Perhaps when the room at the top is manned with women, God’s message will be heard loud and clear: “Love is love.” A revelation about a policy that inflicts so much pain is deeply flawed.
Next time you are praying earnestly for revelation, take a walk in the incredibly beautiful, diverse world that God created.
JoNell Evans, Millcreek
Dear Readers • Here’s the deal. Little kids like poetry. No, really. They do! Especially if it has a good beat and you can dance to it. It’s only after we send them off to middle school and make them write haikus about pear blossoms — as Mike Tunnell and Jim Jacobs contend in their excellent book “Children’s Literature, Briefly” — that they start to dislike it. So, because April is National Poetry Month (go hug some poets, everyone! But only if they give permission!), I’m spotlighting a few new (and several old) favorites to share with the kids in your lives.
“Clackety Track: Poems About Trains” by Skila Brown, illustrated by Jamey Christoph
Electric trains. Dinner trains. Zoo trains. Bullet trains. Freight trains. Each of these (and more) is the subject of this entertaining collection. Here’s an example of a poem written about a steam engine: “Biggest beast you’ve ever seen./ Gobbling up a coal cuisine./ One hundred tons of steel machine./ Belching out a steam smoke screen.”
“Ph(r)ases of the Moon” by J. Patrick Lewis, illustrated by Jori van der Linde
“You cannot watch the sun./ It burns your eyes at noon./ But once twilight’s begun,/ You turn to watch the moon.” If you and your littles are intrigued by the moon — and, seriously, who isn’t? — then this new collection by former children’s poet laureate J. Patrick Lewis is for you. Lewis draws on both fact and myths from around the world to create a satisfying “journey” to the moon and back.
“Pony Poems for Little Pony Lover” by Cari Meister, illustrated by Sarah Rhys
Actually, a more accurate title for this collection would be “Little Pony Poems for Little Pony Lovers.” All of the verses are short, sweet and occasionally sassy, making this an entertaining choice for the youngest pony lovers in your life.
“No More Poems: A Book in Verse That Just Gets Worse” by Rhett Miller, illustrated by Dan Santant
These poems for older kids are reminiscent of the divinely silly work of Shel Silverstein. Take the poem “Hairs,” for example. “Nose hairs are gross hairs/ We all know it’s true/ Ear hairs are weird hairs/ They’re pretty gross too/ But... / When one long hair grows/ From a mole on your nose/ Man, I feel sorry for you.” You can tell that Caldecott medalist Dan Santant, who’s on a professional roll these days, had a good time creating the collection’s big, bright illustrations.
“Trees” by Verlie Hutchens, illustrated by Jing Jing Tsong
Given the immense popularity of recent books like “The Hidden Life of Trees” by Peter Wohlleben and “The Overstory” by Richard Powers, it’s not a surprise that there’s a new collection of poetry for children about — you guessed it! — trees. As Hutchens says, “Each tree offers/ a story/ a clue/ a dance/ that makes it/ its very own/ self.”
“Sing a Song of Seasons: A Nature Poem for Each Day of the Year,” selected by Fiona Waters, illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon
My personal favorite is this oversized, extravagantly illustrated volume published last year. A wide range of poets are represented — some of them familiar (hello there, Robert Frost!), others not so much. But the poems themselves have been chosen with young readers and listeners in mind.
“Breathe and Be: A Book of Mindfulness Poems” by Kate Coombs, illustrated by Anna Emilia Laitinen
If the practice of mindfulness is your jam (and even if it isn’t), check out this lovely collection of poems by local poet Kate Coombs. Coombs encourages us to be still, to observe, to accept. Text and illustration combine to make this an altogether attractive book.
“Mirror, Mirror: A Book of Reverso Poems” by Marilyn Singer, illustrated by Josee Masse
Using familiar fairy tales as a springboard, this collection gives the reader two points of view by taking one poem and flipping it on its head to create a second poem. Thus we hear from both Jack and the Giant, Goldilocks and the three bears, the princess and the frog. The results are nothing short of brilliant!
“Take Me Out of the Bathtub (and Other Silly Dilly Songs)” by Alan Katz, illustrated by David Catrow
This selection, which features original lyrics to well-known tunes such as “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad” and “London Bridge,” has been around for nearly two decades. But it still manages to delight kids and their grownups.
Ann Cannon is The Tribune’s advice columnist. Got a question for Ann? Email her at askann@sltrib.com or visit the Ask Ann Cannon page on Facebook.
The fast-food chain Chick-fil-A is wanted on suspicion of aiding and abetting Christian organizations.
The home of the "original chicken sandwich" was banned from its second airport in two weeks for the offense of contributing to Christian groups deemed anti-gay by its critics.
The San Antonio City Council voted to exclude the restaurant from its airport, and Buffalo, New York, soon followed suit, thus denying travelers the option of juicy chicken sandwiches and waffle fries in the cause of social justice.
This is about punishing the Georgia-based company for the faith of its leadership. The official bans are anti-Christian, unconstitutional and a harbinger of a larger effort to hunt down and punish any organization that has uncongenial views on sexual morality.
In San Antonio, the leader of the anti-Chick-fil-A effort, City Councilman Roberto Trevino, explained that, "Everyone has a place here, and everyone should feel welcome when they walk through our airport." The irony of discriminating against Chick-fil-A in order to demonstrate the city's famous open-ness was, of course, lost on him.
As for everyone feeling welcome, it's not as though Chick-fil-A refuses to serve or hire anyone. It didn't become the fastest-growing restaurant chain in America, projected to take third place in sales after McDonald's and Starbucks, by putting obstacles between hungry patrons and its sandwiches (except for on Sundays, when it is closed).
The hostility to Chick-fil-A stems from a controversy back in 2012 when its CEO, Dan Cathy, made statements opposing gay marriage, and the foundation established by the company's founder contributed to politically engaged social-conservative groups. There was nothing wrong with this, but since most profit-seeking enterprises don't like controversy, Cathy said the company would back off the gay-marriage debate and focus on the chicken.
It has, but its critics still detect a lingering stench of Christianity.
The left-wing outfit ThinkProgress issued a report cited widely in the press and among Chick-fil-A opponents accusing the company's foundation of "anti-equality" giving. By which it means it donated to the Salvation Army and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (and a small Christian home for troubled young men in Vidalia, Georgia).
Needless to say, a lot of other people are guilty of the same offense, given that the Salvation Army raises about $2 billion a year. To consider all that the Salvation Army does — its thrift shops, aid for the homeless, disaster relief, anti-trafficking programs, Christmas gifts to needy children and much, much more — and reduce the organization to an allegedly anti-LGBT group is perverse.
For its part, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes stands accused of seeking "to spread an anti-LGBTQ message to college athletes." It's true that FCA asks its leaders to forswear homosexual acts, but it also wants them to pledge not to engage in heterosexual acts outside of marriage and, for that matter, refuse to use drugs, alcohol or tobacco.
According to Chick-fil-A, its donation to FCA supported sports camps and school programs for inner-city kids — not exactly controversial causes. And its gift to the Salvation Army went to youth camps and Christmas presents for thousands of Atlanta kids.
The latest campaign against Chick-fil-A is based on the idea that it is impermissible for it to associate with any group with a traditional Christian understanding of sex and marriage, for any purpose whatsoever, no matter how unobjectionable or noble.
Any public official joining the punitive campaign against Chick-fil-A needs a remedial lesson in the Constitution, which forbids discrimination against private companies on the basis of political or religious viewpoint. It is the enemies of Chick-fil-A who are intolerant and out-of-the-mainstream. They desperately need to abandon their tawdry McCarthyite crusade and "Eat Mor Chikin."
Rich Lowry is the editor of National Review. comments.lowry@nationalreview.com
I read the headline “Jon Huntsman considers return to Utah, governor race” in the April 9 edition of The Salt Lake Tribune with mixed emotions.
