
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. —&nbsp;With the significant cluster of COVID-19 cases at Hutchinson Correctional Facility announced this week, it's important to differentiate those who are incarcerated from those who work there and go home to their families in the community, but to do so without making it too easy to figure out which employees are ill.

"We're working to integrate those staff members," said Reno County Health Department Director Nick Baldetti. "We would count them and through epidemiological investigation, in terms of where we think they got it, through the specific investigation with each one of those individuals. Those staff members, we're counting within the community aggregate data that we would apply to just community trend analysis, because those individuals do live in our community."

With that said, the Kansas Department of Corrections release said that the people that were infected in the prison are asymptomatic. The concern is that even asymptomatic carriers can spread the virus, if in close contact long enough.

"If there's an individual who is presenting physical symptoms, coughing, fever, bowel issues, that's the highest risk factor in terms of spread and exposure," Baldetti said. "That's followed by presymptomatic and presymptomatic again is different than asymptomatic, in that presymptomatic just means that you haven't presented your symptoms yet, but the individual who is positive at some point presents symptoms, versus an asymptomatic individual are those that never present a symptom. They are just actively carrying the virus and never would know that they are sick. In that order, it's truly symptomatic, presymptomatic and asymptomatic in terms of risk."

From an epidemiological perspective, the two days immediately prior to symptoms are the days with most risk of spread other than those days once symptoms present.

"You shouldn't necessarily be terribly concerned with walking by an asymptomatic individual in Walmart as you pass through an aisle. You really have to spend some time in an enclosed space to contract from an asymptomatic versus again much higher risk associated with someone who is actively presenting symptoms."

It's not that masking will take the viral spread of even asymptomatic individuals down to zero, but it will reduce the amount that gets out and thus require longer exposure to get to a symptom onset point than otherwise would be the case.

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By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. —&nbsp;With the significant cluster of COVID-19 cases at Hutchinson Correctional Facility announced this week, it's important to differentiate those who are incarcerated from those who work there and go home to their families in the community, but to do so without making it too easy to figure out which employees are ill."We're working to integrate those staff members," said Reno County Health Department Director Nick Baldetti. "We would count them and through epidemiological investigation, in terms of where we think they got it, through the specific investigation with each one of those individuals. Those staff members, we're counting within the community aggregate data that we would apply to just community trend analysis, because those individuals do live in our community."With that said, the Kansas Department of Corrections release said that the people that were infected in the prison are asymptomatic. The concern is that even asymptomatic carriers can spread the virus, if in close contact long enough."If there's an individual who is presenting physical symptoms, coughing, fever, bowel issues, that's the highest risk factor in terms of spread and exposure," Baldetti said. "That's followed by presymptomatic and presymptomatic again is different than asymptomatic, in that presymptomatic just means that you haven't presented your symptoms yet, but the individual who is positive at some point presents symptoms, versus an asymptomatic individual are those that never present a symptom. They are just actively carrying the virus and never would know that they are sick. In that order, it's truly symptomatic, presymptomatic and asymptomatic in terms of risk."From an epidemiological perspective, the two days immediately prior to symptoms are the days with most risk of spread other than those days once symptoms present."You shouldn't necessarily be terribly concerned with walking by an asymptomatic individual in Walmart as you pass through an aisle. You really have to spend some time in an enclosed space to contract from an asymptomatic versus again much higher risk associated with someone who is actively presenting symptoms."It's not that masking will take the viral spread of even asymptomatic individuals down to zero, but it will reduce the amount that gets out and thus require longer exposure to get to a symptom onset point than otherwise would be the case.

Baldetti: HCF spread makes parsing out numbers more challenging


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
Hutchinson Police Chief Jeff Hooper swore in new members of the department on Thursday at Stringer Fine Arts Center.

New employees are Animal Shelter Director Michaela Schommer, Animal Shelter Tech Siera Simon, Evidence Technician Clifton Riggs, dispatchers Janelle Allen, Joseph Hermes, Penelope Kaiser, Jessica McLauhlin, Fermina Orosco, Warren Storrie, Taylor Stanley, Kayli Goodheart and Karen Ridgeway.

Also, new officers Logan Corley, Benjamin Smalling and Trevor Stoll were sworn in. K9 Harper also received a formal introduction.

Corley is a Georgia native who was stationed at Fort Riley. Corley served three and a half years as an infantryman deploying twice overseas to multiple countries. He enjoys spending time with his wife and family camping, working out and doing other outdoor activities.

Smalling grew up in Nickerson. He is a 2015 graduate of Nickerson High School and went on to graduate from Hutchinson Community College in 2017 with an associates of science, then transferred to Wichita State University and graduated in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice. In his free time he likes to fish and spend time with friends and family.

Stoll was born and raised in Hutchinson. He graduated from Hutchinson High School in 2015. His goal with the department is to combat local drug issues and to hopefully serve as a K9 officer one day. In his free time he enjoys hunting, hanging out with friends and going on trips with his fiancé.

Award winners who were unable to be recognized at the Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police event were recognized locally.

Gold award winners were Sgt. Josh Long, Ofc. Ricky Garcia, Ofc. Cory Ogburn, Sgt. Garret Leslie, Ofc. Tony Garcia, Ofc. Tim Williams, Ofc. James Sanders, Deputy Jack Trussell and Deputy Eric De La Cruz.

Silver award winners were Sgt. Lance Hirt, Ofc. Matthew Gabrielson and Ofc. John Williams

HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
Hutchinson Police Chief Jeff Hooper swore in new members of the department on Thursday at Stringer Fine Arts Center.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1597422749598.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>New employees are Animal Shelter Director Michaela Schommer, Animal Shelter Tech Siera Simon, Evidence Technician Clifton Riggs, dispatchers Janelle Allen, Joseph Hermes, Penelope Kaiser, Jessica McLauhlin, Fermina Orosco, Warren Storrie, Taylor Stanley, Kayli Goodheart and Karen Ridgeway.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1597422951085.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Also, new officers Logan Corley, Benjamin Smalling and Trevor Stoll were sworn in. K9 Harper also received a formal introduction.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1597422967412.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Corley is a Georgia native who was stationed at Fort Riley. Corley served three and a half years as an infantryman deploying twice overseas to multiple countries. He enjoys spending time with his wife and family camping, working out and doing other outdoor activities.Smalling grew up in Nickerson. He is a 2015 graduate of Nickerson High School and went on to graduate from Hutchinson Community College in 2017 with an associates of science, then transferred to Wichita State University and graduated in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice. In his free time he likes to fish and spend time with friends and family.Stoll was born and raised in Hutchinson. He graduated from Hutchinson High School in 2015. His goal with the department is to combat local drug issues and to hopefully serve as a K9 officer one day. In his free time he enjoys hunting, hanging out with friends and going on trips with his fiancé.Award winners who were unable to be recognized at the Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police event were recognized locally.Gold award winners were Sgt. Josh Long, Ofc. Ricky Garcia, Ofc. Cory Ogburn, Sgt. Garret Leslie, Ofc. Tony Garcia, Ofc. Tim Williams, Ofc. James Sanders, Deputy Jack Trussell and Deputy Eric De La Cruz.Silver award winners were Sgt. Lance Hirt, Ofc. Matthew Gabrielson and Ofc. John Williams

Hutchinson Police swear in new employees


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. —&nbsp;The Internal Revenue Service is reminding owners of most heavy highway vehicles of their responsibility to timely file Form 2290, Heavy Highway Vehicle Use Tax Return.

The Heavy Highway Vehicle Use Tax Return is filed by people who normally drive large truck tractors or buses on highways," said IRS spokesperson Michael Devine. "These are vehicles that have a gross weight of 55,000 pounds or more, so these are the big rigs. The owners of these vehicles have to file the form 2290 and pay the tax by Monday, August 31st if those vehicles were on the road during the month of July."

A variety of special rules apply. These special rules are explained in the instructions to Form 2290.

"For those who aren't sure, the IRS has a new tool on our website, <a href="https://www.irs.gov/">irs.gov</a>," Devine said. "It's titled, Do I need to pay the Heavy Highway Vehicle Use Tax? It's pretty simple to use. It's question and answer format. You need the taxable gross weight of the vehicle, the month that the vehicle was first used on the road and then it will tell you all the information you need to know."

If you do need to file in August, the easiest way to do that is electronically.

"You can go online to <a href="https://www.irs.gov/">irs.gov </a>and find a list of the e-file providers who are approved to do the Form 2290 for the owner and you can pay electronically through a funds withdrawal transfer or using the electronic federal tax payment system. Right now, you cannot pay by credit or debit card."

Generally, e-filers receive their IRS-stamped Schedule 1 electronically minutes after filing and paying any Heavy Highway Vehicle Use Tax due online. They can then print the Schedule 1 and provide it to their state department of motor vehicles without visiting an IRS office.

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By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. —&nbsp;The Internal Revenue Service is reminding owners of most heavy highway vehicles of their responsibility to timely file Form 2290, Heavy Highway Vehicle Use Tax Return.The Heavy Highway Vehicle Use Tax Return is filed by people who normally drive large truck tractors or buses on highways," said IRS spokesperson Michael Devine. "These are vehicles that have a gross weight of 55,000 pounds or more, so these are the big rigs. The owners of these vehicles have to file the form 2290 and pay the tax by Monday, August 31st if those vehicles were on the road during the month of July."A variety of special rules apply. These special rules are explained in the instructions to Form 2290."For those who aren't sure, the IRS has a new tool on our website, <a href="https://www.irs.gov/">irs.gov</a>," Devine said. "It's titled, Do I need to pay the Heavy Highway Vehicle Use Tax? It's pretty simple to use. It's question and answer format. You need the taxable gross weight of the vehicle, the month that the vehicle was first used on the road and then it will tell you all the information you need to know."If you do need to file in August, the easiest way to do that is electronically."You can go online to <a href="https://www.irs.gov/">irs.gov </a>and find a list of the e-file providers who are approved to do the Form 2290 for the owner and you can pay electronically through a funds withdrawal transfer or using the electronic federal tax payment system. Right now, you cannot pay by credit or debit card."Generally, e-filers receive their IRS-stamped Schedule 1 electronically minutes after filing and paying any Heavy Highway Vehicle Use Tax due online. They can then print the Schedule 1 and provide it to their state department of motor vehicles without visiting an IRS office.

IRS reminding truckers tax deadline is August 31

PRATT COUNTY—One person was injured in an accident just after 4p.m. Thursday in Pratt County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1994 Chevy pickup driven by John J. Kitts, 47, Pratt, was stopped at a stop sign on NW 20th Avenue at NW 110th Street. The driver failed yield to a westbound 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee driven by Betty J. Young, 68, Iuka.

