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02.20.18 Actor Terry Crews: Change may be slow
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shows it’s inevitable. Your Turn In Life

2018 WINTER OLYMPICS SCHOOL SHOOTING

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Trump
“I thought we
explores
had put a lot
of this stuff
tighter
ROBERT DEUTSCH/USA TODAY SPORTS
behind us, us
as a country.” controls
Drama on ice
Sure, American Mirai Nagasu is fight-
ing for the bronze. But much of the
Charlotte Fedders,
who married John Fedders
in 1966. Charlotte says
the abuse started a
few months after their
on guns
wedding. She says people
attention in the women’s figure skat- didn’t talk about abuse White House supports
ing competition swirls around Russia. back then.
See our special Olympics section. closer background scrutiny
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION;
PHOTO FROM CHARLOTTE David Jackson
USA TODAY
FEDDERS
NEWSLINE
WASHINGTON – The businessman
who once supported tighter gun con-
IN NEWS trol — and then opposed it after he be-
came a presidential candidate — is
now under pressure to switch back in
favor of certain new firearms laws.
In the wake of last week’s mass
shooting at a South Florida high
school, President Trump has White

White House aide’s House meetings scheduled this week

with groups of students and local offi-
cials about the prospects of tougher

case dredges up gun laws to protect schools.

Lorraine Nichols holds her son,
Charlie. HALI TAUXE/USA TODAY NETWORK ’80s abuse trauma
Abandoned Florida
Ex-wife of prominent abuser sees parallels
baby finds new home
Humankind: Infant found in bed of Jayne O’Donnell
pickup in May is doing “amazing” USA TODAY
Hidden details found The domestic violence news out of the White
in Picasso painting House this month was all too familiar to Charlotte
Fedders.
1902 Blue Period masterpiece was Thirty-three years ago, she was the wife accus-
painted atop another artist’s work ing her prominent spouse of serial abuse. Her
then-husband, John Fedders, chief of enforce-
IN MONEY ment for the Securities and Exchange Commis-
sion, was a tall, handsome lawyer with a very
Cheers! Booze makers different public image than the one his family saw
toast cut in excise tax at home. Like Jennifer Willoughby, ex-wife of
President Trump’s former staff secretary Rob Por-
Small manufacturers benefit most ter, Charlotte Fedders said she was regularly called
from two-year federal reduction an abusive name “to the point where it didn’t
mean too much anymore.”
IN LIFE Fedders’ 1987 best-selling book, Shattered
Dreams, became a TV movie starring Lindsay
Oprah throws us a Wagner.
big-screen ‘Wrinkle’ “It has just brought too many memories with all
the similarities,” Fedders said, citing black eyes
Mogul leads diverse trio of astral and a broken window. “It’s been hard.”
travelers in adaptation of classic book Back then, Fedders said, no one talked about
that kind of abuse in the upper-middle-class
country-club world she inhabited. She stayed for
17 years after her wedding in 1966, through the be-
Rob Porter resigned
this month as White
House staff
secretary after
being accused of
domestic abuse.
Charlotte Fedders
The president on Monday ex-
pressed some support for some
changes to the gun background check
system by opening the door to a bipar-
tisan congressional proposal designed
to improve the shar-
ing of mental health Final
and criminal record
be- farewells
information
tween state and lo- As political
cal agencies and the debates
federal background intensify,
check database. funerals begin
“While discus- in Florida.
sions are ongoing 3A
and revisions are
being considered, the president is
supportive of efforts to improve the
federal background check system,”
said White House Press Secretary
Sarah Sanders.
Trump himself did not comment on
gun control Monday. His weekend at
his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach,
Fla., was dominated by a renewed gun
debate after a former student was
charged with killing 17 people and
wounding more than a dozen at Mar-
jory Stoneman Douglas High School in
Parkland, Fla.
Sanders confirmed that Trump
spoke on Friday with Sen. John
Cornyn, R-Texas, about a background
check bill he has introduced with Sen.
Chris Murphy, D-Conn.
Murphy said the president’s appar-
ent support “is another sign the poli-

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littling, the physical abuse — including during her
first pregnancy — and the weeks of the silent
treatment she and their children often got.

