Martin Truex Jr. wins NASCAR Cup race at Phoenix Raceway
AVONDALE, Ariz. โ Joey Logano has won a few times at Phoenix Raceway and knows a good restart when he feels one. Truex blew past Logano on the final restart and pulled away for his first NASCAR Cup Series victory of the season and 28th overall. Logano โ who led 143 laps โ won the second stage after leading the final 35 laps during a long stretch of green-flag racing. But he couldn't hold back Truex, who won his ninth race with JGR. Hamlin was fast early in the race, leading for 31 laps until the competition caution midway through the first stage.
MLB has 0.3% positive COVID-19 rate during intake testing
(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)NEW YORK โ Thirteen of 4,336 tests for COVID-19 were positive during intake for Major League Baseball's spring training, a rate of 0.3%The commissioner's office said Friday that nine positive samples involved players and four involved staff. After the intake screening, there were no new positives among 2,298 monitoring test samples. All players on 40-man rosters and players with minor league contracts invited to big league training camp are screened. In the final figures released last year, MLB said it had collected 172,740 samples and that 91 had been positive, or 0.05%. Fifty-seven of 91 positives have been players, and 21 of the 30 teams have had a person covered by the monitoring test positive.
AP source: MLB slightly deadening ball amid HR surge
Major League Baseball has slightly deadened its baseballs amid a years-long surge in home runs. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)NEW YORK โ Major League Baseball has slightly deadened its baseballs amid a years-long surge in home runs. Five teams also plan to add humidors to their stadiums, raising the total to 10 of 30 MLB stadiums equipped with humidity-controlled storage spaces. The makeup of official Rawlings baseballs used in MLB games has come under scrutiny in recent years. In an effort to better center the ball, Rawlings has loosened the tension on the first of three wool windings within the ball.
Cactus League asks MLB to delay spring training due to COVID
The Cactus League and Arizona community leaders have asked Major League Baseball to delay the start of spring training due to coronavirus concerns just over three weeks before pitchers and catchers are supposed to report. The Cactus League made the request in a letter to Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred obtained by The Associated Press on Monday, Jan. 25, 2021. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)The Cactus League and Arizona community leaders have asked Major League Baseball to delay the start of spring training due to coronavirus concerns just over three weeks before pitchers and catchers are supposed to report. The Cactus League made the request in a letter to Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred obtained by The Associated Press on Monday. The Cactus League hosts 15 MLB clubs.
AP Exclusive: MLB suspends political donations after DC riot
The National Football League said it will reconsider its donations but did not commit to suspending them. โWe are re-evaluating our political giving policies through the Gridiron PAC,โ NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told the AP in a statement Wednesday. Others, like MLB, have postponed political giving to both political parties altogether. The Office of The Commissioner of Major League Baseball Political Action Committee has donated $669,375 to Senate and House candidates since the 2016 election cycle, with 52.4% of that money going to Republican candidates, according to The Center for Responsive Politics. Since the 2016 election cycle, MLB has made contributions to two senators and nine representatives who were among those opposing certification of Biden's victory.
Elliott too fast for Hamlin, Logano, Keselowski
Brad Keselowski (2) and Denny Hamlin (11) race side by side through Turn 4 during the NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Phoenix Raceway, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2020, in Avondale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ralph Freso)AVONDALE, Ariz. โ Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski got a big head start on Chase Elliott. Hamlin, Logano and Keselowski never got the caution flag they needed to catch up, with Keselowski finishing second, Logano third and Hamlin fourth. โI would have liked to have one of those late-race yellows like we saw in the Truck race and the Xfinity race,โ Keselowski said. Hamlin won the season-opening Daytona 500 and had seven victories this year โ two behind leader Kevin Harvick. โAs an organization we have got to get a little better, especially on the short tracks,โ Hamlin said.
Elliott drives from back of the field to first NASCAR title
The Elliotts joined Lee and Richard Petty and Ned and Dale Jarrett as just the third father-son combination to win a NASCAR Cup title. Elliott passed Joey Logano with 42 laps remaining and pulled away in a race Elliott controlled even as the four title contenders ran 1-2-3-4 most of the afternoon. Elliott had charged through the field during the first stage to clump the four contenders in the winner-take-all season finale. Elliott's win at Martinsville last week not only locked him into the final four, but eliminated regular-season champion Harvick. On the cool-down lap, Johnson pulled up alongside Elliott and fist-bumped the new face of Hendrick, of Chevrolet and of NASCAR.
Jacksonville business owner wants everyone to feel welcome at her boutique
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ Bryanetta Humphrey, the owner of the Talk of the Town boutique in Avondale, says she can find the perfect outfit for anyone. Her boutique sells clothes among many other thingsโI believe I was born to own the Talk of the Town,โ Humphrey said. But she admits being a Black business owner in a predominately white community is not easy. Because weโre a Black-owned business.โA year and a half after first opening the doors of the boutique, Humphrey started to feel more comfortable in her role as the face of the business. I paused long enough for her to wonder, โWhy did you hesitate?โ And she asked me, โWhy did you hesitate?โโ Humphrey said.
Flooding on Jacksonvilleโs Westside raises questions about cityโs response
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ After heavy rains pelted Jacksonville and caused some flash flooding across part of the Westside on Monday night, many are questioning the cityโs response. People like Jim Williams have been complaining about major flooding since retention ponds were covered and replaced with pipes. The flooding issue is something that the Jacksonville City Council is working on. A resiliency committee has been meeting about the flooding problems and is scheduled to meet again on Wednesday. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is also working with the city to buy up flood-prone property.
Best local romantic dinner: The Casbah Cafรฉ
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ Itโs one of Jacksonvilleโs top Middle Eastern bistros, and the Casbah Cafรฉ is also the JaxBest choice for best local romantic dinner! Located in Avondale, the Casbah is casual and quaint, and along with a long list of hookah flavors, the Cafรฉ gives an authentic cultural experience. During your meal, youโll likely witness some traditional Middle Eastern belly dancing among the lively crowd. On the menu, youโll also find a variety of local and imported artisanal wine and beer! Head over to the Casbahโs website for a closer look.
Residents concerned thieves are targeting their cars
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Residents in the Avondale, Fairfax and Riverside neighborhoods said Wednesday they're being targeted in the middle of night by people trying to break into cars. Barbara Hitell, a Fairfax resident, said she got surveillance footage of two men outside her home. "Two guys creeping across my front lawn, running over to my cars. Each of them walked up to one of the cars ... then they creep over the next house -- they were hitting every house on the street," Hitell said. She said her surveillance cameras have twice caught people targeting her cars within two weeks.