The Jeep struck the pickup in the intersection.

EMS transported&nbsp;Young to Pratt Regional Medical Center. Kitts was not injured. Both drivers were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

PRATT COUNTY—One person was injured in an accident just after 4p.m. Thursday in Pratt County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1994 Chevy pickup driven by John J. Kitts, 47, Pratt, was stopped at a stop sign on NW 20th Avenue at NW 110th Street. The driver failed yield to a westbound 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee driven by Betty J. Young, 68, Iuka.The Jeep struck the pickup in the intersection.EMS transported&nbsp;Young to Pratt Regional Medical Center. Kitts was not injured. Both drivers were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

Pratt Co. woman hospitalized after 2-vehicle crash


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. —&nbsp;The Reno County canvass for the primary election took place Thursday. The purpose of the canvass is to deal with provisional ballots.

"We present them and make a recommendation on whether or not they should be counted," said Reno County Deputy Elections Clerk Jenna Fager. "We supply the supporting statute that goes along with that to the canvassing board and they tell us whether or not we count it."

The canvassing board took until 2 p.m. Thursday to finish their work.

"For the provisionals, we had 296 cast," Fager said. "We were unable to count 95 of them. 182, we were able to count the entire races on them. We had 19 that were a partial count."

Partial counts are those where someone may have voted a ballot with races on it they weren't supposed to, but some of them were okay, like everyone should have voted the U.S. Senate race, but someone may have gotten the wrong township races or something.

"We actually go in and do an abstract after our results are official," Fager said. "It's all compiled at the state level and then they will do a final canvass on their level."

Fager said there were not enough provisional ballots counted to change the final result in any races locally.

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By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. —&nbsp;The Reno County canvass for the primary election took place Thursday. The purpose of the canvass is to deal with provisional ballots."We present them and make a recommendation on whether or not they should be counted," said Reno County Deputy Elections Clerk Jenna Fager. "We supply the supporting statute that goes along with that to the canvassing board and they tell us whether or not we count it."The canvassing board took until 2 p.m. Thursday to finish their work."For the provisionals, we had 296 cast," Fager said. "We were unable to count 95 of them. 182, we were able to count the entire races on them. We had 19 that were a partial count."Partial counts are those where someone may have voted a ballot with races on it they weren't supposed to, but some of them were okay, like everyone should have voted the U.S. Senate race, but someone may have gotten the wrong township races or something."We actually go in and do an abstract after our results are official," Fager said. "It's all compiled at the state level and then they will do a final canvass on their level."Fager said there were not enough provisional ballots counted to change the final result in any races locally.

Canvass finished, no result changes in Reno County Thursday


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. —&nbsp;On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced $2 million in CARES Act Recovery Assistance grants from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration to five regions of Kansas hard-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Specifically, there's another $400,000 approximately to south-central Kansas," Congressman Roger Marshall said Thursday. "I'll be curious to see what they're going to do with it. I'll bet they're going to use some of it for job training and some technical assistance with local businesses, as well."

SCKEDD has offices in Wichita and Hutchinson. They plan to use the money for strategic collaboration with the state's other economic development organizations. North Central Regional Planning Commission, Northwest Kansas Planning &amp; Development Commission, Flint Hills Regional Council and Southeast Kansas Regional Planning Commission all also received funding.

"Less than half of the $3 trillion we've appropriated has actually hit Main Street yet," Marshall said. "That's why I'm in no big hurry to spend a lot more money, to borrow a lot more money from our grandchildren until we see where this money lands. The Kansas economy is looking better. Our unemployment rate has dropped to 7%, so things are looking brighter across the entire state."

This is in addition to the $2.5 million awarded to Kansas’ regional planning commissioners in July.

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By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. —&nbsp;On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced $2 million in CARES Act Recovery Assistance grants from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration to five regions of Kansas hard-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic."Specifically, there's another $400,000 approximately to south-central Kansas," Congressman Roger Marshall said Thursday. "I'll be curious to see what they're going to do with it. I'll bet they're going to use some of it for job training and some technical assistance with local businesses, as well."SCKEDD has offices in Wichita and Hutchinson. They plan to use the money for strategic collaboration with the state's other economic development organizations. North Central Regional Planning Commission, Northwest Kansas Planning &amp; Development Commission, Flint Hills Regional Council and Southeast Kansas Regional Planning Commission all also received funding."Less than half of the $3 trillion we've appropriated has actually hit Main Street yet," Marshall said. "That's why I'm in no big hurry to spend a lot more money, to borrow a lot more money from our grandchildren until we see where this money lands. The Kansas economy is looking better. Our unemployment rate has dropped to 7%, so things are looking brighter across the entire state."This is in addition to the $2.5 million awarded to Kansas’ regional planning commissioners in July.

Marshall: More CARES Act money headed to Kansas


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
A Creighton University economist sees some movement in a growth direction from the unemployment claims numbers released Thursday.

"First time claims for unemployment insurance moving lower, continuing claims are also moving lower," said Ernie Goss. "We're moving in the right direction, but we've still got a ways to go before we get back to pre-COVID-19 levels. We're certainly moving in the right direction. I think the numbers are likely to improve even more in the weeks and months ahead."

The key, though, is to incentivize people to go to work.

"The $600 add on to state level compensation, of course, that expired at the end of July," Goss said. "Now they're wrestling. The Democrats want to continue with the $600 add on, the Republicans want $200 added on. $200 would be at about a replacement ratio of about 70% of lost weekly income. $600, unfortunately, at least from the government standpoint, would put a lot of individuals making more by being unemployed than they would be by being employed."

From an economist's standpoint, Goss likes the lower plan better.

"I think the $200 proposal is more in line with incentivizing individuals to take jobs out there," Goss said. "According to our surveys, and we do two surveys each month, both surveys include Kansas, companies and manufacturers for example are now even having a difficult time finding and hiring qualified workers. There are individuals that could be working that have chosen to remain unemployed."

Goss doesn't think there are large numbers there, but every bit helps to make the economy more competitive.

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By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
A Creighton University economist sees some movement in a growth direction from the unemployment claims numbers released Thursday."First time claims for unemployment insurance moving lower, continuing claims are also moving lower," said Ernie Goss. "We're moving in the right direction, but we've still got a ways to go before we get back to pre-COVID-19 levels. We're certainly moving in the right direction. I think the numbers are likely to improve even more in the weeks and months ahead."The key, though, is to incentivize people to go to work."The $600 add on to state level compensation, of course, that expired at the end of July," Goss said. "Now they're wrestling. The Democrats want to continue with the $600 add on, the Republicans want $200 added on. $200 would be at about a replacement ratio of about 70% of lost weekly income. $600, unfortunately, at least from the government standpoint, would put a lot of individuals making more by being unemployed than they would be by being employed."From an economist's standpoint, Goss likes the lower plan better."I think the $200 proposal is more in line with incentivizing individuals to take jobs out there," Goss said. "According to our surveys, and we do two surveys each month, both surveys include Kansas, companies and manufacturers for example are now even having a difficult time finding and hiring qualified workers. There are individuals that could be working that have chosen to remain unemployed."Goss doesn't think there are large numbers there, but every bit helps to make the economy more competitive.

Economist sees unemployment numbers as sign of right direction


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. —&nbsp;In the August heat, both people and animals can be subject to physical damage.

"Dogs that kind of have that shorter face tend to have a harder time, especially, kind of oxygenating when it's hot and humid out," said Erica Miller, DVM, with Apple Lane Animal Hospital. "Really, any dog does."

There was a dog brought in to the practice by a Good Samaritan recently suffering from heat-related illness.

"It was just your general medium-size lab mix," said Miller. "It was very overheated. Dogs are going to be panting extremely heavily, just a little bit out of it. The dog that was brought in to us was just laying on the side of the road, panting heavily, not really responsive."

The Good Samaritan tried to give the dog water, but the dog vomited it up, so Miller had to take a different approach.

"They're really stressed," Miller said. "At the point this dog was, they need something more than just drinking a little bit of water. We start IV fluids, which does kind of bring their core body temperature down. We do wet them. We wet them on their underside, their belly and their paw pads and their ears, where they are going to start cooling down quicker as opposed to where their coat is."

They also try to get a fan on them and check their temperature frequently. Most importantly, don't let an emergency like this be the first time your pet sees the vet. Establish a relationship with your veterinarian so that you know who to call if something happens.

<figure>
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By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. —&nbsp;In the August heat, both people and animals can be subject to physical damage."Dogs that kind of have that shorter face tend to have a harder time, especially, kind of oxygenating when it's hot and humid out," said Erica Miller, DVM, with Apple Lane Animal Hospital. "Really, any dog does."There was a dog brought in to the practice by a Good Samaritan recently suffering from heat-related illness."It was just your general medium-size lab mix," said Miller. "It was very overheated. Dogs are going to be panting extremely heavily, just a little bit out of it. The dog that was brought in to us was just laying on the side of the road, panting heavily, not really responsive."The Good Samaritan tried to give the dog water, but the dog vomited it up, so Miller had to take a different approach."They're really stressed," Miller said. "At the point this dog was, they need something more than just drinking a little bit of water. We start IV fluids, which does kind of bring their core body temperature down. We do wet them. We wet them on their underside, their belly and their paw pads and their ears, where they are going to start cooling down quicker as opposed to where their coat is."They also try to get a fan on them and check their temperature frequently. Most importantly, don't let an emergency like this be the first time your pet sees the vet. Establish a relationship with your veterinarian so that you know who to call if something happens.

Keep dogs cool to avoid heat-related illness

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Recent obituaries


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. —&nbsp;Washburn University political scientist Bob Beatty sees a potential opportunity for the Kansas Democratic Party if Republican State Treasurer Jake LaTurner wins the Second District seat in Congress in November and his office is left vacant.

"The State Treasurer job, I looked it up, has been a feeder for people that want to go on to higher office," Beatty said. "Going back to Joan Finney from back in the day, who went on to become Kansas governor. The treasurer after her, Sally Thompson ran for Senate, Tim Shallenburger ran for governor, Lynn Jenkins ran for the U.S. House, Ron Estes ran for the U.S. House and now Jake LaTurner. It's almost expected that if you're a State Treasurer, that really the job is a placeholder and you should be moving on to somewhere else."

Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly would get the opportunity to appoint someone to the seat and Beatty argues that it's an important appointment for the future of the Party.