See ABUSE, Page 2A

says her husband,
John, abused her
over 17 years of
marriage.
tics of gun violence are shifting rapid-
ly.” In a tweet, the Connecticut senator
said that “no one should pretend this
bill alone is an adequate response to

1-800-872-0001, USATODAYSERVICE.COM See GUNS, Page 2A

USA SNAPSHOTS©
Budget dysfunction’s cost: ‘High and rising’
76
Number of skyscrapers
Congress’ string of stopgaps
knots up even the basics
Such disruptions aren’t going to end
just because Congress passed a sweep-
ing bipartisan budget deal this month.
660 feet or taller built in The government is still running on
2017 in China, the most Deirdre Shesgreen yet another short-term spending bill —
in the world. USA TODAY one that bars most agencies from em-
Next in line: barking on new projects and that flat-
The USA with 10 completed. WASHINGTON – The Pentagon can’t lines spending for existing programs,
order new weapons systems or ramp up even those Congress determines are
ammunition production. Medical re- outdated or unneeded. The latest
searchers have their budgets sliced and spending patch will expire at midnight
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MIKE B. SMITH, JANET LOEHRKE/USA TODAY instead of a regular, full-year budget. unlikely to comply. JIM LO SCALZO/EPA-EFE See CONGRESS, Page 2A
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2A ❚ TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2018 ❚ USA TODAY
Guns
Continued from Page 1A
this epidemic.”
Yet is unclear how far Trump is will-
ing to go on gun control — or whether
he’ll take any action at all.
During his weekend at Mar-a-Lago,
Trump visited a local hospital to speak
with people injured in the shooting and
their families. Some of the students who
survived the shooting blanketed cable
television news programs — some of
them watched by Trump — to press
their case for more gun legislation.
In a rally Saturday, student and
shooting survivor Emma Gonzalez went
after the National Rifle Association by
saying that “politicians who sit in their
gilded House and Senate seats funded
by the NRA telling us nothing could have
been done to prevent this, we call B.S. ...
They say tougher guns laws do not de-
crease gun violence. We call B.S.”
Other mass shootings during
Trump’s term — from the Las Vegas
Strip to a church in South Texas, both
within the past five months — have not
led to legislative action, in part because
Republicans who run Congress say laws
would be ineffective and in some cases
would infringe on Second Amendment
gun rights.
In a 2000 book, published well before
he ran for president, Trump said he has
generally opposed gun control, but at
that time he did back a “ban on assault
weapons” and “a slightly longer waiting
period to purchase a gun.”
In his 2016 campaign, Trump became
a champion of the Second Amendment
and welcomed contributions from the
National Rifle Association and other
gun rights groups. During the NRA con-
vention last year, Trump bashed prede-
The U.S. Capitol has been a house of fiscal feuding. SAUL LOEB/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Congress
Continued from Page 1A
enced democracy is currently unable to
carry out even the most basic responsi-
bility of funding the services that Amer-
icans are expecting from their govern-
ment,” Alice Rivlin, a budget expert, told
senators at a hearing recently on Con-
gress’ broken budget process.
The cost of Congress’ spending dys-
function? “High and rising,” Rivlin said.
“We lurch from crisis to crisis, wast-
ing countless hours across the federal
government as employees prepare for
shutdowns or draft detailed, compre-
hensive yearly budget documents that
are completely disregarded,” Sen. Gary
Peters, D-Mich., said at the Senate hear-
ing, titled the “Terrible, No Good, Very
Bad Ways of Funding Government.”
Two examples:
❚ The Pentagon requested additional
money this year for munitions. The
White House agreed, and so did law-
makers in Congress. But stopgap spend-
ing bills, called “continuing resolu-
tions,” force the Department of Defense
— and other federal agencies — to run
on autopilot, unable to make adjust-
ments or start projects.
“Every account is stuck at last year’s
funding, and you’re specifically barred
from starting new programs and from
increasing the procurement rate,” said
Todd Harrison, a defense budget expert
at the Center for Strategic and Interna-
tional Studies, a Washington think
tank. “So if you bought 10 of a certain
aircraft last year and you were planning
to buy 20 this year, you can’t do that.
You’re stuck.”
❚ At the National Institutes of Health,
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РЕЛИЗ ГРУППЫ "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS
President Trump has at least two events devoted to tackling school violence
on his schedule this week. MANUEL BALCE CENETA/AP
“The president is supportive
of efforts to improve the federal
background check system.”
Sarah Sanders
White House press secretary
cessor Barack Obama and said: “The
eight-year assault on your Second
Amendment freedoms has come to a
crashing end. You have a true friend and
champion in the White House.”
Geraldo Rivera of Fox News, who
spoke with Trump over the weekend,
said he suggested the president support
a law to deny the sale of certain weap-
ons to anyone under age 21.
On Twitter, Rivera also suggested a
Benjamin Corb, a spokesman for the
American Society for Biochemistry
and Molecular Biology. Nearly every
October, scientists “have 10% less
money for either a student in their lab
or for (materials) to do experiments.”
More broadly, the constant cycle of
self-inflicted showdowns created by
the weeks-long spending bills means
Congress has little time to set broad
spending priorities and shift funding
levels to address emerging threats.
“We’re not paying attention to what
we fund or how much. We’re not pay-
ing attention to whether it works or
doesn’t work,” said Sen. Rand Paul, R-
Ky., who convened the Senate hearing.
Congress is required every year to
pass a dozen separate spending bills to
fund government agencies in time for
the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30.
The last time the House and Senate
passed all of the separate appropria-
tion bills on time was more than two
decades ago — in 1997.
“We lurch from crisis to
crisis, wasting countless
hours across the federal
government.”
Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich.
To solve this problem of their own
making, congressional leaders have
called for a bipartisan “supercommit-
tee” appointed to examine the problem
and recommend reforms.
Some budget-fixing proposals are
already in the legislative hopper. One
bill would force lawmakers to go with-
out pay if they didn’t pass a budget and
all the appropriations bills on time.
Another would prevent Congress from
leaving Washington for scheduled
breaks unless lawmakers have adopt-
ed a budget blueprint.
Paul said the real problem is a lack
of political will.
“Something has to change,” he said.
“People have to have the will to do the
right thing.”
“safe schools act” to provide federal
money for security guards and consult-
ants on “hardening educational institu-
tions to protect our most valuable as-
sets: our school kids.”
Trump’s critics were skeptical about
whether he will really push for anything.
Rick Wilson, a Florida Republican
political consultant who has been criti-
cal of Trump, said he suspects Trump is
“reacting to the fact that he had a lot of
folks at Mar-a-Lago reacting to” the kill-
ings of students.
“I’d be surprised if there was actual
action,” he said, “but the NRA and its al-
lies should realize that Trump has no
fixed ideology, and reacts to emotion
and other impulses.”
The Cornyn-backed bill, introduced
Abuse
Continued from Page 1A
Fedders said she thought things
had changed since then.
“I thought we had put a lot of this
stuff behind us, us as a country,” said
Fedders, 74. “And it’s very disturbing
to know that someone would be in
the White House that close to the
president without a full security
clearance with this past that people
knew about.”
Porter denies the allegations
against him.
Fedders said she “never said a
thing” about the abuse when admini-
stration officials vetted her former
husband to be the chief of enforce-
ment at the SEC.
“I was afraid I’d be in real trouble if
he found out,” Fedders said.
Women in prominent, affluent
families may tolerate physical and
emotional abuse because of fears that
disclosure could harm families’ repu-
tations and careers, pediatrician Na-
dine Burke Harris wrote in her new
book, The Deepest Well, which exam-
ines the health effects of these experi-
ences on children.
When more affluent people don’t
talk about domestic violence, the
problem continues, and it perpetuates
the idea that “adversity is a problem
for only certain communities,” wrote
Harris, who heads the Center for Youth
Wellness in San Francisco.
Domestic abuse survivor L.Y. Mar-
low grew up in Philadelphia housing
projects but knew that the stigma
about abuse is spread across socioeco-
nomic, racial and ethnic groups.
A decade ago, she launched the ad-
vocacy group Saving Promise, named
after her granddaughter, Promise,
whom Marlow wanted
to prevent from becom-
ing the fifth generation
of women in her family
to become victims of
domestic abuse.
“Unfortunately,
L.Y. Marlow sometimes it takes
high-visibility people
and circumstances for something to
become part of the national agenda,”