Despite our partisan differences, I like Jon Huntsman. He’s intelligent, articulate and decisive.
On the downside, he stuck us with Gary Herbert, and for that I may never forgive him.
David E. Jensen, Holladay
Joe Biden’s true apology for his uncalled-for and uncomfortable touching of women should come in the form of him taking his name out of consideration for president.
When Donald Trump and his nasty dialogue toward women was made public, liberals demanded that he be kept from the office of president, but why so quiet now?
“Oh, he’s such a cute, sweet, old man who means well. He’s harmless,” claims one of my liberal, female colleagues.
Interesting how a political party can completely sway the perception of somebody when wrongdoing has occurred. Unwelcome hugging and the kissing of hands and heads of anybody is wrong, but especially women.
Clearly, there is a problem, and the fact that Biden refuses to apologize confirms that he is not in a position to run this country. The message to men, especially men in power, must be sent that this behavior is not OK.
More women have come forward with justifiable claims about Biden’s inappropriate actions, but they are being ignored. This must change.
I am not in a position to define what #MeToo means, but I think it’s easy to see when it happens, and in this case, I think the hashtag is justified.
Ryan Woodmansee, Holladay
Sandy • The 2018 season for the Utah Royals FC was full of the ups and downs that many an expansion team experience in their first year. But through it all, they finished within reach of a playoff spot.
Heading into this season, with their home opener coming next Saturday due to a bye week, the Royals have their eyes set on definitely making the playoffs.
“Anything less than playoffs is not a success,” Royals coach Laura Harvey said this past week. “There’s no question in my mind of that.”
The Royals ended 2018 with a 9-7-8 record and just two points shy of the fourth and final playoff spot in the nine-team National Women’s Soccer League. The team bookended last year with a sellout home opener and a win to close out the season.
But Utah’s goal will come with a challenge that only comes every four years. It will have to navigate missing seven players for the FIFA Women’s World Cub, which goes for about a month starting in early June.
While every team in the NWSL will have players in the World Cup, URFC has the most. Three of them — Christen Press, Becky Sauerbrunn and Kelley O’Hara — will be available for just the first two games of the season before they leave for France, Harvey said. If the United States Women’s National wins the World Cup, they won’t be back in Utah until July 15.
Which means three of the Royals’ best players could miss as many as 10 games of the 24-game season.
Harvey said the key to this season is managing the “what-ifs,” which include keeping players healthy and hoping those that leave for the World Cup don’t get hurt while overseas.
“There’s a lot of what-ifs in a World Cup year,” Harvey said. “I think the team that has the best answers to those what-ifs — some are in their control, some are out of their control — are the ones that will be successful.”
Harvey went through something similar in the 2015 World Cup year, but she said this is the first time in her coaching career where that many of her players will compete in the international tournament.
While the World Cup will possibly be the biggest story line of the 2019 NWSL season, teams are only getting started this week. Now that they’re only a week away from playing games that count in the standings, the Royals are starting to feel it.
“It’s definitely getting real,” Erika Tymrak said. “It’s getting exciting. I think we’re just really anxious to start.”
Tymkak welcomes the pressure that comes with a playoffs-or-bust mentality.
“There’s a good amount of pressure that’s actually good for you as an athlete,” Tymrak said. “I think it’ll be a good opportunity for people to step up into different roles and get more playing time. I think it’s the right amount of pressure.”
Vero Boquete not only said Utah had designs on at least making the playoffs, but competing for the NWSL title. Just after last season ended, Harvey expressed the same sentiment.
“If our goal is not to be in the playoffs and then fight for the title, then we should just go home,” Boquete said. “Everyone is here every day training and working hard to reach that goal.”
The journey toward that goal starts next Saturday at home against the Washington Spirit.
The Falls Event Center in Salt Lake City may close in November, bankruptcy documents indicate, but the venue’s landlord vows to do all it can in the next seven months to ensure weddings, quinceaneras or other family and corporate events go on as scheduled.
“We understand how stressful and devastating it would be if an event was cancelled,” said Taymour B. Semnani, general counsel for SK Hart Properties, the owner of Trolley Square where The Falls leases space.
In July 2018, The Falls Event Center LLC — the larger parent company that operates eight event centers in five states and was founded by Utah businessman Steve Down — filed for Chapter 11 protection from creditors in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Utah. Under Chapter 11, the company can continue to operate while it reorganizes and proposes a plan to repay creditors.
However, court documents show the parent company — through a legal trustee — has hired real estate brokers “to market and sell" seven of the eight Falls Event Center properties, including the one in St. George. The others include Gilbert, Ariz.; Elk Grove, Fresno and Roseville, Calif.; Littleton, Colo.; and McMinnville, Ore.
The Falls Event Center in Salt Lake City — the only venue where the parent company leased (instead of owned) — is likely headed for closure, too.
Under a legal agreement that lays out how the tenant/landlord relationship works during the bankruptcy reorganization, The Falls must pay Trolley Square $20,000 each month for rent and it must not accept new events after November 2019.
The Falls Event Center also must provide 40 days notice to any customer — as well as to the Trolley Square owners — if it plans to cancel an event, according to the document, approved by Judge R. Kimball Mosier in February. The Falls also must return any customer payments if it can’t fulfill its contracts.
“If a tenant makes a promise that it can’t fulfill, we will do everything we can to help a customer out of goodwill,” said Semnani, whose father, Khosrow Semnani, purchased Trolley Square in 2012.
The family has a personal interest in making sure all event contracts are honored, Semnani said. “This is a legacy project for my father and we ultimately don’t want to see anyone have a bad experience.”
Trolley Square is one of about two dozen creditors that have not been paid by The Falls Event Center in Salt Lake City, court documents show. “We have lost a lot of money,” Semnani said adding that The Falls will fail to pay “several years worth of rent.”
Last week, The Falls Event Center in St. George announced on its Facebook page that it was closing at the end of April and the building at 170 S. Mall Dr., would be sold.
Curiously, it also invited clients and vendors — many of whom are still owed money — to an April 27 going away party with cake and lemonade. “We wanted to thank all of the wonderful clients that have had events here," the post reads, “and our awesome vendors that were a part of our many celebrations at the Falls Event Center.”
Richard and Judy Martin of Peoria, Ariz, who were investors in The Falls Event Centers, sent a letter to Mosier, complaining about the April 27 event, especially with the company in the midst of bankruptcy.
“As a couple who has lost ALL of our retirement money and don’t have the years to build it back,” the couple wrote in the letter, “they’ll have to excuse me for feeling that this isn’t a cause of celebration.”
Before filing for bankruptcy last year, Down was accused of making misrepresentations by building and operating the centers using high-interest loans from private investors, according to a lawsuit, filed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Down, a self-described “cause capitalist," agreed to pay a $150,000 fine without admitting or denying the allegations.
Down received $120 million from 300 investors, according to the lawsuit. To get money, he sponsored seminars for dentists and presented investment options to attendees during lunch breaks. He used PowerPoint slides, unchanged for years, purporting that his event centers were profitable even before they opened, because of advance bookings, the lawsuit says.
It’s not the only company co-founded by Down that has struggled. In March, the Utah-based Even Stevens restaurants filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Arizona.
There were signs in August 2018 that the company was in trouble. That’s when Even Stevens — which said it gave one sandwich to charity for every one sold — temporarily suspended donations to its nonprofit partners while the company looked for ways to reduce costs and improve revenue.
The Utah company has yet to resume its charitable donations and last month it closed its store in Provo. It previously closed stores in Arizona, Texas and Colorado. In March, the property owner of its Sugar House location filed court documents to evict the restaurant for allegedly not paying rent. However, the eviction process is on hold now that the company is in bankruptcy.
Brooks Pickering, Even Stevens’ chief restructuring officer, has said previously that the company’s money problem can be attributed to its fast expansion and the legal troubles of Down — who is no longer involved in the business.