"Find a Jake LaTurner," Beatty said. "Find a Democrat who is ambitious, talented, can obviously do the job as State Treasurer, but also is savvy in campaigning and in fundraising and can possibly win an election."

A couple of young Democrats who might fit that bill are LaTurner's opponent in the Second District race, Topeka mayor Michelle De La Isla and Wichita mayor Brandon Whipple.

"They really need to be looking for somebody who can win an election and not just be a placeholder in the seat," Beatty said. "It's tough for Democrats. I would argue, they don't need to use this to reward somebody for long years of service. That person's not going to win in the next election."

This could all be an academic exercise though, as the race between LaTurner and De La Isla is too close to call according to the latest polling immediately following his primary win.

<figure>
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 </figure>
By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. —&nbsp;Washburn University political scientist Bob Beatty sees a potential opportunity for the Kansas Democratic Party if Republican State Treasurer Jake LaTurner wins the Second District seat in Congress in November and his office is left vacant."The State Treasurer job, I looked it up, has been a feeder for people that want to go on to higher office," Beatty said. "Going back to Joan Finney from back in the day, who went on to become Kansas governor. The treasurer after her, Sally Thompson ran for Senate, Tim Shallenburger ran for governor, Lynn Jenkins ran for the U.S. House, Ron Estes ran for the U.S. House and now Jake LaTurner. It's almost expected that if you're a State Treasurer, that really the job is a placeholder and you should be moving on to somewhere else."Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly would get the opportunity to appoint someone to the seat and Beatty argues that it's an important appointment for the future of the Party."Find a Jake LaTurner," Beatty said. "Find a Democrat who is ambitious, talented, can obviously do the job as State Treasurer, but also is savvy in campaigning and in fundraising and can possibly win an election."A couple of young Democrats who might fit that bill are LaTurner's opponent in the Second District race, Topeka mayor Michelle De La Isla and Wichita mayor Brandon Whipple."They really need to be looking for somebody who can win an election and not just be a placeholder in the seat," Beatty said. "It's tough for Democrats. I would argue, they don't need to use this to reward somebody for long years of service. That person's not going to win in the next election."This could all be an academic exercise though, as the race between LaTurner and De La Isla is too close to call according to the latest polling immediately following his primary win.

Beatty: Potential State Treasurer vacancy could be opportunity for Democrats


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. —&nbsp;Chuck Welch with Hutchinson Regional Healthcare System noted that the hospital is still handling the patient load it has fairly well at this point.

"It's probably our largest number to date, which is still only, it looks like, six positive COVID patients and nine pending results," Welch said Wednesday. "Worst case scenario, all of those come back positive, you know, we would have what's that, 15 or 16 positive patients."

The hospital is ready in case more cases come in, but they aren't nearly full.

"We have an entire COVID ward which has been isolated and cordoned off up on the fifth floor specifically for COVID positive patients that aren't sick enough to be in the ICU," Welch said. "Our capacity is on par with some bigger hospitals. We have never even come close to that."

It's not that the threat is gone. As long as one person has the virus and they pass it to another, it will be there, but the surge hasn't materialized.

"We know we're going to get sick patients, but we just want to take them in manageable pieces," Welch said. "I've said this for the last six months, if we start seeing 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 critically sick patients, our capacity will go from, we're doing just fine to, we're going to need some help and it can go quickly. We are acutely aware and keeping our eyes on and our fingers on the pulse of those hotspots."

Total hospital census for all causes on Wednesday was 82 patients at the 190 bed hospital.

<figure>
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By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. —&nbsp;Chuck Welch with Hutchinson Regional Healthcare System noted that the hospital is still handling the patient load it has fairly well at this point."It's probably our largest number to date, which is still only, it looks like, six positive COVID patients and nine pending results," Welch said Wednesday. "Worst case scenario, all of those come back positive, you know, we would have what's that, 15 or 16 positive patients."The hospital is ready in case more cases come in, but they aren't nearly full."We have an entire COVID ward which has been isolated and cordoned off up on the fifth floor specifically for COVID positive patients that aren't sick enough to be in the ICU," Welch said. "Our capacity is on par with some bigger hospitals. We have never even come close to that."It's not that the threat is gone. As long as one person has the virus and they pass it to another, it will be there, but the surge hasn't materialized."We know we're going to get sick patients, but we just want to take them in manageable pieces," Welch said. "I've said this for the last six months, if we start seeing 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 critically sick patients, our capacity will go from, we're doing just fine to, we're going to need some help and it can go quickly. We are acutely aware and keeping our eyes on and our fingers on the pulse of those hotspots."Total hospital census for all causes on Wednesday was 82 patients at the 190 bed hospital.

Hospital still handling COVID case load just fine

&nbsp; KANSAS CITY, Mo. (August 14, 2020) -&nbsp;The MIAA CEO Council has announced emergency action for the Association and its member institutions in regard to the 2020-2021 athletic seasons and campus sport activities.&nbsp; The emergency action comes as a result of the COVID-19 Global Health Pandemic, the NCAA announcement to cancel Fall National Championships, and the recently released NCAA Board of Governors’ directives regarding the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ncaa.org/sport-science-institute/resocialization-collegiate-sport-developing-standards-practice-and-competition">Resocialization of Collegiate Sport.</a> All MIAA fall sport competitions will be suspended until January 1, 2021. The Association will continue to explore the possibility of a limited number of competitions in football, volleyball, men's soccer, and women’s soccer in the spring, as permitted by the NCAA.&nbsp; The Conference office has also canceled the 2020 MIAA Virtual Football Media Day presented by Seigfreid Bingham in light of the suspension of the MIAA football schedule. “The health and well-being of MIAA student-athletes, coaches, administrators, and our communities continues to be the Association's top priority,” stated President Steve Scott of Pittsburg State University, chairperson of the MIAA CEO Council. “The MIAA is taking these important actions today to help our athletic departments comply with these new NCAA membership requirements, and to assist our campuses as we continue to address this public health crisis.” All NCAA athletically related activities (in all MIAA sports), including in-season practices, out-of-season practices, weight training, team athletically related meetings, and voluntary workouts directed by staff or in institutional facilities shall be permitted this fall based on each institution’s ability to comply with the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ncaa.org/sport-science-institute/requirements-each-division-related-conduct-fall-sports-and-championships-faqs">August 11th NCAA Policy Clarifications</a>&nbsp;document regarding the requirements for each division to conduct fall sports (non-competition) activities.&nbsp; The Association will delay a decision on the winter sports competition schedule until October 1 at the latest.&nbsp; “The MIAA CEO Council will continue to monitor this fluid and evolving situation for college athletics, and make necessary changes to this plan per updated NCAA guidance and restrictions,” added MIAA Commissioner Mike Racy. MIAA leadership at member institutions will continue to work together and seek guidance from the NCAA on the NCAA Board of Governors’ directives and the Resocialization of Collegiate Sport Guidelines.&nbsp; The Association will continue to place the health, safety, and well-being of MIAA student-athletes, coaches, and administrators as its top priority.&nbsp;&nbsp;

&nbsp; KANSAS CITY, Mo. (August 14, 2020) -&nbsp;The MIAA CEO Council has announced emergency action for the Association and its member institutions in regard to the 2020-2021 athletic seasons and campus sport activities.&nbsp; The emergency action comes as a result of the COVID-19 Global Health Pandemic, the NCAA announcement to cancel Fall National Championships, and the recently released NCAA Board of Governors’ directives regarding the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ncaa.org/sport-science-institute/resocialization-collegiate-sport-developing-standards-practice-and-competition">Resocialization of Collegiate Sport.</a> All MIAA fall sport competitions will be suspended until January 1, 2021. The Association will continue to explore the possibility of a limited number of competitions in football, volleyball, men's soccer, and women’s soccer in the spring, as permitted by the NCAA.&nbsp; The Conference office has also canceled the 2020 MIAA Virtual Football Media Day presented by Seigfreid Bingham in light of the suspension of the MIAA football schedule. “The health and well-being of MIAA student-athletes, coaches, administrators, and our communities continues to be the Association's top priority,” stated President Steve Scott of Pittsburg State University, chairperson of the MIAA CEO Council. “The MIAA is taking these important actions today to help our athletic departments comply with these new NCAA membership requirements, and to assist our campuses as we continue to address this public health crisis.” All NCAA athletically related activities (in all MIAA sports), including in-season practices, out-of-season practices, weight training, team athletically related meetings, and voluntary workouts directed by staff or in institutional facilities shall be permitted this fall based on each institution’s ability to comply with the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ncaa.org/sport-science-institute/requirements-each-division-related-conduct-fall-sports-and-championships-faqs">August 11th NCAA Policy Clarifications</a>&nbsp;document regarding the requirements for each division to conduct fall sports (non-competition) activities.&nbsp; The Association will delay a decision on the winter sports competition schedule until October 1 at the latest.&nbsp; “The MIAA CEO Council will continue to monitor this fluid and evolving situation for college athletics, and make necessary changes to this plan per updated NCAA guidance and restrictions,” added MIAA Commissioner Mike Racy. MIAA leadership at member institutions will continue to work together and seek guidance from the NCAA on the NCAA Board of Governors’ directives and the Resocialization of Collegiate Sport Guidelines.&nbsp; The Association will continue to place the health, safety, and well-being of MIAA student-athletes, coaches, and administrators as its top priority.&nbsp;&nbsp;

MIAA Takes Emergency Actions In Regard To 2020-21 Athletic Seasons

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AUDIO: Eagle Radio Sports for Friday

Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press

CHICAGO (AP) — St. Louis' series opener against the Chicago White Sox has been postponed to Saturday, giving the Cardinals an extra day to recover from a coronavirus outbreak. The Cardinals, who haven't played since July 29, were set to resume their season Friday night in Chicago. But the series opener was pushed back to a doubleheader on Saturday. There was no word from Major League Baseball on the postponement, but John Mozeliak, the president of baseball operations for the Cardinals, confirmed the move in a conference call with reporters. Mozeliak also said the team is going to play doubleheaders on Monday and Wednesday against the Cubs at Wrigley Field after the NL Central rivals had a series postponed last weekend.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Chiefs and star tight end Travis Kelce have agreed to a four-year, $57.25 million contract extension that will keep him with the Super Bowl champions through 2025, a person familiar with the contract tells The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity Thursday because the deal has not been announced. The move to secure the two-time All-Pro tight end is the latest in a string of big-money deals negotiated by general manager Brett Veach to keep the core of the Chiefs intact this offseason. Among them were a 10-year extension for quarterback Patrick Mahomes and a four-year deal for Pro Bowl defensive tackle Chris Jones.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The newest Major League Soccer team will be called St. Louis City SC. The team's name and logo were unveiled nearly a year after the city was given an MLS franchise. The name was selected from more than 6,000 submissions. The team colors will be "City Red," "River Blue," "Energy Yellow," and "Arch Steel Gray." The logo will include a representation of the St. Louis Gateway Arch.&nbsp;

NEW YORK (AP) — All major league players, managers, coaches and umpires will wear a patch on Sunday to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Negro Leagues. The logo on the patch will be a derivative of the official logo created by the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City. The logo also will be featured on base jewels and lineup cards. Many MLB clubs have also planned ballpark and digital activities throughout the season, including Negro Leagues tribute games with throwback uniforms, educational panels and documentary film screenings, and auctions to support the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum or related organizations.&nbsp;

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Sports teams are offering an early glimpse of the challenges of protecting students from the coronavirus as schools prepare to open. Wyandotte County announced Thursday that it is barring non-professional athletes from competing this fall in football, volleyball and soccer because of virus concerns. The order also bars marching band events. The district in Kansas City, Kansas, called off its fall sports season earlier this week. The new order applies to public schools, private schools, higher education and non-professional sports clubs and organizations in the county. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment says nine coronavirus clusters have been tied to sports, with 64 cases as of last week.