said Marlow, whose group works with
the Harvard School of Public Health on
domestic violence prevention. “The
Me Too and Time’s Up movements
didn’t get elevated until celebrities
said something, even though the other
stories are no less important.”
When Fedders read a blog post
Willoughby wrote last April, titled
“Why I Stayed,” she recognized simi-
larities to her own former life.
“Everyone loved him,” Willoughby
wrote of Porter. “People commented all
the time how lucky I was.”
People used to say such things
about Fedders’ 6-foot-10 ex-husband,
too. They’d say, “He just must be so
wonderful to live with as he’s extreme-
NEWS
after a November shooting at a church in
Texas, would provide financial incen-
tives to states and federal agencies to
work harder to comply with laws requir-
ing them to report criminal and mental
health records to the National Instant
Criminal Background Check System.
Gun sellers are required, in most cir-
cumstances, to run the names of would-
be gun buyers through the system.
The shooter at the Texas church had
been allowed to buy guns despite having
a criminal record because the Air Force
failed to share his records with the FBI.
Trump, who has cited claims about
the suspect’s mental health problems
and criticized the FBI for failing to follow
up on a tip about the shooter, has been
reluctant to back gun control after past
school shootings.
So have Republican members of Con-
gress, many of whom have received
contributions from the National Rifle
Association and other groups who say
the focus should be on mental health
and tighter school security measures.
Trump’s schedule this week includes
at least two events devoted to discuss-
ing school violence.
On Wednesday, he is scheduled to
host a “listening session” with high
school students and teachers. The next
day, Trump will meet with “state and
local officials on school safety,” accord-
ing to the White House schedule.
Trump has been criticized for a tweet
Sunday that seemed to blame the school
shooting on the FBI’s investigation into
Russia’s election meddling.
“Very sad that the FBI missed all of
the many signals sent out by the Florida
school shooter,” Trump said. “This is not
acceptable. They are spending too much
time trying to prove Russian collusion
with the Trump campaign - there is no
collusion. Get back to the basics and
make us all proud!”
ly charming and smart,” she said.
After The Wall Street Journal wrote a
story detailing the abuse and possible
financial improprieties revealed in her
divorce proceedings, Fedders said, “I
think he was very surprised that the rest
of the country didn’t still feel that way.”
Fedders lives in Northern Virginia,
where she receives the same $400 a
month in alimony, which is supple-
mented by Social Security and a small
inheritance. She retired from her job as
a nurse in 2016.
Her former husband tried and failed
to get a 25% share of the profits from her
book. Charlotte Fedders used the money
to help pay for their five sons’ college
education, to which John Fedders did
not contribute.
“I don’t have a whole lot of money or
too many of the things I used to have,
but my life is great now,” said Fedders,
who sees her 10 grandchildren regularly.
John Fedders could not be reached
for comment.
Only one of the grown children has
any contact with their father, Fedders
said. Visitation stopped 28 years ago
after Andrew, then 12, told his father:
“Take me home. Violence is not the an-
swer” after he was shoved against a wall
for misbehaving in an elevator.
Her sons “are all wonderful men who
treat their wives like princesses,”
Fedders said. “They never raise their
hands or their voices.”
When he reposted a video of the
Facebook Live Fedders did with USA
TODAY last week, her oldest son, Luke,
commented:
“You CAN be a man from an abused
household and NOT continue the vio-
lence. Five of us can attest to that,
thanks to how we were raised by a
strong woman/mother.”
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NEWS
SCHOOL SHOOTING IN FLORIDA
Agonized community says farewells
as legal, political debates mount
John Bacon
USA TODAY
Mourners said goodbye Monday in
Florida to a 15-year-old video game fan
who loved Lebron James and Chicken
McNuggets and a 14-year-old Junior
ROTC member who spent hours volun-
teering as a community struggled to
come to grips with last week’s deadly
shooting rampage.
Funerals for Luke Hoyer and Alaina
Petty came one day after two other stu-
dents and a beloved teacher at Marjory
Stoneman Douglas High School were
laid to rest. Athletic director Chris Hixon
will be among those buried Wednesday;
assistant football coach Aaron Feis’
funeral is Thursday.
Luke’s cousin, Grant Cox, plays base-
ball for Clemson University. Cox paid