Springfield, Ill. • Legislation proposing the separation of Chicago from Illinois is intended to spark discussion about the overarching influence of the city in state politics, not actually lead to the creation of the 51st state, according to a central Illinois lawmaker who sponsored the measure.
GOP state Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer, the bill 's sponsor, said the proposal would urge U.S. Congress to make the nation's third-largest city its own state, the State Journal-Register reported.
"It's more of a frustration of the policies than the true belief that Chicago and Illinois would be better off as separate states," Davidsmeyer said. "I don't believe that Chicago and the state of Illinois should be separated. Our relationship is mutually beneficial."
Chicago needs to recognize how its policies impact rural Illinois, Davidsmeyer added.
"The reality is, the city of Chicago is competing with New York City and L.A. and San Francisco, and (downstate is) competing against rural Indiana and rural Missouri," he said. "The policies that come down from Chicago are actually pushing our economic opportunity away."
GOP state Rep. Brad Halbrook introduced the proposed measure in February. He co-sponsored a similar proposal last year that failed, and this year's attempt has even less of a chance of succeeding in the Democratic-controlled Legislature. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the leaders of the state House and Senate are all Democrats from Chicago.
Halbrook said the city of 2.7 million people differs ideologically from the rural population downstate on matters such as abortion and gun rights.
"Our traditional family values seem to be under attack at every angle," Halbrook said. "We are trying to drive the discussion to get people at the table to say these are not our values down here."
Forming a new state from a portion of a current state requires endorsement from Congress and the state legislature, according to the U.S. Constitution.
"When you have a large population center that seems to control the agenda for the rest of the state, it just kind of creates some issues," Halbrook said. "The Constitution gives us a pathway, so we'll see what happens."
Tension between urban and rural areas aren't exclusive to Illinois. The same has occurred in New York and California , according to a paper published last year by the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University.
John Jackson, a visiting professor at the institute and co-author of the paper, said it's odd that the bitterness has persisted for so long in Illinois.
“We ought to have leaders who get together and coalesce for the good of the state,” Jackson said. “The idea of this being a total zero-sum kind of game, that mentality ‘you win, I’ve got to lose,’ seems to be the mentality many have. That’s just not the case. The state needs to prosper together.”
Washington • House Democrats are giving the Trump administration a hard-deadline of April 23 to turn over President Donald Trump’s tax returns, pushing back against Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin’s skepticism over their request for the presidents’ private records.
House Ways and Means Committee Chair Richard Neal, D-Mass., on Saturday sent a two-page letter to IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig rebuffing Mnuchin's statement earlier this week that Treasury would miss House Democrats' initial April 10 deadline for the returns.
Mnuchin's concerns "lack merit," Neal wrote.
Neal's latest letter sets the stage for a further escalation in the conflict between Congress and the White House, as legal experts have suggested that an outright denial of their request by Mnuchin could be followed by subpoenas or a lawsuit in federal court. Mnuchin so far has only postponed responding to Democrats' request and said he would confer with the Justice Department, but not yet rejected it.
"Please know that, if you fail to comply, your failure will be interpreted as a denial of my request," Neal's letter states.
Earlier this month, Neal wrote the IRS asking for six years of the president's personal and business tax returns, which Trump has refused to release breaking decades of precedent for candidates for the White House. In his letter, Neal argues that the IRS has an "unambiguous legal obligation" to turn over the returns under section 6103 of the tax code, which states that the treasury secretary "shall furnish" a request from the congressional committees with tax oversight.
Congressional Republicans and Trump's personal attorney, William Consovoy, have argued Democrats' request risks weaponizing the IRS for partisan political gain, with Consovoy calling it a "gross abuse of power." Mnuchin's letter earlier this week said Neal's request "raises serious issues concerning the constitutional scope of congressional investigative authority."
Mnuchin revealed in congressional testimony that White House lawyers consulted with Treasury on Trump's tax returns.
"It is not the proper function of the IRS, Treasury, or Justice to question or second guess the motivations of the committee," Neal writes in his letter. "Judicial precedent commands that none of the concerns raised can legitimately be used to deny the committee's request."
Attorneys under Neal have been carefully crafting their correspondence with the Treasury Department to improve their odds of winning a subsequent court battle. Some legal experts have speculated that Neal may be trying to improve his case by waiting for an outright denial before leveling additional threats.
“At a certain point, it’s obvious there is not going to be something forthcoming, and at that point you take further steps,” said George Yin, a University of Virginia law professor who served as chief of staff for the Joint Committee on Taxation, in an interview earlier this week. “My inclination is it’s not yet.”
As the Jazz were tearing through their post-All-Star break schedule and working their way up the Western Conference standings, and fans began to discuss in earnest the team’s postseason potential, many such conversations inevitably centered around a single if not wholly definable premise: Progress.
Everyone wants this Jazz team to take the proverbial next step. The problem is nailing down exactly what that is — a task made all the more difficult by the way the playoff seedings ultimately unfolded.
After the previous two seasons ended with Utah making back-to-back trips to the Western Conference semifinals, must the Jazz make it to at least the Western Conference finals this time? What about dispatching the highly-regarded Rockets in the first round, and at least putting up a good fight against Golden State in the second?
After the Jazz brought back virtually the same roster from last season … and wound up finishing with the same seed in the Western Conference … and now will face the same Houston franchise that knocked them out of last season’s playoffs in the second round, falling to the Rockets in the first round this year would represent … what, exactly? Stagnation? Regression?
You see — this whole “progress” thing is tricky business. Which is why the Jazz themselves are trying to tune it out altogether.
“We want to win every game we possibly can, but if we start focusing on saying, ‘Alright, we need to get to the conference finals,’ you’re gonna forget that you’re in the first round,” said Donovan Mitchell. “If we just focus on the game by game, let that take care of itself — I wouldn’t say let it go unspoken, but kind of just let everything fall into place — then we’ll be good.”
From media day on, coach Quin Snyder has said that the goal for the 2018-19 season is simply to maximize the potential of this group.
It’s a philosophy his players have supported and endorsed.
“We only have one goal, or internal expectation, and that’s to get better every day,” said forward Georges Niang. “We started dropping games when we started focusing on goals other than getting better every day. When we just focus on that, we take care of business and we’re rolling. So I think we’re just gonna stick to that — continuing to get better every day, and play to be a little better than we were the day before.”
Fans, of course, tend to prefer bigger-picture and more tangible results.
Still, why such urgency now for this group to demonstrate “progress"? After all, this is but the second season for Mitchell, a budding superstar. And Rudy Gobert isn’t exactly long in the tooth, yet.
It’s not as though John Stockton and Karl Malone were “Stockton and Malone” when they first teamed up in the 1985-86 season, just for the sake of reminder. Their first two years together, Utah was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. In their third season as a duo, the Jazz took the Lakers to the brink before falling in the Western Conference semis. Then it was two more years of first-round exits, followed by another season of going out in the second round.
It wasn’t until their seventh year together that they made it as far as the Western Conference finals … where they lost. And they didn’t finally break through for an NBA Finals appearance until the 1996-97 season — their 12th together.
These days, that group’s slow-burn rise up the postseason ladder is viewed with near-mythical reverence as the necessarily-steady confluence of improvement and circumstances. It may also be impossible these days to replicate such patience.
Still, again, this group is young — so what’s the rush?
Well, the origins of this iteration of the Jazz technically trace back to the summer of 2013, when the front office opted against retaining big men Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap, believing the franchise had plateaued — short of the playoffs — with them as its cornerstones. From that perspective, this is the sixth season of the bottom-out-and-rebuild project.
The summer 2017 departure of then-face of the franchise Gordon Hayward typically might have forced yet another hard reboot, except the combination of Utah’s defensive dominance (thanks to the continuing emergence of Gobert) and the unexpected offensive dynamism of then-rookie Mitchell made it unnecessary.