UNDATED (AP) — Major college football will be the only championship decided by the NCAA, and the prospect of holding that still hangs in the balance.

The NCAA has called off all fall championship events except for major college football because of the limited number of schools competing in sports such as men's and women's soccer and women's volleyball during the first semester.

NCAA President Mark Emmert made the announcement in a video posted on Twitter, although it has been clear this was coming as conferences canceled fall sports seasons because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Emmert said the NCAA would prioritize staging championships in winter and spring sports because those — including the NCAA basketball tournaments— were canceled when COVID-19 first spiked across the United States in March.

The decision comes after The Big Sky, West Coast and Southern conferences announced Thursday that they are the latest Division I leagues to postpone its fall sports schedule. 

New Mexico State has postponed its football season because of COVID-19 concerns and state restrictions. The Aggies are the third independent FBS program to decide not to play in the fall, joining Connecticut and Massachusetts. 

New Mexico State says it will explore playing football in the spring.

Moving fall sports to the spring still must go through the Division I Council, which is comprised of representatives of all 32 conferences. It also would need approval by the DI Board of Directors.

UNDATED (AP) — It took the Columbus Jackets a while to get going following their five-overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Fortunately for the Jackets, netminder Joonas Korpisalo (YOH'-nuhs kohr-pih-SAH'-loh) was just as sharp as he performed while making a playoff-record 85 saves two days earlier.

The Stanley Cup first-round series is tied at a game apiece after Korpisalo stopped 36 shots to lead Columbus to a 3-1 win over the Lightning. He blanked the Bolts after Nikita Kucherov (KOO'-cheh-rahf) scored 5:26 after the opening faceoff to give Tampa Bay a brief lead.

Ryan Murray and Oliver Bjorkstrand provided first-period goals to put the Blue Jackets ahead to stay. Bjorkstrand's goal came on a power play with 1:25 left in the period.

— Dougie Hamilton broke a 2-2 stalemate midway through the third period to give the Hurricanes a 3-2 win over the Bruins, evening the series at a game apiece. Carolina trailed, 1-0 until Teuvo Teravainen and Andrei Svechnikov scored 1:28 late in the second, but Boston tied it on Brad Marchand's goal with five seconds left in the period. James Reimer stopped 33 shots for the Canes.

— The Stars squandered a 4-2 lead in the third period before Jamie Oleksiak (oh-LEHK'-see-ak) scored with just 40 seconds remaining to give Dallas a 5-4 win over the Flames. Miro Heiskanen had two goals and Alexander Radulov (RAD'-yoo-lahv) also tallied to help the Stars even the series at a game apiece. The game appeared headed to OT when Calgary's Sam Bennett beat Ben Bishop on a power-play with 2:49 left in the third period.

— The Golden Knights squandered leads of 2-0 and 3-2 before Reilly Smith scored 7:13 into overtime to give them a 4-3 win over the Blackhawks. The Knights wasted leads of 2-0 and 3-2 in the second period before taking a 2-0 lead in the series. Paul Stastny (STAS'-nee), Tomas Nosek (tah-MAHS' NOH'-shehk) and Mark Stone also tallied for Vegas.

Canadiens coach hospitalized with chest pains

TORONTO (AP) — Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin (BERZH'-eh-vin) says coach Claude Julien was taken by ambulance to a Toronto hospital after experiencing chest pains Wednesday night. The 60-year-old Julien remained in the hospital Thursday afternoon while more tests were being conducted to determine the cause of his condition.

Bergevin said the situation is not COVID-19 related. 

The 60-year-old coach is not expected to be back behind the bench for the rest of the team's first-round series against Philadelphia. Associate coach Kirk Muller will take over Julien's role in an interim basis. 

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — It will be the Portland Trail Blazers against the Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA's Western Conference play-in series. The Trail Blazers advanced with a win over the Nets after the Grizzlies secured a spot by downing the league-leading Milwaukee Bucks.

Damian Lillard dropped in 42 more points and had a crucial steal as the Blazers earned a do-or-die victory, 134-133 over the Nets. CJ McCollum had 25 points for Portland, which erased a 10-point, third-quarter deficit and pulled out a win when Caris LeVert missed a jumper just before the final buzzer.

LeVert had 37 points for Brooklyn, which already had secured the seventh seed in the East.

Memphis kept its season alive with a 119-106 victory over the Bucks. Jonas Valanciunas (YOH'-nuhs val-ehn-CHOO'-nuhs) and Ja (jah) Morant each had triple-doubles, while Dillon Brooks added 31 points in the Grizzlies' second wire-to-wire win of the season.

Valanciunas had 26 points, 19 rebounds and 12 assists for his first triple-double in 559 NBA games. Morant had 12 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists.

The Blazers can advance to the first round against the Lakers by beating the Grizzlies on Saturday. If Memphis prevails, there will be a winner-take-all game on Sunday.

— Devin Booker scored 23 of his 27 points while the Suns dominated the first half of a 128-102 trouncing of the Mavericks. Dario Saric scored 16 points for Phoenix, which finished just short of a berth in the play-in series despite going 7-0 in the restart.

— Rayjon Tucker scored 18 points as the Jazz beat the Spurs 118-112, ending San Antonio string of playoff appearances at 22. Keldon Johnson scored 24 points to lead seven Spurs in double figures. 

— Buddy Hield (heeld) nailed a 3-pointer that capped Sacramento's streak of 11 consecutive baskets made in the third period of a 136-122 win over the Lakers. Hield finished with 28 points and Bogdan Bogdanovic (BOY'-ahn bahg-DAH'-noh-vich) had 27 for the Kings, who made 21 3-pointers. Most Lakers starters were held out, but LeBron James played the first half and had 17 points in 15 minutes.

— The Wizards picked up their lone win in the restart as Thomas Bryant had 26 points and nine rebounds lead a 96-90 decision over the Celtics. Troy Brown Jr. added 17 points and eight rebounds against Boston, which rested its starters after clinching the third seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. 

UNDATED (AP) — Mookie Betts and the Dodgers certainly know how to exact a bit of revenge.

Betts was 4-for-4 with three home runs and four RBIs as the Dodgers blasted the Padres, 11-2. Betts' assault began after he was hit by a pitch leading off the bottom of the first. Corey Seager homered just three pitches later before AJ Pollock went deep.

Betts joins Johnny Mize and Sammy Sosa as the only players in major league history to homer three times in six different games.

Austin Barnes also homered and Julio Urias (yoo-REE'-uhs) pitched into the seventh, allowing two runs and five hits. Urias settled down after Tommy Pham and Eric Hosmer hit back-to-back homers off him with two out in the first.

— Yu Darvish carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning and Kyle Schwarber belted a solo homer as the Cubs downed the Brewers, 4-2. Darvish struck out 11 over seven innings and didn't allow a hit until Justin Smoak led off the seventh with a homer. The Cubs are 13-3 for the first time since 1907.

— The Rays have a six-game winning streak after Mike Zunino belted a three-run homer and collected four RBIs in a 17-8 dismantling of the Red Sox. Hunter Renfroe homered twice and drove in three, while Brandon Lowe had three ribbies.

— The Orioles completed a three-game sweep as Pedro Severino and Rio Ruiz homered in an 11-4 blasting of the Phillies. Thomas Eshelman allowed two runs and four hits in five innings to earn his second career win. 

— Tomas Nido (TOH'-mahs NEE'-doh) broke out in the Mets' 8-2 romp over the Nats, hitting a two-run homer in the fourth inning and a grand slam in the fifth. He is just the fifth catcher in Mets history to hit at least two homers and collect at least six RBIs in a game.

— Solo homers by Adam Frazier, Colin Moran and Gregory Polanco helped the Pirates beat the Reds, 9-5 and end a three-game skid. Polanco homered and walked with the bases loaded while Pittsburgh erupted for seven runs in the second inning to take a 9-0 lead.

— The Cardinals' series opener against the White Sox has been postponed to Saturday, giving the Redbirds an extra day to recover from a coronavirus outbreak. The Cards, who haven't played since July 29 and were set to resume their season Friday night in Chicago. 

UNDATED (AP) — Rangers veteran right-hander Edinson Volquez has been put on the 45-day injured list with a right oblique strain, effectively ending his season. 

Volquez sustained the injury when working the fifth inning Tuesday against Seattle. 

— Mets left fielder Jeff McNeil was carted off with a left knee injury after crashing into the wall to rob Asdrubal (as-DROO'-bul) Cabrera of a two-run extra-base hit on Thursday. Manager Luis Rojas says McNeile is day to day after X-rays and an MRI were negative.

— Nationals star Stephen Strasburg earned one of baseball's most unique ejections in the third inning of Thursday's loss to the Mets. Strasburg was sitting in Section 121 at Citi Field in this socially distant season when he began to complain loudly about a ball-and-strike call. Last year's World Series MVP was tossed moments later, although it took a few seconds to realize who had been tossed.

AP source: Kittle agrees to 5-year extension with 49ers

UNDATED (AP) — All-Pro George Kittle has agreed to a five-year, $75 million extension with the San Francisco 49ers, a record for tight ends. 