tribute to Luke and all the victims in an
emotional Facebook post, pleading for
people to “choose love” and declaring
hate is never the answer.
“Tears will never show you how
much I loved Luke,” Cox wrote. “He had
a whole life ahead of him and now I live
through him. I love you so much buddy!”
Alaina’s parents issued a statement
saying it was impossible to sum up what
their daughter meant to her family and
friends.
“Alaina was a vibrant and deter-
mined young woman, loved by all who
knew her,” her parents said.
While the community mourned, ac-
cused shooter Nikolas Cruz and his law-
yers were in court Monday asking a
judge to keep documents in the case
sealed. Defense lawyers said last week
that Cruz, 19, would be willing to plead
guilty to murder charges to avoid the
death penalty and spare the community
the pain of a trial.
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., told CBS
Miami that while he has problems with
the death penalty, he believes Cruz
should be executed.
“In this particular case it would be
hard to argue against the death penalty,”
said Rubio, who has drawn the ire of
Veterans groups ask president Transgender
to keep VA head despite missteps troop policy
Donovan Slack
USA TODAY
WASHINGTON – Three veterans or-
ganizations urged President Trump to
keep Veterans Affairs Secretary David
Shulkin in place despite a report that
said he misused taxpayer dollars during
a European trip last year.
The American Legion ticked off a list
of his accomplishments at the depart-
ment, including modernization of the
appeals process for VA benefits, im-
proved patient satisfaction, decreased
wait times and increased access to
mental health care.
“We have been encouraged by the
great progress Secretary Shulkin has
made and believe that he remains the
best person to lead this important feder-
al public institution on the behalf of the
American people,” the group’s national
commander, Denise Rohan, said in a
statement Monday.
One of the oldest organizations rep-
resenting veterans, AmVets, praised the
secretary.
“Please allow VA Secretary Shulkin
the space necessary to do his job and
continue your focus on fixing the VA,”
Joe Chenelly, executive director of Am-
Vets said in a statement directed at the
president.
Vietnam Veterans of America echoed
those thoughts and expressed support
for VA Deputy Secretary Tom Bowman,
who has been on the job since August.
“Keep both David Shulkin and Tom
Bowman, and see where we are in a
year,” said Rick Weidman, co-founder of
the organization. “It hasn’t been long
enough.”
Veterans groups had been largely si-
lent since the VA inspector general re-
leased a report last Wednesday con-
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and London last July.
Shulkin said the findings were unfair
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РЕЛИЗ ГРУППЫ "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS
Friends and loved ones gathered Monday to say goodbye to 14-year-old Alaina Petty at the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints in Coral Springs, Fla. Alaina was “loved by all who knew her,” her parents said. JOE RAEDLE/GETTY IMAGES
“Tears will never show you how much I loved Luke. He had
a whole life ahead of him and now I live through him.”
Grant Cox
Facebook tribute to his cousin, Luke Hoyer
some Stoneman Douglas students since
The New York Times reported that the
senator had collected more than $3 mil-
lion in donations from the National Rifle
Association.
“We should all agree after #Parkland-
Shooting that need better background
check process,” Rubio also tweeted. And
the White House said President Trump
supports improving the federal back-
ground check process.
Cruz legally obtained at least 10 rifles,
a law enforcement source briefed on the
An inspector general’s report criticized
VA Secretary David Shulkin over a
European trip. WIN MCNAMEE/GETTY IMAGES
“We have been encouraged
by the great progress Secre-
tary Shulkin has made and
believe that he remains the
best person to lead this
important federal public
institution on the behalf of
the American people.”
Denise Rohan
American Legion
Days of turmoil followed. Friday, his
chief of staff, Vivieca Wright Simpson,
announced she was retiring after 32
years at the agency.
Investigators determined she misled
ethics officials by doctoring an email to
get clearance for Shulkin’s wife to travel
with him at taxpayers’ expense.
Within hours, the White House in-
stalled a new chief of staff, Peter
O’Rourke, who was a member of
Trump’s transition team and created
the Office of Accountability and
Whistleblower Protection at the VA.
Shulkin’s fate remained unclear.
USA TODAY ❚ TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2018 ❚ 3A