This group gets it. They publicly embrace the one-game-at-a-time mentality, but they still know where the road is ultimately supposed to lead.
“I don’t want to put any limit on what we can do. I want us to believe that we can go all the way — and I think we really can,” Gobert said. “It’s not easy; we’ve gotta have each other’s back — there’s gonna be some tough moments. But if we put that on our minds, we can surprise a lot of people, and probably surprise ourselves too.”
Mitchell similarly doesn’t shy away from openly acknowledging that winning an NBA championship is what they’re all here for.
“Why can’t we do it? Why can’t we, as a team, get to that point?” Mitchell asked rhetorically. “[Some] media, you know who I’m talking about, they say, ‘Wow, those are your expectations?’ Would you say the same thing if I was on Golden State? Would you say the same thing if I was on Houston? Those teams, obviously, have been that far; we haven’t, but I think we have the mentality to get there.
“You don’t get to where you get to as a team without that mindset,” he added. "It helps when you have teammates that have that mindset as well. It’s not just one person; it’s not like I’m the only person that thinks about the Finals — Rudy comes in with that mindset, Joe comes in with that mindset. That’s why you play.”
That process starts Sunday with Game 1 in Houston. Where it ends? Maybe with a championship. Maybe with a single series win. Maybe with an opening-round defeat that precipitates an offseason of substantial change.
In the meantime, maximize the talent of this group — that’s still the goal, still the benchmark for that abstract “progress.” As for how close they are to that?
“I don’t know,” Niang conceded, “you want to be playing into June, and it’s not close to June yet.”
Washington • President Donald Trump said Friday he is strongly considering releasing “Illegal Immigrants” into Democratic strongholds to punish congressional foes for inaction on the border — just hours after White House and Homeland Security officials insisted the idea had been rejected as fast as it had been proposed.
"Due to the fact that Democrats are unwilling to change our very dangerous immigration laws, we are indeed, as reported, giving strong considerations to placing Illegal Immigrants in Sanctuary Cities only," Trump tweeted. He added that, "The Radical Left always seems to have an Open Borders, Open Arms policy - so this should make them very happy!"
....The Radical Left always seems to have an Open Borders, Open Arms policy – so this should make them very happy!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 12, 2019
The reversal, which appeared to catch officials at the Department of Homeland Security off guard, came as critics were blasting Trump for the supposedly-rejected idea, accusing him of turning migrants into pawns to go after his political opponents. It comes as Trump has grown increasingly exasperated by a surge of Central American migrant families crossing the southern border and is looking for new ways to pressure congressional Democrats to change laws that he insists are making the problem worse.
Indeed, last week Trump urged his soon-to-be acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan to seal the southern border and told McAleenan he would pardon him if he were to find himself in trouble for blocking legal asylum-seekers, according to two people familiar with the conversation who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe a private exchange.
It was not clear whether the president was joking, and a Homeland Security spokesman said in a statement: "At no time has the president indicated, asked, directed or pressured the acting secretary to do anything illegal. " The reported conversation came during the president's trip last week to Calexico, California, a day after he announced he was delaying his threat to close the border because Mexico appeared to be stepping up its enforcement efforts.
Before Trump's tweets on Friday, both the Department of Homeland Security and a White House official had released nearly identical statements saying the sanctuary-cities plan had been floated but then flatly rejected.
But not, apparently, by the president, who emphatically revived the idea.
Asked about it by reporters, he said he was "strongly looking at" releasing migrant families into those communities.
"They're always saying they have open arms. Let's see if they have open arms," he said.
There were no indications, however, that officials were taking any steps to move forward with the idea or considered the president's words anything more than bluster.
"Sanctuary cities" are places where local authorities do not cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, denying information or resources that would help ICE round up for deportation people living in the country illegally.
They include New York City and San Francisco, home city of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who on Friday called the idea "unworthy of the presidency of the United States and disrespectful of the challenges that we face as a country, as a people, to address who we are — a nation of immigrants."
Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, who chairs the House Homeland Security committee, said it "serves as a reminder that the Trump administration's reckless immigration agenda is not about keeping the country safe, but about partisan politics and wantonly inflicting cruelty. "
The idea of pressing immigration authorities to embrace the plan was discussed in November and then again in February as the Trump administration struggled with a surge of migrants at the border, according to three people who spoke on condition of anonymity to outline private conversations. Homeland Security and ICE lawyers quickly rejected the proposal, according to the people, on the grounds that it was complicated, too expensive and a misuse of funds, two of the people said.
The plan, which was first reported by The Washington Post, is one of a litany of ideas being tossed around by an increasingly anxious White House in recent months. Officials say they are running out of options, and have proposed and recycled numerous ideas that have never come to fruition. Trump in recent weeks, for instance, has discussed the idea of renewing his administration's controversial family separation policy — even as he's publicly declared he won't do that — and has threatened to completely seal the border despite opposition from many in his administration.
There have been at least two versions of the sanctuary city plan discussed: One to move people who have already been detained to places with Democratic opponents of the president, the other to transport migrants apprehended at the border directly to San Francisco, New York City, Chicago and other spots.
ICE arrests people in the U.S. illegally and also manages migrants who present themselves at border crossings and ask for asylum.
The surge of migrant families at the border has been taxing the system, and ICE says it no longer has the resources to handle immigrants processed by the Border Patrol. As a result, more than 125,000 people have been released as they await court hearings — a practice Trump has derided as "catch and release."
With immigrant processing and holding centers overwhelmed, the administration has already been busing people hundreds of miles inland and releasing them at Greyhound stations and churches in cities such as Albuquerque, San Antonio and Phoenix.
Transporting large groups of immigrants to distant cities would be even more expensive for an agency already strapped for cash. Flights chartered by ICE cost about $7,785 per flight hour, according to the agency, and require multiple staffers, including an in-flight medical professional. The agency also uses commercial flights but requires that migrants to pay for those.
At the same time, many "sanctuary" communities would likely welcome the immigrants in question. Some of these cities have robust networks of nonprofit legal groups that could help them strengthen their legal cases to stay.
The Department of Health and Human Services said this week it had started scouting vacant properties that could be turned into facilities for holding migrant children in several cities, including Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Phoenix, and San Antonio.
Those facilities would be licensed by each state and likely take several months to be approved and opened, separating them from the rapidly expanding emergency shelter at Homestead, Florida, and the now-closed tent facility at Tornillo, Texas.
The Defense Department has also been reviewing a number of military bases to find a location that can house up to 5,000 unaccompanied migrant children as the U.S. braces for a surge of people crossing the U.S.-Mexico border this spring.
Under the Trump administration, ICE has significantly stepped up arrests, including of people who have no U.S. criminal records. In response, some cities have banished ICE from jails where agents could easily pick up immigration violators. Police in New York, Baltimore and Seattle rarely, if ever, disclose information about when suspected criminals in the U.S. illegally will be released from custody.
Democrats have said they will tackle immigration bills, possibly as soon as they return from their spring recess, and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell has indicated an interest.
___
Associated Press writers Nomaan Merchant in Houston, Astrid Galvan in Phoenix and Lisa Mascaro and Deb Riechmann in Washington contributed to this report.
The Jazz have a playoff problem.
In the years in which they qualify, they can’t get past the second round.
And now … they face the Rockets in the first.
Last season, they beat the Thunder, 4-2, in the initial series, then lost, 4-1, to the Rockets in the second. The season before, they sank the Clippers, 4-3, in the first and got swept by the Warriors in the second.
In five of the previous six seasons, the Jazz didn’t make the playoffs. The one year — 2011-12 — they did, they were promptly swept by the Spurs.
From 2007 to 2010, the Jazz were eliminated each of those three postseasons by the Lakers, twice in the second and once in the first.
