. Strong defense, highlighted by two runners being thrown out at the plate. At long last, the Washington Nationals are finally starting to look like a baseball team capable of making some noise in the NL East. Anthony Rendon and Victor Robles homered in a four-run sixth inning, and the Nationals beat the Philadelphia Phillies 7-4 Thursday night to complete a sweep of their rain-shortened series. Rendon led off the sixth with a tiebreaking drive against Nick Pivetta (4-2), and Robles made it 7-3 with a three-run shot off Edubray Ramos. Kurt Suzuki also went deep for the Nationals, who earned their first three-game sweep of the season. This victory followed a doubleheader win over their division rivals on Wednesday and postponements Monday and Tuesday. ''Throughout the weather, throughout all the hoops that we went through, the boys came to play,'' manager Dave Martinez said. After sinking to 19-31 on May 23, Washington has used a 17-7 surge to get within two games of .500 (36-38) for the first time since April 28. ''This is gratifying to see,'' Martinez said. ''They made some really good plays on defense today. We're playing good baseball all the way around - getting big hits when we need them, our bullpen's stepped up, starting pitching has been good.'' Javy Guerra (1-0) worked the sixth to earn his ninth win in 222 career games. Sean Doolittle got three outs for his 16th save. Jean Segura and Jay Bruce hit solo homers for the Phillies, who have lost four straight and eight of 10. Playing at NL West-leading Atlanta and Washington in succession, Philadelphia went 1-5 and was outscored 44-21. ''We performed poorly on this road trip,'' manager Gabe Kapler acknowledged. ''No excuses.'' Philadelphia right fielder Bryce Harper was booed loudly in the stadium he called home during the first seven years of his career. Playing his second series in Washington after signing a $330 million, 13-year contract with the Phillies in March, Harper batted leadoff for the first time this season and went 1 for 5 with three strikeouts. He did not keep it low key. After making a catch to end the third inning, Harper faked throwing the ball to fans behind him and stuffed it in his glove, ultimately giving it to a Phillies fan near the dugout. In the fourth, Harper delivered an RBI single and pointed both thumbs downward after reaching first base. Minutes later, he was thrown out by right fielder Adam Eaton while trying to score from second on a two-out single. Pivetta gave up six runs in 5 1/3 innings. In nine career appearances against Washington, the right-hander is 1-6 with a 10.80 ERA. The good news for Philadelphia is that six of the next 10 games are against Miami, which has the worst record in the NL. ''I know we're going to show up tomorrow and do some really good things,'' Pivetta said. ''It's not about these times now. It's about what happens later and how we're going to respond.'' SEGURA SINGLED OUT Segura received a lecture from Kapler for not hustling to first base during Wednesday's game, but the manager stopped short of benching the two-time All-Star on Thursday. ''I don't think taking one of our eight best players, and our shortstop, out of the lineup is what's best for the Philadelphia Phillies,'' Kapler said. Kapler addressed the situation by watching video of the misdeed with Segura on Wednesday. ''He was accountable and strong in saying, `That can't happen,''' Kapler said. HARPER LEADING OFF After watching the Phillies lose five of six and score two runs or less in four of those defeats, Kapler decided it was time for a lineup change. So he moved Harper to leadoff and bumped Rhys Hoskins up to second from the cleanup spot. ''The thought process is, we feel like we're a more successful club when we see pitches in the first inning,'' Kapler said. He insisted it had nothing to do with Harper's 4-for-24 struggle over the previous eight games, noting, ''This was designed to spark the Philadelphia Phillies.'' Harper hit leadoff for the Nationals in 12 games last season. He had a .217 batting average but homered four times. TRAINER'S ROOM Phillies: RHP Pat Neshek was placed on the 10-day injured list with a strained left hamstring, an injury that occurred while he was pitching on Wednesday. LHP Ranger Suarez was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. ... LHP Adam Morgan (forearm strain) is expected to come off the IL on Friday. He's 2-1 with a 1.96 ERA in 24 appearances. Nationals: 1B Ryan Zimmerman (plantar fasciitis right foot) could go on a rehabilitation assignment as soon as this weekend, Martinez said. Zimmerman was placed on the 10-day injured list April 28. He's missed 47 games this season after playing just 85 last year. UP NEXT Phillies: Aaron Nola (6-1, 4.89 ERA) helps Philadelphia open a three-game series at home Friday night against Miami. ''How we bounce back on this next homestand is going to be huge for us,'' Kapler said. Nationals: After back-to-back rainouts altered the rotation, Stephen Strasburg (7-4, 3.75) faces visiting Atlanta on Friday night. He's 30-17 with a 3.00 ERA in 68 career starts with five days' rest. --- More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports


An Alabama woman reported a burglary to get back at her husband who she suspected of cheating, but the ruse backfired after she was arrested for making a false police report, police said. Amber Lewis, 33, suspected her husband was with another woman in their Millbrook, Ala., home when she called the police to report a burglary around 9 a.m. on Wednesday. Responding officers found Lewis and another unidentified woman at the home, The Montgomery Advertiser reported . Both women said they did not know who was inside the home. The officers found what appeared to be marijuana, cocaine and other drugs throughout the house   including their 5-year-old's bedroom   but no burglar inside the home, police said. The officers also found that the reported "burglar" was Lewis' husband. FLORIDA MAN ON METH ATTACKS MATTRESS LOOKING FOR GIRLFRIEND'S LOVER 'HIDING INSIDE,' POLICE SAY Lewis was arrested charged with making a false report to law enforcement and second-degree possession of marijuana and chemical endangerment of a child, the report said. She was being held at the Elmore County Jail on $12,500 bond. GET THE FOX NEWS APP Millbrook Police Chief PK Johnson told The Advertiser that Lewis' husband faces drug charges and the unidentified woman was charged with lying to police.


Rather than being flat as a Frisbee, the Milky Way's star-studded disk is twisted and warped, according to a new three-dimensional map of our home galaxy . If viewed from the side, the spiral arms girdling our galaxy's bulging core would resemble a record bent into an S shape, or a softly poached egg sliding off a slotted spoon. "The warp of the galaxy is so pronounced … if we would be able to see our galaxy from the side, we would clearly see it," says Dorota Skowron of the University of Warsaw, whose team reports the results today in the journal Science . ( Also see these 10 weird things you probably didn't know about the Milky Way .) Made using thousands of rhythmically pulsating stars, the new map is among the most highly detailed representations of our home galaxy to date, and it supports previous work that similarly suggested the Milky Way got bent . Along the way, Skowron and her colleagues also uncovered evidence for recent bursts of star formation in our galactic neighborhood. "We can see with our own eyes, and inside our own galaxy, that the star formation is not a constant process, but indeed is happening in bursts," she says. Galactic flex Stretching some 120,000 light-years from tip to tip, the Milky Way is what's known as a spiral galaxy . Four large arms wind around its core, with our sun parked along a minor arm some 26,000 light-years from the center. The galaxy's disk of stars and gas is mostly thin and flat toward the middle. But at roughly the sun's distance from the core, the galaxy begins to bend, flexing upward in one direction and flopping down in the other. Near the edges, it gets kind of sloppy: The disk flares, expanding in width from 500 light-years to more than 3,000 light-years, and the warp is even more prominent, with stars living as many as 5,000 light-years above or below the galactic plane. "We think the warp may have been caused by interactions with satellite galaxies," Skowron says, noting that the Milky Way today is surrounded by a swarm of dwarf galaxies. "Other ideas point to interactions with intergalactic gas or dark matter," she says, referencing the invisible stuff thought to make up 85 percent of the matter in the universe. Finding a warped spiral galaxy is not at all unusual; astronomers have observed numerous warped galaxies among the spirals that we can see edge-on , and the stellar conglomerate next door, a giant spiral galaxy called Andromeda, is a similarly twisted sister . But since we sit parked inside the Milky Way, it's much more challenging to see the large-scale structure of our own galaxy. Bright idea Skowron and her colleagues mapped the Milky Way in three dimensions using 2,431 classical Cepheid variable stars. Sometimes shining thousands of times brighter than our sun, Cepheid variables rhythmically brighten and dim with a period that's tightly linked to their intrinsic brightness. By monitoring those pulses, astronomers can figure out exactly how bright these stars should be, and then use that intrinsic brightness to calculate precise distances a relationship that Harvard College astronomer Henrietta Swann Leavitt first determined in 1912 . For years, Skowron and her team watched these big, young stars periodically pulse even monitoring the ones on the very fringes of our galaxy using the OGLE instrument, which is mounted on a telescope in Chile, along with several other telescopes. And when Skowron and her colleagues plotted the precise distances to their 2,431 stars, the resulting 3-D galactic map was intriguingly kinked. "The structures are well mapped, with accurate distances," says Annie Robin of the Observatoire de Besancon in France, who has made similar maps using information about how gas is distributed and moves through the galactic disk. "This is clearly compatible with the gas map," she says. Star bursts Skowron and her colleagues also identified groups of Cepheids that had recently burst into existence, cosmically speaking. The team identified three discrete patches of stars, with ages spanning 20 million to 260 million years, that are narrowly distributed along several of the Milky Way's spiral arms. By contrast, the oldest known stars in the Milky Way are a whopping 10 to 13 billion years old. It's not exactly clear what might have triggered such recent bursts of star formation in a galaxy that now births only a handful of stars each year. Robin notes that slowly moving regions of higher density can compress the gas and dust in interstellar clouds, triggering star formation, while Skowron suggests that a recent interaction with a passing dwarf galaxy could be the culprit. "We have to remember that Cepheids [as a group] are relatively young," Skowron says. "This means that we can use the Cepheids to study only the relatively recent history of our galaxy … so there is still a lot to be discovered about the earlier history of the Milky Way."