investigation told CNN.
On Tuesday, 100 students planned to
take the 450-mile bus ride from Park-
land to the state Capitol in Tallahassee
to talk about guns and school safety
with lawmakers. Tops on the students’
list: a ban on military-style assault
weapons like the AR-15 type used in the
shooting.
GOP state Sen. Bill Galvano says he
will introduce a package of measures
that would raise the legal age for pos-
sessing an assault rifle to 21, add a wait-
Friday, he told USA TODAY he re-
mained committed to staying on and
fulfilling Trump’s agenda.
Other veterans groups took a wait-
and-see approach.
Garry Augustine, executive director
of Disabled American Veterans, said
he is generally supportive of Shulkin
but is waiting to learn more about what
transpired at the VA.
“We’re still learning about all the
particulars of the story. It’s still unfold-
ing,” he said in an interview late Sun-
day. “What we know so far is that the
secretary used some bad judgment ob-
viously, but, you know, in the big pic-
ture, what he’s done for the VA, we be-
lieve, is moving in the right direction …
and we would like to see this resolved
so that he can get back to moving the
VA in a direction we think is the right
direction.”
Shulkin is the only holdover from
the Obama administration in Trump’s
Cabinet
He said last week that he believed
he was targeted and undermined by a
group of VA staffers installed in the top
ranks of the agency by the White
House.
Chenelly, the AmVets director, said
the future of the agency is at stake.
“Now, the question, after over a full
year of progress and tremendous
strides in accountability, opening ac-
cess to care, improving access to bene-
fits, tackling mental health, and
strengthening relations with stake-
holders, is whether the President is
ready to turn the keys to the VA over to
ideologues who have designs on hav-
ing VA go the way of railroads, airports,
energy companies, postal services,
and other businesses that have been
privatized — and have also proven
profitable for a few,” he said in the
statement.
Shulkin was sworn in as VA under-
secretary for health in July 2015. When
Trump took office, he selected Shulkin
to lead the VA. Shulkin won Senate
confirmation in a 100-0 vote in Febru-
ary 2017.
ing period for purchases and expand
background checks, among other
changes.
Gov. Rick Scott called on the FBI to
release “all details surrounding the
bureau’s failure to take action after re-
ceiving information on Jan. 5, 2018,
regarding Cruz’s gun ownership, desire
to kill people, erratic behavior and dis-
turbing social media posts.” Last week,
Scott called for FBI Director Christopher
Wray’s resignation.
Also Monday, school officials worked
on a plan to reopen Marjory Stoneman
Douglas High for its 3,000 students. The
district said the school would remain
closed at least through Wednesday and
that the goal was to have staff return to
campus by the end of the week.
is due on
Wednesday
Tom Vanden Brook
USA TODAY
WASHINGTON – The Pentagon is
likely to announce its new policy on
transgender troops this week after six
months of legal battles that started
with President Trump’s tweets calling
for a ban on their service.
Several federal court rulings pre-
vented the Pentagon from implement-
ing the ban. Defense Secretary Jim
Mattis announced in September that a
panel of experts would develop a pol-
icy on transgender service members
by Feb. 21.
The policy will replace rules adopt-
ed during the Obama administration
that allowed transgender troops to
serve openly for the first time. Those
rules set up procedures that gave
transgender troops access to medical
treatment and policies for recruiters to
accept applications from transgender
volunteers for military service.
Trump’s announcement by Twitter
in July caught military officials by sur-
prise. They scrambled to issue guid-
ance to ensure transgender troops that
they would not be drummed from the
service and that their medical care
would continue. The chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff, Marine Gen. Jo-
seph Dunford, issued a statement that
the Pentagon would not change its
policy until officially notified by the
White House.
In September, Mattis issued interim
guidance that prevented transgender
troops from being booted from service,
allowed for their medical treatment
and established the panel to develop
the policy. After losing several court
challenges, the Pentagon allowed
recruiting to begin Jan. 1. USA TODAY
reported that dozens of transgender
applicants filled out paperwork with
recruiters, including at least eight with
the Air Force.
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4A ❚ TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2018 ❚ USA TODAY NEWS