The last time the Jazz broke through the barrier, making it to the conference finals, was 12 years back, when they edged the Rockets, 4-3, in the first round, beat the Warriors in the second, 4-1, and were chased out by the Spurs, 4-1, in the third.
In the three seasons before that, the Jazz did not qualify at all, and the five prior to that drought, they could not find their way past the second round, getting eliminated in the first round three of those years, and in the second twice.
What does all of this mean?
It means going from mediocre to good in the NBA is easier than going from good to great.
The Jazz have not been able to do it.
When Dennis Lindsey took over the team’s operation, he repeated again and again that the Jazz would not skip steps. They haven’t.
They absorbed the loss of Gordon Hayward and powered on. They made some bad choices in the draft — moving up to take Trey Burke, taking Dante Exum with the fifth overall selection, taking Trey Lyles over Devin Booker — but they also absolutely nailed it, hauling in Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell.
The Mitchell pick was particularly significant, considering the Jazz needed offense and a franchise spark after losing Hayward and some hope, and they gained both using that 13th pick in the best way possible, moving forward again.
Since then, the Jazz have made only minor moves, allowing the current roster to develop and jell. And it has — to an extent. The Jazz won 48 games last season and 50 this time around. But nobody really remembers the minutiae of the regular season. That stuff is for entertainment purposes only.
The authentic test comes next, in Houston on Sunday night and thereafter in the playoffs’ opening round. There will be plenty to slice and dice, to chuck up into the air and let fall back down onto the sizzling grill, like steak and shrimp at Benihana’s, as this series transpires.
And if the Jazz, somehow, are fortunate enough to advance, there, in all likelihood, in the second round will be the Golden State Warriors. Which will bolster the same barrier the Jazz have been unable to break through. One or two rounds and out.
Who knows? Maybe the Jazz can shock the world, and beat James Harden and the Rockets and Steph Curry and the Warriors. It’s just not the way to bet. No … it’s inconceivable. Even if the Jazz, despite regular-season records and playoff positioning, were one of the top four teams in the NBA, they could be sent packing in the first round.
And a part of that comprehensive burden is the difficulty for the Jazz in lowering their handicap from a 7 to scratch. The analogy fits. In relative terms, it’s easier for a reasonably athletic/coordinated young golfer, under proper instruction, to go from, say, a 16 to a 7. Getting from a 7 to scratch is a much steeper climb.
The Jazz are scaling a cliff, one that over some sections is leaning toward them.
They must get better — either by way of their own substantial growth this postseason, or by reinforcing that growth via a major move in the offseason for the postseasons ahead. Either way, the next couple of weeks are important in the ascent, the shaving off of strokes.
That’s a mixed metaphor, but the point is clear: The first- and second-round challenge awaits. It always awaits. Anything beyond that — when or if it happens — will signify what the Jazz have indicated as their goal for years now: true contention.
GORDON MONSON hosts “The Big Show” with Jake Scott weekdays from 3-7 p.m. on 97.5 FM and 1280 AM The Zone.
Let us begin with the news weighing heavily on the hearts and minds of Jazz observers everywhere — Donovan Mitchell has made a full and complete recovery from his thoracic spasms.
And Rudy Gobert has likewise miraculously bounced back from his bout of left ankle soreness.
It’s OK to exhale, people. They’ll be playing in the playoffs after all.
Now then, about all those other guys who’ve been populating the team’s injury reports of late … Derrick Favors finally returned from a multi-game absence due to back spasms on Tuesday vs. the Nuggets before sitting out the next night vs. the Clippers so as not to have to play in a back-to-back. Kyle Korver remained out Wednesday with right knee soreness. Point guards Ricky Rubio (left quad contusion) and Raul Neto (left ankle soreness) were similarly on the shelf.
Utah has been short-handed more often than not these last few weeks, it seems, but has been getting by largely unscathed owing to a late-season schedule dominated by lottery-bound opposition. They cannot afford to try to “get by” once their first-round playoff series begins Sunday against the Houston Rockets. Will they have to?
When pressed before the Clippers contest as to the seriousness of their ailments — did they legitimately need as much time away as they each had to properly recover and recuperate, or could they and would they have played if the matchups they missed were instead, say, playoff games? — coach Quin Snyder gave a long and labyrinthine response that in no way actually answered the question.
In the portion of Friday’s practice open to the media, Favors was sitting on the sideline, chatting with assistant coach Antonio Lang. Korver was taking part in a shooting drill, but had a big wrap on his right knee, was hardly elevating on jumpers, and did not incorporate much movement into his routine. Both Rubio and Neto were taking part in individual movement and shooting drills. Snyder again, though, wouldn’t get into specifics on who would or wouldn’t play.
What the Jazz are not in the slightest reticent to discuss, in contrast, is the way those players’ injuries and absences have, counterintuitively, potentially strengthened the team, by way of constantly forcing other players to produce when shoved by necessity into newfound opportunities.
“We always say ‘the strength of the team is the team,’ and I think that is very true. We back that up in how we play, and in how one guy will just step up when one guy, unfortunately, has to go out,” said rookie Grayson Allen. “There’s been so many different positions and roles throughout the year, we’ve experimented with so many different lineups, but we’ve still been able to be successful and get wins because guys are ready to step up, guys are buying into the team … and just getting the job done.”
Allen himself is as apt an indication of that as any.
After frequently appearing overwhelmed or at least overmatched early in the season, the Duke product was frequently deployed to the G League affiliate Salt Lake City Stars to get additional training and game reps. In recent weeks, with the Jazz’s backcourt ravaged by injuries (with Rubio and Neto joining Dante Exum on the sidelines), there were myriad games where Allen’s presence was needed, if only to, at the very least, provide a warm body to fill some rotation minutes.
He ultimately did much more than that. On April 3, against the Suns, he established a new career-high in scoring, with 14 points. In the very next game, on April 5 vs. the Kings, he blew past that mark with 23. And then Wednesday in Los Angeles, with half of his own team sitting out, and admittedly against a foe that likewise had no incentive to go particularly hard, Allen shocked and amazed by pouring in 40 points.
And while the rookie has been the most extreme example of a bench player doing his part to keep the machine running smoothly, he’s hardly been the only one.
“This team is just full of guys who are ready to play at any time, whether it’s Georges [Niang], Grayson, Naz [Mitrou-Long], Tyler [Cavanaugh], Thabo [Sefolosha],” said Mitchell. “Whoever it may be, I think guys are always ready, always prepared. In practice you see it — guys are locked in.”
Snyder, asked how his team had gotten in such a groove by season’s end in spite of a decided dearth of continuity, gently pushed back on that idea. But he ultimately conceded that having guys prepared to jump in at a moment’s notice ultimately couldn’t be a bad thing for his group.
“Well, it’s hard to have too much groove when all three of your point guards are out, but I think that says something about the guys, it says something about the mentality of the team,” he said. “There’s different ways to play, and every lineup that you put on the floor has to find its own identity. Hopefully we get some of those guys back — it’s not something we’re dwelling on, other than the fact, obviously, we want them back and they want to be back. But there’s certain things, no matter who’s playing, that we want to do — we want to be able to share the ball, and we want to defend. Different matchups, different guys in different situations, but as long as we focus on those things, we’ll get something out of it and hopefully keep playing good basketball.”
It started to become a trend.
Every day, Adam Spinella, a Washington & Jefferson assistant coach, uploads something he calls the “Daily ATO” to Twitter. It’s filled with whatever Spinella considers the best or most innovative plays in the NBA — frequently after a timeout, or “ATO”.
And nearly every day that the Jazz would have a game, the Jazz would be featured in the Daily ATO, with some new play for Quin Snyder’s newest acquisition, sharpshooter Kyle Korver. Maybe more than any player in the NBA, Korver was the constant target of new and creative plays from one of the NBA’s most inventive minds.