According to overthecap.com, the previous high for annual value on a multiyear contract for a tight end was the four-year, $42 million deal Austin Hooper signed this offseason in Cleveland.

Kittle had been one of the NFL's biggest bargains after being drafted in the fifth round in 2017.

— The Chiefs and star tight end Travis Kelce (KEHL'-see) have agreed to a four-year, $57.25 million contract extension that will keep him with the Super Bowl champions through 2025. That's according to a person familiar with the contract. The move to secure the two-time All-Pro tight end is the latest in a string of big-money deals negotiated by general manager Brett Veach to keep the core of the Chiefs intact this offseason. 

— The Bills are protecting quarterback Josh Allen's blindside for the long term after signing left tackle Dion Dawkins to a four-year, $60 million contract extension. The team announced the signing, while a person with direct knowledge of the contract provided the value of the deal to The Associated Press. Dawkins has been a starter in Buffalo since being selected in the second round of the 2017 draft out of Temple.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Serena Williams came back and won the last four games to beat her older sister, Venus, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in a hard-hitting, back-and-forth, second-round matchup at the Top Seed Open on Thursday. It was the 31st meeting of their careers and it came 22½ years after the first.

Venus is 40, and Serena turns 39 next month, making their combined age the highest in a WTA match since 2004, when Martina Navratilova, 47, played Amy Frazier, 31.

No. 1 Novak Djokovic says he'll play at US Open, after all

UNDATED (AP) — Novak Djokovic (NOH'-vak JOH'-kuh-vich) says he will enter the U.S. Open and the hard-court tuneup tournament preceding it in New York this month. 

Reigning U.S. Open champion Bianca Andreescu (an-dree-EHS'-koo) has pulled out of the Grand Slam tournament. She says the coronavirus pandemic prevented her from properly preparing for competition. 

Senators lay out plan for college athletes bill of rights

WASHINGTON (AP) — A group of senators led by Cory Booker of New Jersey and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut has released a plan for reforming college sports with an athletes bill of rights. It calls for college athletes to have the ability to earn money for their names, images and likenesses with "minimal restrictions." 

The senators also want to ensure for the athletes long-term medical coverage and treatment, enforceable medical standards, academic freedom and revenue sharing agreements. 

The NCAA is in the process of changing its rules to permit athletes to earn money off their names, images and likenesses for things like endorsements and appearances. The association has asked for help from Congress to relieve pressure from state lawmakers. 

GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — Harold Varner III, Tom Hoge and Roger Sloan share the clubhouse lead after shooting 8-under 62 in the first round of the PGA's Wyndham Championship in North Carolina. 

Hoge looked like he might have a shot at 59 after he went eagle-birdie on the 15th and 16th holes to reach 9 under. 

There were 33 players on the course when the round was suspended due to bad weather. 

<h2>Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press</h2>CHICAGO (AP) — St. Louis' series opener against the Chicago White Sox has been postponed to Saturday, giving the Cardinals an extra day to recover from a coronavirus outbreak. The Cardinals, who haven't played since July 29, were set to resume their season Friday night in Chicago. But the series opener was pushed back to a doubleheader on Saturday. There was no word from Major League Baseball on the postponement, but John Mozeliak, the president of baseball operations for the Cardinals, confirmed the move in a conference call with reporters. Mozeliak also said the team is going to play doubleheaders on Monday and Wednesday against the Cubs at Wrigley Field after the NL Central rivals had a series postponed last weekend.KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Chiefs and star tight end Travis Kelce have agreed to a four-year, $57.25 million contract extension that will keep him with the Super Bowl champions through 2025, a person familiar with the contract tells The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity Thursday because the deal has not been announced. The move to secure the two-time All-Pro tight end is the latest in a string of big-money deals negotiated by general manager Brett Veach to keep the core of the Chiefs intact this offseason. Among them were a 10-year extension for quarterback Patrick Mahomes and a four-year deal for Pro Bowl defensive tackle Chris Jones.ST. LOUIS (AP) — The newest Major League Soccer team will be called St. Louis City SC. The team's name and logo were unveiled nearly a year after the city was given an MLS franchise. The name was selected from more than 6,000 submissions. The team colors will be "City Red," "River Blue," "Energy Yellow," and "Arch Steel Gray." The logo will include a representation of the St. Louis Gateway Arch.&nbsp;NEW YORK (AP) — All major league players, managers, coaches and umpires will wear a patch on Sunday to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Negro Leagues. The logo on the patch will be a derivative of the official logo created by the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City. The logo also will be featured on base jewels and lineup cards. Many MLB clubs have also planned ballpark and digital activities throughout the season, including Negro Leagues tribute games with throwback uniforms, educational panels and documentary film screenings, and auctions to support the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum or related organizations.&nbsp;KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Sports teams are offering an early glimpse of the challenges of protecting students from the coronavirus as schools prepare to open. Wyandotte County announced Thursday that it is barring non-professional athletes from competing this fall in football, volleyball and soccer because of virus concerns. The order also bars marching band events. The district in Kansas City, Kansas, called off its fall sports season earlier this week. The new order applies to public schools, private schools, higher education and non-professional sports clubs and organizations in the county. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment says nine coronavirus clusters have been tied to sports, with 64 cases as of last week.<h2>Update on the latest sports</h2>UNDATED (AP) — Major college football will be the only championship decided by the NCAA, and the prospect of holding that still hangs in the balance.The NCAA has called off all fall championship events except for major college football because of the limited number of schools competing in sports such as men's and women's soccer and women's volleyball during the first semester.NCAA President Mark Emmert made the announcement in a video posted on Twitter, although it has been clear this was coming as conferences canceled fall sports seasons because of the coronavirus pandemic.Emmert said the NCAA would prioritize staging championships in winter and spring sports because those — including the NCAA basketball tournaments— were canceled when COVID-19 first spiked across the United States in March.The decision comes after The Big Sky, West Coast and Southern conferences announced Thursday that they are the latest Division I leagues to postpone its fall sports schedule. New Mexico State has postponed its football season because of COVID-19 concerns and state restrictions. The Aggies are the third independent FBS program to decide not to play in the fall, joining Connecticut and Massachusetts. New Mexico State says it will explore playing football in the spring.Moving fall sports to the spring still must go through the Division I Council, which is comprised of representatives of all 32 conferences. It also would need approval by the DI Board of Directors.NHL-SCHEDULEKopisalo, Jackets tie seriesUNDATED (AP) — It took the Columbus Jackets a while to get going following their five-overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Fortunately for the Jackets, netminder Joonas Korpisalo (YOH'-nuhs kohr-pih-SAH'-loh) was just as sharp as he performed while making a playoff-record 85 saves two days earlier.The Stanley Cup first-round series is tied at a game apiece after Korpisalo stopped 36 shots to lead Columbus to a 3-1 win over the Lightning. He blanked the Bolts after Nikita Kucherov (KOO'-cheh-rahf) scored 5:26 after the opening faceoff to give Tampa Bay a brief lead.Ryan Murray and Oliver Bjorkstrand provided first-period goals to put the Blue Jackets ahead to stay. Bjorkstrand's goal came on a power play with 1:25 left in the period.In other Stanley Cup first-round action:— Dougie Hamilton broke a 2-2 stalemate midway through the third period to give the Hurricanes a 3-2 win over the Bruins, evening the series at a game apiece. Carolina trailed, 1-0 until Teuvo Teravainen and Andrei Svechnikov scored 1:28 late in the second, but Boston tied it on Brad Marchand's goal with five seconds left in the period. James Reimer stopped 33 shots for the Canes.— The Stars squandered a 4-2 lead in the third period before Jamie Oleksiak (oh-LEHK'-see-ak) scored with just 40 seconds remaining to give Dallas a 5-4 win over the Flames. Miro Heiskanen had two goals and Alexander Radulov (RAD'-yoo-lahv) also tallied to help the Stars even the series at a game apiece. The game appeared headed to OT when Calgary's Sam Bennett beat Ben Bishop on a power-play with 2:49 left in the third period.— The Golden Knights squandered leads of 2-0 and 3-2 before Reilly Smith scored 7:13 into overtime to give them a 4-3 win over the Blackhawks. The Knights wasted leads of 2-0 and 3-2 in the second period before taking a 2-0 lead in the series. Paul Stastny (STAS'-nee), Tomas Nosek (tah-MAHS' NOH'-shehk) and Mark Stone also tallied for Vegas.NHL-CANADIENS-JULIENCanadiens coach hospitalized with chest painsTORONTO (AP) — Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin (BERZH'-eh-vin) says coach Claude Julien was taken by ambulance to a Toronto hospital after experiencing chest pains Wednesday night. The 60-year-old Julien remained in the hospital Thursday afternoon while more tests were being conducted to determine the cause of his condition.Bergevin said the situation is not COVID-19 related. The 60-year-old coach is not expected to be back behind the bench for the rest of the team's first-round series against Philadelphia. Associate coach Kirk Muller will take over Julien's role in an interim basis. NBA-SCHEDULEGrizzlies, Blazers get play-in spotsLAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — It will be the Portland Trail Blazers against the Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA's Western Conference play-in series. The Trail Blazers advanced with a win over the Nets after the Grizzlies secured a spot by downing the league-leading Milwaukee Bucks.Damian Lillard dropped in 42 more points and had a crucial steal as the Blazers earned a do-or-die victory, 134-133 over the Nets. CJ McCollum had 25 points for Portland, which erased a 10-point, third-quarter deficit and pulled out a win when Caris LeVert missed a jumper just before the final buzzer.LeVert had 37 points for Brooklyn, which already had secured the seventh seed in the East.Memphis kept its season alive with a 119-106 victory over the Bucks. Jonas Valanciunas (YOH'-nuhs val-ehn-CHOO'-nuhs) and Ja (jah) Morant each had triple-doubles, while Dillon Brooks added 31 points in the Grizzlies' second wire-to-wire win of the season.Valanciunas had 26 points, 19 rebounds and 12 assists for his first triple-double in 559 NBA games. Morant had 12 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists.The Blazers can advance to the first round against the Lakers by beating the Grizzlies on Saturday. If Memphis prevails, there will be a winner-take-all game on Sunday.In other NBA action:— Devin Booker scored 23 of his 27 points while the Suns dominated the first half of a 128-102 trouncing of the Mavericks. Dario Saric scored 16 points for Phoenix, which finished just short of a berth in the play-in series despite going 7-0 in the restart.— Rayjon Tucker scored 18 points as the Jazz beat the Spurs 118-112, ending San Antonio string of playoff appearances at 22. Keldon Johnson scored 24 points to lead seven Spurs in double figures. — Buddy Hield (heeld) nailed a 3-pointer that capped Sacramento's streak of 11 consecutive baskets made in the third period of a 136-122 win over the Lakers. Hield finished with 28 points and Bogdan Bogdanovic (BOY'-ahn bahg-DAH'-noh-vich) had 27 for the Kings, who made 21 3-pointers. Most Lakers starters were held out, but LeBron James played the first half and had 17 points in 15 minutes.— The Wizards picked up their lone win in the restart as Thomas Bryant had 26 points and nine rebounds lead a 96-90 decision over the Celtics. Troy Brown Jr. added 17 points and eight rebounds against Boston, which rested its starters after clinching the third seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. MLB-SCHEDULEBetts blasts Dodgers to rout of PadresUNDATED (AP) — Mookie Betts and the Dodgers certainly know how to exact a bit of revenge.Betts was 4-for-4 with three home runs and four RBIs as the Dodgers blasted the Padres, 11-2. Betts' assault began after he was hit by a pitch leading off the bottom of the first. Corey Seager homered just three pitches later before AJ Pollock went deep.Betts joins Johnny Mize and Sammy Sosa as the only players in major league history to homer three times in six different games.Austin Barnes also homered and Julio Urias (yoo-REE'-uhs) pitched into the seventh, allowing two runs and five hits. Urias settled down after Tommy Pham and Eric Hosmer hit back-to-back homers off him with two out in the first.Elsewhere on the major league schedule:— Yu Darvish carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning and Kyle Schwarber belted a solo homer as the Cubs downed the Brewers, 4-2. Darvish struck out 11 over seven innings and didn't allow a hit until Justin Smoak led off the seventh with a homer. The Cubs are 13-3 for the first time since 1907.— The Rays have a six-game winning streak after Mike Zunino belted a three-run homer and collected four RBIs in a 17-8 dismantling of the Red Sox. Hunter Renfroe homered twice and drove in three, while Brandon Lowe had three ribbies.— The Orioles completed a three-game sweep as Pedro Severino and Rio Ruiz homered in an 11-4 blasting of the Phillies. Thomas Eshelman allowed two runs and four hits in five innings to earn his second career win. — Tomas Nido (TOH'-mahs NEE'-doh) broke out in the Mets' 8-2 romp over the Nats, hitting a two-run homer in the fourth inning and a grand slam in the fifth. He is just the fifth catcher in Mets history to hit at least two homers and collect at least six RBIs in a game.— Solo homers by Adam Frazier, Colin Moran and Gregory Polanco helped the Pirates beat the Reds, 9-5 and end a three-game skid. Polanco homered and walked with the bases loaded while Pittsburgh erupted for seven runs in the second inning to take a 9-0 lead.— The Cardinals' series opener against the White Sox has been postponed to Saturday, giving the Redbirds an extra day to recover from a coronavirus outbreak. The Cards, who haven't played since July 29 and were set to resume their season Friday night in Chicago. MLB-NEWSRangers lose VolquezUNDATED (AP) — Rangers veteran right-hander Edinson Volquez has been put on the 45-day injured list with a right oblique strain, effectively ending his season. Volquez sustained the injury when working the fifth inning Tuesday against Seattle. In other major league news:— Mets left fielder Jeff McNeil was carted off with a left knee injury after crashing into the wall to rob Asdrubal (as-DROO'-bul) Cabrera of a two-run extra-base hit on Thursday. Manager Luis Rojas says McNeile is day to day after X-rays and an MRI were negative.— Nationals star Stephen Strasburg earned one of baseball's most unique ejections in the third inning of Thursday's loss to the Mets. Strasburg was sitting in Section 121 at Citi Field in this socially distant season when he began to complain loudly about a ball-and-strike call. Last year's World Series MVP was tossed moments later, although it took a few seconds to realize who had been tossed.NFL-NEWSAP source: Kittle agrees to 5-year extension with 49ersUNDATED (AP) — All-Pro George Kittle has agreed to a five-year, $75 million extension with the San Francisco 49ers, a record for tight ends. According to overthecap.com, the previous high for annual value on a multiyear contract for a tight end was the four-year, $42 million deal Austin Hooper signed this offseason in Cleveland.Kittle had been one of the NFL's biggest bargains after being drafted in the fifth round in 2017.In other NFL news:— The Chiefs and star tight end Travis Kelce (KEHL'-see) have agreed to a four-year, $57.25 million contract extension that will keep him with the Super Bowl champions through 2025. That's according to a person familiar with the contract. The move to secure the two-time All-Pro tight end is the latest in a string of big-money deals negotiated by general manager Brett Veach to keep the core of the Chiefs intact this offseason. — The Bills are protecting quarterback Josh Allen's blindside for the long term after signing left tackle Dion Dawkins to a four-year, $60 million contract extension. The team announced the signing, while a person with direct knowledge of the contract provided the value of the deal to The Associated Press. Dawkins has been a starter in Buffalo since being selected in the second round of the 2017 draft out of Temple.TENNIS-LEXINGTONSerena beats Venus to take 31st meetingLEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Serena Williams came back and won the last four games to beat her older sister, Venus, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in a hard-hitting, back-and-forth, second-round matchup at the Top Seed Open on Thursday. It was the 31st meeting of their careers and it came 22½ years after the first.Venus is 40, and Serena turns 39 next month, making their combined age the highest in a WTA match since 2004, when Martina Navratilova, 47, played Amy Frazier, 31.TENNIS-US OPENNo. 1 Novak Djokovic says he'll play at US Open, after allUNDATED (AP) — Novak Djokovic (NOH'-vak JOH'-kuh-vich) says he will enter the U.S. Open and the hard-court tuneup tournament preceding it in New York this month. Reigning U.S. Open champion Bianca Andreescu (an-dree-EHS'-koo) has pulled out of the Grand Slam tournament. She says the coronavirus pandemic prevented her from properly preparing for competition. NCAA-COMPENSATING ATHLETESSenators lay out plan for college athletes bill of rightsWASHINGTON (AP) — A group of senators led by Cory Booker of New Jersey and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut has released a plan for reforming college sports with an athletes bill of rights. It calls for college athletes to have the ability to earn money for their names, images and likenesses with "minimal restrictions." The senators also want to ensure for the athletes long-term medical coverage and treatment, enforceable medical standards, academic freedom and revenue sharing agreements. The NCAA is in the process of changing its rules to permit athletes to earn money off their names, images and likenesses for things like endorsements and appearances. The association has asked for help from Congress to relieve pressure from state lawmakers. PGA-WYNDHAM CHAMPIONSHIP3-way tie for clubhouse leadGREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — Harold Varner III, Tom Hoge and Roger Sloan share the clubhouse lead after shooting 8-under 62 in the first round of the PGA's Wyndham Championship in North Carolina. Hoge looked like he might have a shot at 59 after he went eagle-birdie on the 15th and 16th holes to reach 9 under. There were 33 players on the course when the round was suspended due to bad weather.