Police are searching for a Miami school district employee and mother of two who has been missing for five days. Kameela Russell, 41, who works as a test chairperson at Miami Norland Senior High School, was last seen by her family on Wednesday in Miami Gardens, the Miami Gardens Police Department said. (MORE: Missing Maui hiker's boyfriend believes she's still in dense forest) Russell, who is the mother of two daughters, ages six and 15, was supposed to pick up one of her children at a relative's house on Wednesday, but never arrived, ABC Miami affiliate WPLG reported. "Kameela's family is incredibly worried about her and we @MDCPS are praying for her swift and safe return," Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho tweeted. "Please take a moment to look at her picture and call police if you have seen her." (MORE: Friends concerned about New York City teacher, mother missing for over 4 days) Miami Gardens authorities did not immediately provide more information on the case. Russell was last seen driving a 2014 black Audi A6 with license plate HBQJ20, according to police. Anyone with information is asked to call the Miami Gardens Police Department at 305-474-6473.


It's all just speculation right now, but the Rockets are being named as a possible destination for Russell Westbrook. After missing out on Jimmy Butler at the start of free agency, there is speculation that Daryl Morey has his eyes set on another unhappy superstar ready to move on from his current situation. According to ESPN 's Adrian Wojnarowski , Oklahoma City Thunder star, Russell Westbrook and his agent have taken the steps on the possibility of a trade before the start of next season. While many suitors have expressed interest in acquiring Westbrook 's talent, Sam Amick and Brett Dawson of The Athletic reported that the Rockets are one of several potential destinations for the former MVP . Similar to their pursuit of Butler , if the rumors are true, the Rockets would be hoping to land a top talent that can help with the current Western Conference arms race. But while the possibility of reuniting Westbrook with James Harden would be fun, his fit within Mike D'Antoni's system is highly questionable due to his subpar shot selection and high usage rating. In addition to his fit within the Rockets offense, Westbrook's contract would make it extremely tricky to trade. Over the next four seasons, Westbrook has more than $160 million remaining on his contract, and due to the Rockets' current salary cap, Morey would have to get remarkably creative if he has any hopes of acquiring the star guard. However, a trade for Westbrook might be the only way for the Rockets to get out of their extensive contract for an aging point guard, Chris Paul . In the wake of the Thunder's decision to trade All-Star forward Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers , there are a lot of uncertainties surrounding Westbrook and his career in Oklahoma City, and it sounds like Westbrook very well could be dawning a new uniform sometime in the 2019-2020 season. Whether that's in Houston or not remains to be seen. For the moment, this sounds like one of those instances where the Rockets are being linked more because of the front office's reputation than of any concrete information.


Being a general manager in the NFL is no easy task, as we see countless teams cycle through GMs before finding the right guy for the job. It can be tricky finding the right guy, but most of the time, the best candidates are those who've been around the game before and know how the team dynamic truly works. Players know this better than anyone, making them intriguing options when a team is on the hunt for a new GM. There always seems to be vacant general manager positions around the league, and we'd love to see more former players step up into these roles. Here are five ex-players who could be great general managers given the opportunity. 5. Peyton Manning Manning's name has already floated around for potential general manager positions, most notably with the New York Jets before they hired Joe Douglas this offseason. No. 18 was essentially a coach on the field, calling his own plays and running his offense to perfection for over a decade. He knows the game better than most, and always seemed to put his weapons in the best position to succeed. With such a pedigree, Peyton would have no trouble finding a GM job if he's ever up for it. 4. Ray Lewis The Baltimore Ravens' Hall of Fame linebacker was one of the most intensely passionate players we've ever seen come through the league. His heart and nonstop work ethic led him to Canton, and we wouldn't be surprised if it eventually led him to an NFL front office as well. His team would surely put an emphasis on defense, something that we don't see as often in today's NFL. He would also probably give his team their pregame speech before every contest, and that's something we need to see. 3. Tony Romo Tony Romo may have found his career after football in the booth as an announcer for CBS, but we wouldn't be shocked if an NFL team came calling if they were in need of a GM. He's clearly displayed his knowledge of the game through his broadcasting, essentially calling out plays before they even happen. For all intents and purposes, he's a football nerd, and would certainly have a solid team building philosophy if he were ever inserted into an NFL front office. 2. Jerry Rice The former San Francisco 49er great Jerry Rice hasn't been too involved with the game since retiring in 2006, but that doesn't mean he couldn't get back in the league if he wanted to. He's widely considered as the best wideout to ever do it, and has clearly showcased the strong work ethic needed to be a successful GM during his playing days. He would be unanimously respected by his players if he ever took a general manager job, and he would probably lure an abundance of free agents to join his squad as well. 1. Deion Sanders This one may be a bit far-fetched, but could you imagine how fun a Deion Sanders -run team would be?! He has the swagger, the smarts and the passion required to be a great general manager. He's stayed close to the game during his career after football, working as a pregame commentator for CBS, as well as appearing on NFL Network through the years. Prime Time would make any team a prime location for free agents, and we have a feeling he'd be a great trade negotiator as well, with his alpha personality. Related slideshow: Top picks of 2019 NFL Draft (provided by imagn)