So there’s the play, which Spinella calls “Ray Double-Ricky”, at the 30 second mark of this video, where Korver slaloms through two different screens at the top of the arc before getting free for this 3-point shot:
The Daily ATO: March 2, 2019
— Adam Spinella (@Spinella14) March 3, 2019
-Pacers 4-Across End Game SLOB
-Mavericks Elbow Alley Oop
-Jazz Wedge Rev & Ray Double-Ricky
-Lakers Twirl Back Lob & BLOB Double Hammer
-Magic Punch Go-Ricky
-Nuggets Punch Elbow StS pic.twitter.com/ArqN91UjiI
Or this one at the 21 second mark of the upcoming video, called “Zip to Circle,” where Korver goes all the way around the entire half-court in a circular motion before getting the ball for an open 3-point shot.
The Daily ATO: Feb. 6, 2019
— Adam Spinella (@Spinella14) February 7, 2019
-Classic Dallas Mavericks lob set after timeouts
-Nuggets Rip Hammer
-Jazz Zip to Circle
-Suns 1-4 SLOB Stagger
Read more about the Mavs action here for @bballwriters - https://t.co/giYPDs4tqI pic.twitter.com/oIsWg44tTw
If running the whole perimeter of the court isn’t enough, how about a double screen along the baseline out of a horns set, like in this play called “Horns Baseline Double” at the 30 second mark?
The Daily ATO: March 13, 2019
— Adam Spinella (@Spinella14) March 14, 2019
-Warriors Whip Backdoor
-Nets Elbow Veer
-Jazz Thru Pinch & Horns Baseline Double
-Warriors 21 Floppy
-Grizzlies X & Philly Slip Go
-Wizards 12 Pop Go SLOB pic.twitter.com/wKxTXEYgxs
Of course, it makes sense to set screens for a shooter of Korver’s caliber to get open. Two screens only help the situation, if you can dedicate that many to the play without giving the defense a chance to find someone to cover. But usually, Snyder’s drawn-up plays find a way to find Korver in space, too far away for help, too difficult to switch.
Korver has a pretty simple explanation for the all of the creativity: he has trust from his coach, and they talk about ways to exploit defenses with his shooting. “When Quin was an assistant coach in Atlanta, he was my assistant who I’d work with every day. And we’d shoot, sometimes, but we would just talk about the game a lot. We used to talk about different angles and scenarios back then. It’s fun to see now that he’s in charge,” Korver said.
Assistant coaches, scouts, video personnel, and others who break down plays day after day have taken notice. Spinella even points out a simple action that the Jazz have found that works for Korver: when he takes advantage of an aggressive defense by overrunning a dribble handoff, then cuts back to give himself that extra step he wouldn’t have otherwise.
Another new concept I've seen in the #NBA
— Adam Spinella (@Spinella14) March 26, 2019
Over-running the Dribble Handoff
Great way to spring free a shooter who is being denied/ hugged on the perimeter. Here's Utah running action for Kyle Korver pic.twitter.com/JDrn0ibwuv
The Houston series could present a problem for Korver. Because the Rockets switch nearly every screen, he might not find the open spaces by running through multiple screens that he might against another team.
But he may be able to take advantage of that split-second of transition in a switch, where a screener like Derrick Favors or Rudy Gobert might be able to cut to the rim. That’s where Korver can find one of his teammates for an open dunk.
“If you’re the guy that Kyle passes to, you’ve got to feel pretty good about taking that shot,” Snyder said.
Snyder is pretty reluctant to talk about the plays he’s created for Korver, and understandably so: he’s created a competitive advantage, the kind of which that can exist for only so long in the hyper-scouted NBA.
“Any player that has a skillset, part of your job as a coach is to figure out how to try to maximize him. Kyle obviously is a guy that’s a weapon in many ways,” Snyder said. “It’s fun when you have a guy who’s capable of that. And what it ends up doing, is no matter what you do, you could run horrible stuff and he makes it look good.”
Of course, that’s not the case: there’s wide agreement that what Snyder creates for Korver is pretty unique.
“I like this type of stuff, I like thinking like this, I like thinking differently than what else everyone is doing,” Korver said.
Mere moments after she’d finally done it, finally won a marathon after so many tries, Janel Zick found herself seated on the cold, wet pavement on 300 East doing nothing more than trying to catch her breath. And there, all she could do is smile. She gave the spelling of her first and last name to event organizers and leaned back and looked up to the suddenly-bluebird sky and grinned a little more. Two hours and 56 minutes prior, Zick was at the start line at the Olympic Legacy Bridge, seeing flurries of snow fall from the clouds overhead.
Two hours and 56 minutes later, after 26.2 grueling miles, the Salt Lake City resident could finally catch her breath knowing she was a winner. Zick won the 2019 Salt Lake City Marathon Saturday morning, her first ever win in 19 marathon tries. Saturday’s race was the 19th of her career, meaning after 497.8 competitive marathon miles, Zick burst through the ribbon at the finish line No. 1 at last.
“The last few I’ve done I’ve wanted to win,” she said. “This is a sweet deal that I was finally able to win one.”
She not only won, but she blew away her time from last year, her introduction to this race. Last spring, Zick ran a 3:08:19. On Saturday morning, she topped her time from a year ago by nearly 12 minutes. Zick, originally from Akron, Ohio, relocated to Utah about a year ago and runs for the Salt Lake City Track Club. During Saturday’s marathon, she knew she had a pretty solid lead from the outset. At about mile 20, she figured that if she persevered and kept pushing, she’d get to that finish line first.
She never bothered turning around to see the next closest racer. She just motored along. Once she finally picked herself up off the pavement near Library Square, Zick summed up the emotions only like a drained marathoner could: “Tired,” she said. “It’s a hard course.”
Chad Crockford flew in from Charlotte, N.C., to get a taste of running at altitude. The winner of the 2016 Charlotte Marathon added to his trophy case Saturday by winning the men’s race with a 2:38:17. Crockford, along with high school pal Jason Holder, decided they wanted to come to Utah. They’re in the process of running marathons in all 50 states. The Salt Lake Marathon was state No. 10.
“If there’s a start line and a finish line, I’m going to try and be the first one there,” Crockford said. “You never know. You’ve got to be present to win.”
Crockford was the first marathoner to finish Saturday, flinging his green beanie and gloves high into the air before breaking through the ribbon. Crockford grabbed a water bottle and had time to walk back to pick up his items off the ground.
“It blew my mind,” Crockford said of the race. “I knew it was going to be beautiful, running along mountains — definitely not like running in North Carolina. Going uphill hurt more than usual.”
Ryan Richert of Chicago finished second behind Crockford with a time of 2:41:14. It was Richert’s first road marathon since 2012. In recent years he’s been running trail ultras like 50K and 50-miler races. So Saturday’s marathon was “speed work” for the runner who typically sprints on trails of dirt and dust. To prepare for the altitude, Richert knew he’d have to push himself back home.
“Try to do more hills,” he said.
For complete Salt Lake City Marathon results, go here.
Last season’s playoffs were intriguing because there was legitimate potential for the Golden State Warriors to be dethroned.
The Rockets had won a league-best 67 games. James Harden had taken yet another leap in his production and finally been crowned MVP. And Houston’s defense had improved sufficiently to pose some realistic problems.
The Rockets had the Warriors on the brink. And then Chris Paul got injured. And then Houston missed 27 straight 3-point attempts. And that was that. Golden State then whupped the overmatched Cavs … champs again … back to back and three out of four. Yawwwwwwwwwwwn. See you next year.
This year’s playoffs maybe don’t have that level of built-in intrigue. There’s no real sense, in spite of some noticeable cracks in the Warriors’ facade, that anyone can exploit them enough to ultimately overcome a lineup that features Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and DeMarcus Cousins.
Which doesn’t mean there’s nothing worth watching. The first-round matchup between Portland and Oklahoma City should be fascinating because the Blazers tried so hard to avoid it, but screwed it up and got it anyway. Damian Lillard has said he “wants that smoke” from Russell Westbrook. And he’ll get it.