Sports Headlines for Friday

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs weren’t done when they signed star quarterback Patrick Mahomes to a record-setting extension, or when they put together a pricey package to keep Pro Bowl defensive tackle Chris Jones on the line.

Now, they’re shelling out more big money to keep tight end Travis Kelce in the fold.

The Chiefs and the two-time All-Pro agreed to a four-year, $57.25 million extension Thursday that will keep him with the Super Bowl champions through 2025, a person familiar with the contract told The Associated Press. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the deal had not been announced.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs weren’t done when they signed star quarterback Patrick Mahomes to a record-setting extension, or when they put together a pricey package to keep Pro Bowl defensive tackle Chris Jones on the line.Now, they’re shelling out more big money to keep tight end Travis Kelce in the fold.The Chiefs and the two-time All-Pro agreed to a four-year, $57.25 million extension Thursday that will keep him with the Super Bowl champions through 2025, a person familiar with the contract told The Associated Press. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the deal had not been announced.

Chiefs, Kelce agree to 4-year, $57.25M extension

<div><iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/875057917&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/hutchpost" title="HutchPost.com" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">HutchPost.com</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/hutchpost/eagle-sports-august-13-2020" title="Eagle Sports August 13 - 2020" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Eagle Sports August 13 - 2020</a></div></div>

AUDIO: Eagle Radio Sports for Thursday

One can’t start a season much better than Royals right-hander&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/player/641745" target="_blank">Brad Keller</a>.

But Keller’s second win of the season didn’t exactly come easy. Closer&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/player/572096" target="_blank">Trevor Rosenthal</a>&nbsp;got out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam by getting former Royal Christian Colón to roll into a double play, preserving a pulsating 5-4 win over the Reds at Great American Ball Park on Wednesday.

•&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/gameday/631599/final/box" target="_blank">Box score</a>

“[My heart rate] got a little elevated, I’ll admit,” Royals manager Mike Matheny said. “These masks, though, do a good job of hiding how you’re feeling at the time. But yeah, Rosie had it all the way.

“I know you’re tired of me talking about how proud I am of these guys, and how they keep coming. But that’s so enjoyable to watch and be a part of it. So much clean baseball today. That turn at the end put an exclamation point on it all."

•&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/royals/news/matt-harvey-potential-royals-debut-2020" target="_blank">Notes: Harvey ramping up; Lacy joins pool</a>

Rosenthal walked the bases loaded in the ninth -- his first three walks of the season. But Rosenthal got Colón -- who was responsible for Kansas City's game-winning RBI in Game 5 of the 2015 World Series -- to bounce a grounder to third baseman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/player/596748" target="_blank">Maikel Franco</a>, who started the twin killing and got a terrific quick turn from second baseman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/player/670032" target="_blank">Nicky Lopez</a>.

And with that, Rosenthal pumped his fist in the air.

“I mean, I have definitely experienced that outcome too many times,” Rosenthal said, smiling. “If you just watch that inning, it was a microcosm of how our games have gone lately, and how hard we fight.”

Royals catcher&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/player/521692" target="_blank">Salvador Perez</a>, who had three hits and drove in three runs, recalled peeking over at the Cincinnati dugout during the hectic ninth and catching the eye of former Royal Mike Moustakas.

“This was like a playoff game,” Perez said. “I looked at Moose and said, ‘We’ve been through this before.’”

Keller, making just his second start of 2020 after returning from the injured list, tossed six more shutout innings. He allowed two singles and three walks while striking out three.

Keller has thrown 11 consecutive scoreless innings to start the season.

And this time it wasn’t as routine as the linescore would indicate. Keller worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the first.

In the third, a leadoff walk from Keller was wiped out when Nick Castellanos hit into a double play.

And in the fifth, the Reds had two on and none out. But Keller secured a popout, then induced another double-play ball from Shogo Akiyama.

“I didn’t have my best fastball command,” Keller said. “But I threw a lot of sinkers, and I threw some good changeups that got me out of some jams. That pitch to Akiyama was a changeup, and that got me a double play.”

That lead came mostly at the hands of Perez, who drove in a run in the first on a fielder’s choice, then homered in the third and doubled in a run in the sixth.

The Royals’ bullpen, so effective all season and the third best in the American League with a 3.00 ERA, finally had a hiccup Wednesday.

Given a 5-0 lead in the seventh,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/player/453178" target="_blank">Ian Kennedy</a>, who has been plagued by the home run ball this season, allowed two more of them.

On his first pitch, Kennedy served up a homer to Jesse Winker. Kennedy walked the next batter then hung an 0-2 slider to Freddy Galvis. Kennedy has allowed six homers this season.

<a href="https://www.mlb.com/player/605130" target="_blank">Scott Barlow</a>&nbsp;relieved Kennedy, and the latter hadn’t given up a homer in 45 innings. But he did just that to Josh VanMeter, and suddenly, it was 5-4.

<a href="https://www.mlb.com/player/622251" target="_blank">Josh Staumont</a>&nbsp;got into trouble in the eighth, putting runners on first and third with one out. But he got two huge strikeouts to end the threat, both on curveballs.

“When Josh has that curveball working, and with the fastball jumping out of his hands,” Matheny said, “he’s tough to handle.”

One can’t start a season much better than Royals right-hander&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/player/641745" target="_blank">Brad Keller</a>.But Keller’s second win of the season didn’t exactly come easy. Closer&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/player/572096" target="_blank">Trevor Rosenthal</a>&nbsp;got out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam by getting former Royal Christian Colón to roll into a double play, preserving a pulsating 5-4 win over the Reds at Great American Ball Park on Wednesday.<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/I9vgwme1iiI" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>•&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/gameday/631599/final/box" target="_blank">Box score</a>“[My heart rate] got a little elevated, I’ll admit,” Royals manager Mike Matheny said. “These masks, though, do a good job of hiding how you’re feeling at the time. But yeah, Rosie had it all the way.“I know you’re tired of me talking about how proud I am of these guys, and how they keep coming. But that’s so enjoyable to watch and be a part of it. So much clean baseball today. That turn at the end put an exclamation point on it all."•&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/royals/news/matt-harvey-potential-royals-debut-2020" target="_blank">Notes: Harvey ramping up; Lacy joins pool</a>Rosenthal walked the bases loaded in the ninth -- his first three walks of the season. But Rosenthal got Colón -- who was responsible for Kansas City's game-winning RBI in Game 5 of the 2015 World Series -- to bounce a grounder to third baseman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/player/596748" target="_blank">Maikel Franco</a>, who started the twin killing and got a terrific quick turn from second baseman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/player/670032" target="_blank">Nicky Lopez</a>.And with that, Rosenthal pumped his fist in the air.“I mean, I have definitely experienced that outcome too many times,” Rosenthal said, smiling. “If you just watch that inning, it was a microcosm of how our games have gone lately, and how hard we fight.”Royals catcher&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/player/521692" target="_blank">Salvador Perez</a>, who had three hits and drove in three runs, recalled peeking over at the Cincinnati dugout during the hectic ninth and catching the eye of former Royal Mike Moustakas.“This was like a playoff game,” Perez said. “I looked at Moose and said, ‘We’ve been through this before.’”Keller, making just his second start of 2020 after returning from the injured list, tossed six more shutout innings. He allowed two singles and three walks while striking out three.Keller has thrown 11 consecutive scoreless innings to start the season.And this time it wasn’t as routine as the linescore would indicate. Keller worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the first.In the third, a leadoff walk from Keller was wiped out when Nick Castellanos hit into a double play.And in the fifth, the Reds had two on and none out. But Keller secured a popout, then induced another double-play ball from Shogo Akiyama.“I didn’t have my best fastball command,” Keller said. “But I threw a lot of sinkers, and I threw some good changeups that got me out of some jams. That pitch to Akiyama was a changeup, and that got me a double play.”Keller left with a 5-0 lead.That lead came mostly at the hands of Perez, who drove in a run in the first on a fielder’s choice, then homered in the third and doubled in a run in the sixth.The Royals’ bullpen, so effective all season and the third best in the American League with a 3.00 ERA, finally had a hiccup Wednesday.Given a 5-0 lead in the seventh,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/player/453178" target="_blank">Ian Kennedy</a>, who has been plagued by the home run ball this season, allowed two more of them.On his first pitch, Kennedy served up a homer to Jesse Winker. Kennedy walked the next batter then hung an 0-2 slider to Freddy Galvis. Kennedy has allowed six homers this season.<a href="https://www.mlb.com/player/605130" target="_blank">Scott Barlow</a>&nbsp;relieved Kennedy, and the latter hadn’t given up a homer in 45 innings. But he did just that to Josh VanMeter, and suddenly, it was 5-4.<a href="https://www.mlb.com/player/622251" target="_blank">Josh Staumont</a>&nbsp;got into trouble in the eighth, putting runners on first and third with one out. But he got two huge strikeouts to end the threat, both on curveballs.“When Josh has that curveball working, and with the fastball jumping out of his hands,” Matheny said, “he’s tough to handle.”

🎥 ROYAL'S HIGHLIGHTS; Keller extends streak as Royals eke out win

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Bo Horvat scored twice and the Vancouver Canucks beat the defending Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues 5-2 in the opening game of their best-of-seven first-round playoff series. J.T. Miller, Elias Pettersson and Troy Stecher also scored for Vancouver. David Perron and Jaden Schwartz scored for St. Louis.&nbsp;

CINCINNATI (AP) — Streaking Salvador Perez had three more hits, including a homer and RBI double, Reds left-hander Wade Miley made another early exit, and the Kansas City Royals beat Cincinnati 5-4 for their fifth victory in six games. The Royals' offense has led the way during the surge. It scored one run at a time to keep it going, led by Perez's homer, double and single. Trevor Rosenthal escaped a bases-loaded threat in the ninth.

UNDATED (AP) — The Big 12 Conference is moving ahead with plans to play college football and other fall sports. They will join the Atlantic Coast and Southeastern conferences in taking the field amid the coronavirus pandemic. The move came one day after the Big Ten and Pac-12 announced they would not play this fall. In the Big 12, fall sports will begin after Sept. 1 with the football schedule beginning league play Sept. 26. Schools also can play one non-conference opponent.

UNDATED (AP) — The Big 12 Conference is moving ahead with plans to play college football and other fall sports. They will join the Atlantic Coast and Southeastern conferences in taking the field amid the coronavirus pandemic.