And despite the general inferiority of the Eastern Conference, that side of the bracket may actually provide more of the excitement this time around. Milwaukee is the favorite to go the Finals, but Giannis Antetokounmpo’s lack of shooting ability might again prove a hindrance in a slowed-down series. Can the Raptors finally reach the top, and thereby convince Kawhi Leonard to stay? Can the Sixers’ star-studded lineup prove enough? Can the Celtics — who were everyone’s preseason darlings — manage to not trip all over themselves long enough to cobble together a special run?
Who knows?! But we’re about to find out.
That said, here’s a lightning-round breakdown of each first-round series, complete with predicted winners.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
No. 1 Bucks vs. No. 8 Pistons • Milwaukee’s a pretty complete team. They’ve got the presumptive MVP in Giannis, and they’ve enabled him to rampage to the rim by surrounding him with shooters — though a few of those guys are hurt. Still, Kris Middleton, Eric Bledsoe, Malcom Brogdon, and Brook Lopez have been an exceptional supporting cast. Furthermore, coach Mike Budenholzer has morphed this group into one of the elite defensive units in the league. As for the Pistons? Blake Griffin has had a renaissance season as a stretch-four. And that’s about it. Nothing to see here. Move along. Prediction: Bucks in four.
No. 2 Raptors vs. No. 7 Magic • Toronto has been one of the league’s top teams for several seasons, but always seemed to fall apart in the playoffs. That’s what spurred acquiring Kawhi and Danny Green. The trade deadline deal for Marc Gasol gave them another intriguing veteran piece. They have versatile lineup options. Will it be enough to finally get to the Finals? Maybe, maybe not. It’ll definitely be enough to get by Orlando, which has been bolstered by the improvement of free agent-to-be Nikola Vucevic, but is otherwise extraordinarily meh. Prediction: Raptors in five.
No. 3 76ers vs. No. 6 Nets • Philly’s years of suffering have culminated in this — all the chips being pushed to the middle of the table. Sam Hinkie’s “Process” resulted in the drafting of an elite but oft-injured big man in Joel Embiid, and a versatile but shooting-deficient All-Star point guard in Ben Simmons. Additional assets were cashed in for Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris. It’s a top-heavy group with a serious lack of depth. Are their stars enough? When they play together, they’re great. But they haven’t done that often enough. Brooklyn, meanwhile, is a nice feel-good story, an overachieving bunch of cast-offs and spare parts that shocked everyone by being this good. Kenny Atkinson & Co. should be proud for making it this far. But the ride stops here. Prediction: Sixers in six.
No. 4 Celtics vs. No. 5 Pacers • Everyone figured after last year’s surprising run in spite of injuries that Boston would plow through the East this season. That hasn’t happened. Gordon Hayward’s bounce-back from gruesome injury has taken longer than expected. Youngsters Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown haven’t taken that transcendent next step. And Kyrie Irving has been critical of his teammates’ mental fortitude and often seems disengaged. Can Indiana exploit that? The Pacers have been a plucky bunch since Victor Oladipo went down, but they ultimately probably don’t have the firepower to take down the Celtics, unless the latter have a really proper meltdown. Prediction: Celtics in six.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
No. 1 Warriors vs. No. 8 Clippers • I was really hoping OKC would fall to the eighth seed: 1) Because of the Westbrook vs. Durant pissing contest bound to take place; and 2) Because the Thunder might be one of the few teams that could put the fear of god into Golden State. Alas, we wound up with the Clippers, who’ve been another scrappy, pleasant story that makes you feel good about them making it in, but which ultimately pose zero threat. I mean, everyone thought they were tanking when they traded Harris to Philly. It’s cool they’ve got all these bench guys and second-rounders overachieving, but they can’t handle Golden State. Prediction: Warriors in four.
No. 2 Nuggets vs. No. 7 Spurs. Denver’s been another great story. Not only do they finally break their playoff-less streak, but they rise all the way to the West’s second seed. Problem is, everyone and their mom was rooting for their team to get matched up with the Nuggets because of their perceived exploitability. For one, they’re young and inexperienced; for another, who’s scoring the clutch buckets for that team when things get tight? Nikola Jokic is an incredible playmaker as a big, but is he a No. 1 option? Who is? The midrange-loving Spurs, helmed by LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan, may not be able to pull off the first-round upset, but hardly anyone believes Denver is making it past the conference semis. Prediction: Nuggets in seven.
No. 3 Trail Blazers vs. No. 6 Thunder • Portland was the other top Western team viewed as being beatable, on account of a too-recent awful injury to center Jusuf Nurkic, plus the recent return to action of CJ McCollum. Then there’s the fact that, as the No. 3 seed last year, the Blazers got kicked in the teeth by the Pelicans. What will be different this time, considering it’s still not a particularly deep team? Well, OKC has featured split personalities this year. When the defense was elite, so were the Thunder. When they stopped getting stops, the team wen into a freefall. Still, Paul George was an MVP candidate most of the year until he suffered a shoulder injury, and no one can take advantage of a perceived slight like Westbrook. That may be enough. Prediction: Thunder in six.
No. 4 Rockets vs. No. 5 Jazz • Let’s be honest — no one views Houston as the fourth-best team in the West. Overcoming the hangover of last year’s painful elimination took awhile, as did making the defense passable again after Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute departed. Then, they had to overcome injuries to Chris Paul and Clint Capela. James Harden carried them through with a near-unprecedented scoring binge. He’s one of the most unguardable guys in the game right now — which is an issue for an opponent built on defense. Can Rudy Gobert & Co. slow Harden and Houston down enough? And can the offense be prolific enough from deep to prevent Donovan Mitchell from having to try to match The Beard bucket for bucket, which is near-impossible right now? If Utah can slow the likes of Paul and Capela, and get big contributions from the likes of Joe Ingles and Jae Crowder, they have a chance. Prediction: Rockets in six.
Point Guard
Chris Paul vs. Ricky Rubio
Chris Paul is nicknamed “The Point God,” but he’s slipped somewhat in his 13th NBA season with the worst shooting percentage of his career. Still, he’s still making 55% of his mid-range jumpers, killer to the Jazz’s defense. Rubio, will get a chance to show what he can do against the Rockets in the playoffs, but he shot only 31% against them in the regular season. Advantage: Rockets
Shooting Guard
James Harden vs. Donovan Mitchell
James Harden could be this year’s MVP. Even if he isn’t, he’s the NBA’s leading scorer since Michael Jordan’s prime, with an unstoppable array of weapons, including the best step-back three and foul-drawing game the NBA has ever seen. But Donovan Mitchell will be looking to show that he has improved since last year’s series, more frequently making the right decision attacking Houston’s switches. Advantage: Rockets
Small Forward
Joe Ingles vs. Eric Gordon
The Rockets play small, with all of Paul, Harden, and Gordon in the starting lineup. That means Joe Ingles will have a big size advantage over whoever he guards, and he’s become an important playmaker in the Jazz’s lineup. Will he be able to take advantage of switches? Meanwhile, after an awful start to the year, Gordon found himself in the second half of the season, once again shooting over 40% from 3. Advantage: Even
Power Forward
P.J. Tucker vs. Jae Crowder/Derrick Favors
Jae Crowder has started in three of the Jazz’s four matchups against Houston in the regular season, as Quin Snyder looks for a perimeter option that can keep up against Houston’s space-oriented approach. Tucker’s a little bit better of a defender, but Crowder’s a bit more versatile and more willing to take shots overall. Advantage: Jazz
Center
Clint Capela vs. Rudy Gobert
It’s not that Capela beat Gobert in this matchup a year ago, but you could argue that he played the Jazz’s most impactful player to a draw. Gobert comes to this series with a more expansive game on both ends of the floor: he’s more willing to contest mid-range and perimeter shots than ever before, and he’s more comfortable taking advantage of smaller matchups. Expect Gobert to try to make a statement in this series. Advantage: Jazz
Benches
With Derrick Favors coming off the bench, the Jazz likely have the best non-starting player, someone who can own the glass and create baskets by slipping picks and rolling to the rim. Can Kyle Korver contribute against a switching defense? Royce O’Neale will get a ton of time guarding Harden, too. Meanwhile, the Rockets bench features an excellent shooter (Danuel House), an aggressive driver (Austin Rivers), and an experienced backup center (Nene). Advantage: Jazz
Coaches
Quin Snyder has been planning for this moment since the Jazz’s elimination a year ago, studying teams in the NBA and overseas on how to attack switching defenses. But Mike D’Antoni remains one of the NBA’s most progressive coaches: a decade after beginning the league’s pace era, he hasn’t been afraid to embrace Harden’s unique talents to the maximum. For the second straight year, the Rockets took more threes than twos. Advantage: Jazz
Overall
It’s a nightmare matchup for the Jazz: no team relies more on screens and dribble-handoffs to create their offense, but the Rockets’ switching defense neutralizes that threat, begging Jazz ballhandlers to take advantage. Donovan Mitchell can do that, but can anyone else? We’ll see. Meanwhile, the Jazz’s defense — adept at taking away layups and 3-point shots from their opponent — figures to bother the Rockets’ analytics-era outside-in attack. Rudy Gobert is more capable than ever from all over the floor. But in the end, James Harden is nearly impossible to stop, and even if they do, Houston’s Chris Paul could easily repeat last year’s performance to find the middle of the Jazz’s defensive attack. Various personnel changes from last season’s series change the calculus somewhat, but not enough to prevent the same result. Prediction: Rockets in six
The Mall of America had been open only 17 minutes Friday morning when the screaming started.
On the first floor, laying face up between an escalator and the Michael Kors store, was a 5-year-old boy. He had been thrown from three stories above — by a stranger, police say. There was blood; the boy was not moving.
The child's mother asked everyone to pray, witnesses said, and security guards, patrons and police began performing CPR. The boy was rushed to a local hospital with "significant injuries" from the 40-foot fall, authorities said, and was still being treated 24 hours later.
"That's a pretty high fall," Bloomington Police Chief Jeffrey Potts said at a news conference Saturday in Minnesota, describing the scene and his reaction to it. "Immediately, my thoughts were: how can something like this happen?"
Potts called the situation "horrific" and said the department was keeping the boy and his family in their "thoughts and prayers." Because the family has asked for privacy, authorities are not yet releasing the name of the boy. Potts did not offer details about his condition.
"The child is still alive and receiving care," he said.
The suspect, 24-year-old Emmanuel Deshawn Aranda, initially fled on foot, authorities said. A witness tried to stop him, and officers soon after apprehended and arrested the Minneapolis man in the mall's transit station. Aranda faces a preliminary charge of attempted homicide and is being held at the Hennepin County Jail.
"I just hope that little guy turns out OK," witness Michael Baumann told local TV station ABC 5. "I just, you wonder . . . how could anybody do that?"
Records show that Aranda has a history of assault and bad behavior at the Mall of America, a sprawling complex in the Twin Cities suburb of Bloomington, Minnesota, that hosts hundreds of retail stores, restaurants, an amusement park and aquarium and draws 40 million visitors a year.
Aranda has been banished from the mall in past years, though authorities said the trespassing holds had expired by Friday's incident.
In July 2015, he was arrested at the Mall of America on three misdemeanor charges — property damage, disorderly conduct and interfering with a peace officer — after police say Aranda threw items from the upper level of the mall to the lower level. He had also swept his hand across a display table at the beauty store Bare Minerals, breaking lip gloss containers and shot glasses, police said.
Aranda was banned from the mall for one year.
A month later, in August 2015, Aranda told authorities he has "anger issues" when he was arrested on a felony property damage charge at the public library. Aranda had smashed five computers and keyboards "beyond repair" after he read something on Facebook that infuriated him, the man told authorities.
Then in October 2015, Aranda returned to the Mall of America again — in violation of his no-trespass order — and harassed and assaulted a woman inside a restaurant there, records show.
Aranda asked the woman to buy him something while they sat outside the restaurant, waiting for it to open. The woman laughed off the request, records show, and sat down inside. Aranda followed her inside, sat at the table beside her and continued his campaign. When management intervened, Aranda grew enraged. He tossed a glass of water in the woman's face, then threw a glass of tea at her leg, shattering the cup.
He was arrested on six misdemeanor charges.
At the news conference Saturday, Potts said his police department had an additional encounter with Aranda, in which he refused to pay his bill at a restaurant.
Potts said some of Aranda's past cases were handled through a mental health court, but would not comment further on the man's mental health status at the time of Friday's incident.
At least one parent was with the young victim Friday morning when Aranda allegedly threw him from the third-floor balcony. Both parents were at his bedside in the hospital, Potts said. The family is also from the Twin cities area.
Brian Johnson had just entered the mall when he saw the crowds of people gathered near the escalator and the boy on the ground. His mother, Johnson told ABC 5, pleaded with the onlookers: "Everyone please pray. Please pray for my son. Everyone here right now, please pray."
“How in the heck can this happen with all of the craziness going on in the world,” Johnson said. “Why would you single out a kid and ruin a family’s life like this?”
Utah's funding plan for the expansion of Rice-Eccles Stadium requires $35 million in donations. Half of that amount arrived in one delivery Saturday.
The Ken Garff family's gift of $17.5 million is the largest in Utah Athletics history, university president Ruth V. Watkins said during a news conference prior to the Red-White spring football game.
“This really cements this project and makes it an absolute reality,” coach Kyle Whittingham said.
The school now has pledges for $32 million for the south end zone renovation, athletic director Mark Harlan said in accepting what he labeled “a transformational gift.” The remaining funding of the $80 million project will come from “various revenue sources,” the school said, notably a bond that is projected to be repaid after 14 years.
The timetable remains unchanged for what will be named the Ken Garff Performance Zone. Construction is scheduled to begin after the 2020 football season and be completed in August 2021, in time for the following season. The school has issued a request for proposals to prospective contractors, Harlan said.
Bob Garff, chairman of the Ken Garff Automotive Group and a son of the company founder, said his late father “would be delighted for this day.” Garff promised that the finished product would create “a show-stopper venue.”
The working number of seats in the expansion plan is 5,144. The current listed capacity is 45,800 and the Utes have sold out 57 consecutive football games. The increase will come from 1,000 bleacher seats in the corners and the rest via premium seating – including terraces on each side of the goalposts, loges, suites, club seats and rooftop seating. The south bowl will be enclosed, enabling fans to walk around the stadium.
Salt Lake City native Tony Finau has shot an 8-under-par 64 and moved into the lead during the third round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club.
After starting the day four strokes behind the five co-leaders, Finau jumped to 11 under par for the tournament. As of the completion of his round, he held a one-stroke lead over Xander Schauffele, who was playing the 14th hole. Webb Simpson (finished), Tiger Woods (through 13 holes) and Francesco Molinari (through 10) were tied for third place at 9 under.
Finau, who lives in Lehi, posted six birdies and an eagle on the way to his 64, one stroke off the Masters record shared by Nick Price and Greg Norman. He played Augusta National's four par-5 holes in 5 under par Saturday, with an eagle on No. 8. Finau shot a front-nine 30 and added birdies on Nos. 13 and 15.
Finau will be part of an interesting conclusion of the 2019 Masters. He likely will tee off in the final twosome at 7:20 a.m. MDT, nearly six hours earlier than the usual starting time. That's because Sunday afternoon's forecast forecast in eastern Georgia calls for a 90 percent chance of rain, with possibly severe thunderstorms.
This story will be updated.