<h2>Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press</h2>EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Bo Horvat scored twice and the Vancouver Canucks beat the defending Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues 5-2 in the opening game of their best-of-seven first-round playoff series. J.T. Miller, Elias Pettersson and Troy Stecher also scored for Vancouver. David Perron and Jaden Schwartz scored for St. Louis.&nbsp;CINCINNATI (AP) — Streaking Salvador Perez had three more hits, including a homer and RBI double, Reds left-hander Wade Miley made another early exit, and the Kansas City Royals beat Cincinnati 5-4 for their fifth victory in six games. The Royals' offense has led the way during the surge. It scored one run at a time to keep it going, led by Perez's homer, double and single. Trevor Rosenthal escaped a bases-loaded threat in the ninth.UNDATED (AP) — The Big 12 Conference is moving ahead with plans to play college football and other fall sports. They will join the Atlantic Coast and Southeastern conferences in taking the field amid the coronavirus pandemic. The move came one day after the Big Ten and Pac-12 announced they would not play this fall. In the Big 12, fall sports will begin after Sept. 1 with the football schedule beginning league play Sept. 26. Schools also can play one non-conference opponent.<h2>Update on the latest sports</h2>VIRUS OUTBREAK-COLLEGE SPORTSBig 12 moves ahead with fall sports UNDATED (AP) — The Big 12 Conference is moving ahead with plans to play college football and other fall sports. They will join the Atlantic Coast and Southeastern conferences in taking the field amid the coronavirus pandemic.The Big 12 board of directors approved a plan to begin fall sports after Sept. 1 after the Big Ten and Pac-12 announced they would not play this fall. The Big 12 football schedule allows each team to play one non-conference game before league play begins Sept. 26. In other college sports news:— The Big East has joined the growing list of conferences not playing sports in the fall. The conference announced that men's and women's soccer, men's and women's cross country, volleyball and field hockey won't be contested. Georgetown is the defending national champions in men's soccer.— The Big South Conference has decided to delay its fall sports seasons with hopes of playing in the spring. But it will allow football-playing members to schedule up to four non-conference games in the fall at their own discretion. Commissioner Kyle Kallander says the decision was made to protect student-athletes during the coronavirus pandemic. NHL-SCHEDULEB's top Canes in 2OTUNDATED (AP) — The Boston Bruins were able to win the latest marathon hockey game in Toronto.Patrice Bergeron (pah-TREES' BEHR'-zheh-rahn) scored early in double-overtime to give the Bruins a 4-3 win over the Hurricanes in Game 1 of their opening-round series.David Krejci (KRAY'-chee) put Boston ahead 3-2 59 seconds into the third period, but Carolina forced OT on Haydn (HAY'-dehn) Fleury's goal midway through the period.David Pastrnak (PAHS'-tur-nahk) assisted on the game-winner after netting a first-period goal. The game was postponed 15 hours to a rare late-morning start after Tuesday night's Blue Jackets-Lightning series opener in the same Toronto arena went to five overtimes.In other first-round action:— The Islanders scored four unanswered goals to turn a 2-0 deficit into a 4-2 win over the Capitals in Game 1. Josh Bailey broke a 2-2 deadlock with a short-handed goal about seven minutes into the third period. The Islanders tied it on goals by Jordan Eberle and Anders Lee 1:54 apart bridging the second and third periods.— Carter Hart handled 27 shots and the Flyers opened their series by nipping the Canadiens' 2-1. Joel Farabee netted the go-ahead goal late in the second period, 16 seconds after Shea Weber scored on a power play. Ivan Provorov also scored against Carey Price, who had 29 saves.— Nazem Kadri (NA'-zehm KA'-dree), J.T. Compher and Mikko Rantanen scored in an 83-second span late in the third period to send the Avalanche past the Coyotes, 3-0. Philipp Grubauer needed to make just 14 saves for his second career playoff shutout, helping Colorado take the opener of the series. Darcy Kuemper (KEHM'-pur) turned back 37 shots for Arizona.— The defending champs are trailing their series after third-period goals by Troy Stecher, Bo Horvat and J.T. Miller gave the Canucks a 5-2 win over the Blues. Horvat furnished two goals and Jacob Markstrom made 29 saves, blanking St. Louis after Jaden Schwartz tied it 2-2 midway through the second period. Elias Petterson also scored for the Canucks, who are seeking their first opening-round series win since 2011.NBA-BUCKS-ANTETOKOUNMPOBeast gets 1-game banLAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (YAH'-nihs an-teh-toh-KOON'-poh) has been suspended for Milwaukee's final game of the regular season.The NBA's reigning MVP was punished for headbutting Washington's Moe Wagner.It's unknown if Antetokounmpo would have played in Thursday's game against Memphis anyway, given that the Bucks have already secured the No. 1 overall seed in the NBA playoffs.Antetokounmpo will be eligible for Game 1 of the Bucks' first-round series against Orlando.NBA-SCHEDULEPacers fend off RocketsUNDATED (AP) — The Indiana Pacers beat Houston for the first time in their last six attempts despite an outstanding performance by Rockets guard James Harden. Myles Turner had 18 points and reserve Edmond Sumner added a season-high 17 as the Pacers held off the Rockets, 108-104. Justin Holliday chipped in 18 points for the Pacers, including two free throws with six seconds left after Houston erased most of a 14-point deficit over the final 5:05.Harden scored 11 points while the Rockets reeled off a 14-2 run to get within 106-104. He poured in 45 points and tied his career high with 17 rebounds.Also around the NBA:— The Clippers wrapped up the No. 2 seed in the West as Paul George scored 27 points, and Kawhi (kah-WY') Leonard had 26 in their 124-111 victory over the Nuggets. The Clippers took control with 13 straight points midway through the third quarter and never allowed the Nuggets to fully recover. — Mike Muscala nailed a 3-pointer with 5.2 seconds and the Thunder overcame a 22-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat the Heat 116-115. Darius Bazley (BAYZ'-lee) contributed 21 points and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 18 for Oklahoma City, which outscored the Heat 34-15 in the final period.— Stanley Johnson scored the tiebreaking basket in the lane with 4.9 seconds remaining in the Raptors' 125-121 triumph over the 76ers. Kyle Lowry and Chris Boucher each scored 19 points as Toronto improved to 6-1 in the restart.MLB-SCHEDULEA's top HalosUNDATED (AP) — The Oakland Athletics avoided a sweep while winning for the 10th time in 12 games.Stephen Piscotty, Matt Olson and Robbie Grossman homered for the A's in an 8-4 victory over the Angels. Seven of the Athletics' nine hits were for extra bases after they were shut out on Tuesday.Ramón Laureano made three nifty catches in center field as he awaits a decision of his appeal of a six-game suspension for charging Houston coach Alex Cintron on Sunday.Elsewhere around the majors:— Gary Sanchez and Clint Frazier launched back-to-back homers and Aaron Hicks delivered an RBI double that put the Yankees ahead to stay in a 6-3 downing of the Braves. Frazier had three hits and scored twice while starting in place of outfielder Aaron Judge, who was scratched due to tightness in his lower body.— Magneuris Sierra poked a tiebreaking-two-run single in a three-run 10th that pushed the Marlins past the Blue Jays, 14-11 in Buffalo. Toronto lost despite smacking seven home runs, two by Travis Shaw.— Martín Maldonado (mahr-TEEN' mal-doh-NAH'-doh) belted a three-run home run to back a strong start by Zack Greinke (GREHN'-kee) in the Astros' 5-1 decision over the Giants. Greinke allowed one run and scattered seven hits over a season-high 6 1/3 innings for his first win of the year. — Justin Turner crushed a three-run homer in the eighth inning to give the Dodgers breathing room in a 6-0 shutout of the Padres. Tony Gonsolin fell one out short of qualifying for the victory, allowing two hits and striking out eight.— Byron Buxton homered twice, Miguel Sano (sah-NOH') added a solo shot and Kenta Maeda (mah-EH'-dah) worked into the seventh inning for the Twins in a 12-2 pounding of the Brewers. Marwin Gonzalez and Jose Cruz Jr. each had two RBIs as part of Minnesota's 15-hit assault.— Blake Snell pitched five shutout innings and the Rays backed him with a trio of 400-foot homers to beat the Boston Red Sox 8-5. Willy Adames (ah-DAH'-mehs), Brandon Lowe and Yoshi Tsutsugo (soo-SOO'-goh) all homered off Zack Godley, and Austin Meadows hit a solo shot in the ninth inning of Tampa Bay's fifth consecutive win.— Kyle Hendricks pitched six strong innings Anthony Rizzo homered as the pair led the Cubs to a 7-2 win over the Indians. The Cubs are 12-3 in their first season under manager David Ross, matching the club's 15-game start since 1970.— Brad Keller tossed two-hit ball over six scoreless innings before the Royals completed a 5-4 win over the Reds. Salvador Perez supplied a solo homer and three RBIs while Kansas City was building a 5-0 lead.— The Orioles also earned a 5-4 win over the Phillies as Rio Ruiz, Chance Sisco and Anthony Santander all homered. Baltimore reliever Miguel Castro wiggled out a jam in the eighth thanks to a fantastic diving stop by Ruiz.— Starling Marte homered and drove in four runs as the Diamondbacks battered the Rockies, 13-7. Rockets outfielder Charlie Blackmon began the game batting an astonishing .500 before going 0 for 4, ending his hitting streak at 15 games, and sliding his average to .472.— Pete Alonso and Dominic Smith provided back-to-back RBI doubles in a four-run first inning and hit consecutive homers in a five-run sixth as the Mets whipped the Nationals, 11-6. The fourth, fifth and sixth batters in the Mets' lineup, Michael Conforto, Alonso and Smith, went 7-for-11 with eight RBIs, eight runs scored, three walks and a hit batsman in 15 plate appearances.— The White Sox picked up a 7-5 win over the Tigers as Tim Anderson had four hits and finished a double shy of the cycle. Anderson and Eloy Jimenez opened the game with consecutive home runs, but Chicago blew a 3-1 lead before Luis Robert hit a bases-clearing double. — Todd Frazier scored the tiebreaking run on a wild pitch while the Rangers plated five in the bottom of the eighth to beat the Mariners, 7-4. Texas rallied after Austin Nola and Daniel Vogelbach homered in Seattle's four-run second.MLB-NEWSAiling Marlins ready to goUNDATED (AP) — Marlins manager Don Mattingly says his players sidelined by a coronavirus outbreak are all asymptomatic.Mattingly says those players are feeling great and feel like they are ready to go, adding that some have applied for reinstatement.The Marlins placed 17 players on the injured list last week following an outbreak in Philadelphia that forced seven games to be postponed. The infected players returned to Miami to be quarantined, and will likely need rehab workouts before rejoining the team.Players on the COVID-19 injury list must be cleared by the MLB joint committee before returning.In other major league news:— Dodgers reliever Joe Kelly had his suspension for throwing pitches near the heads of Houston hitters reduced to five games on appeal. Kelly was originally penalized eight games by Major League Baseball on July 29.— The Red Sox have placed outfielder Andrew Benintendi on the 10-day injured list with a right rib cage strain and recalled right-hander Ryan Weber from their alternate training site. Benintendi is batting just .103 this year after getting two hits in Tuesday's game.NBA-NEWSNBA lays out plan for player guests to enter Disney bubbleLAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — NBA players could be joined by some family members or close friends inside the season-restart bubble by the end of the month. And that raises the possibility of having a real, albeit small, cheering section for some playoff games. The opportunity to bring guests into the bubble at Walt Disney World will be only for teams advancing to the second round of the playoffs. The earliest any guest could satisfy quarantine rules and be reunited with a player is Aug. 31. In most cases, players would be limited to four guests. In other NBA news:— The league still hasn't had a confirmed coronavirus case among players inside the season-restart bubble at Walt Disney World. The league released updated numbers showing that none of the 342 players who were tested daily since the league last released results on Aug. 5 has had a confirmed positive. There has not been a player positive yet since teams began entering the bubble more than a month ago. — Pacers coach Nate McMillan has agreed to a one-year contract extension. McMillan says the deal would add one year to his current agreement, which was set to expire after next season. McMillan has led the Pacers to the playoffs in all four of his seasons since taking the job in 2016. MASTERS-NO FANSNo roars at Augusta as Masters to be played without fansAUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — The Masters will be on mute this year. The club has decided there will be no spectators at Augusta National when the rescheduled tournament is played in November.That means all three majors in this year of COVID-19 will not have fans.Golf is coming off its first major without fans last week at the PGA Championship. The U.S. Open, moved from June to Sept. 17-20 because of the pandemic, previously announced it won't have spectators at Winged Foot.The British Open announced in April it would be canceled this year.NFL-NEWSWashington to start the season without fans presentUNDATED (AP) — The Washington Football Team will at least begin the NFL season playing without fans in its stadium.The team says it plans to play home games at an empty FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland, "out of an abundance of caution due to the rapidly changing dynamics of the COVID-19 pandemic." Owner Dan Snyder said the decision followed discussions with federal, state and local officials. The plan can be reevaluated if conditions improve throughout the course of the season.In other NFL news:— Eagles coach Doug Pederson has returned to the team after missing less than two weeks because of the coronavirus. Pederson said he stayed engaged with the team virtually and watched practices on video while quarantining at home. The 52-year-old Pederson has led the Eagles to three straight playoff appearances and the franchise's first Super Bowl victory following the 2017 season.— The Bills have signed coach Sean McDermott to a multiyear contract extension. A person with direct knowledge told the Associated Press the contract is a four-year extension that runs through the 2025 season. McDermott is the first Bills coach to receive a contract extension since Dick Jauron in 2008 — though Jauron was fired the following year. — A report by the State Department's internal watchdog confirms news reports that U.S. ambassador to Britain and Jets owner Woody Johnson has been accused of making "insensitive" and "inappropriate" remarks to embassy staff. The State Department Office of the Inspector General in a report Wednesday called for further internal investigation of the allegations. The report says State Department officials contend that no further investigation is necessary because Johnson understands the responsibilities of his diplomatic job. Johnson has been an ambassador since 2017 and is a friend and campaign contributor to President Donald Trump.

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