Drought Day Zero: Cape Town

water may be shut off by June
Zaheer Cassim
and John Dyer
Special to USA TODAY
CAPE TOWN, South Africa – Yasmin
Dawood works hard to stick to the limit
of 13.2 gallons a day for residents as this
city inches toward becoming the first in
the world to run out of water.
The stay-at-home mom showers
quickly once a day with her daughter,
keeping buckets in the stall to catch ex-
cess water she uses to flush toilets —
when they absolutely have to be flushed.
Her daughter, Asma, 6, wears a spe-
cial uniform that needs less washing,
Dawood said. On days when she plays
sports, she wears her athletic uniform to
avoid laundering her regular outfit.
Cape Town and its surroundings are
suffering a severe drought.
Three years of a lack of rain and an
unseasonably dry winter mean that av-
erage dam levels hover just over a quar-
ter full.
The countdown to “Day Zero” has be-
gun. Reservoirs would drop below 13.5%,
and the city would have to turn off all
taps to the metro area of 3.7 million.
Officials had estimated the day
would arrive in April or May. Tuesday,
Cape Town pushed it back to June 4.
Dawood’s younger daughter, Sara,
21⁄2, gets bathed in a bucket. “If we need
an extra shower, we use a facecloth,”
said Dawood, 40, who lives in the afflu-
ent suburb of Rondebosch. “If our hair is
dirty, we use dry shampoo — it works
quite well.”
Everything revolves around water —
and saving it, residents said.
“Life is very water-conscious,” Da-
wood said. “Every drop counts.”
The water shortage changes ways of
living and hurts livelihoods.
Westley Byrne, 29, is a director’s as-
sistant in the city’s film industry. He
said work has been scarce since the
crisis began. Byrne said international
projects that used to come to Cape Town
would rather go elsewhere because of
the drought.
“We often host big Hollywood pro-
jects, and they wouldn’t want to take a
A resident of the Masiphumelele settlement collects drinking water from a
communal tap last month in Cape Town, South Africa. NIC BOTHMA/EPA
risk if there is millions of dollars at
stake,” he said.
Byrne has considered leaving Cape
Town “for a bit,” but he and his neigh-
bors get by.
“I don’t know how bad it’s going to
get, and I know other people I have spo-
ken to feel the same way, but only if Day
Zero comes,” he said.
When the city had light rain one re-
cent night, Byrne decided to give his car
a wash. “People are concerned, but in a
way, they are still hopeful,” he said.
Evodia Boonzaaier, 33, a city govern-
ment worker, questioned whether
people were doing enough to conserve
water despite the city’s caps on con-
sumption.
She said residents of low-income
townships have not altered their habits
much. Many live in homes that lack
running water, and they share public
water pumps. Poorer areas don’t con-
sume as much water as their wealthier
neighbors, who feel the crisis more,
Boonzaaier said.
Wealthier residents may have run out
of plastic buckets and other items to
capture water, “but it’s also easier for
us because we can afford it. These
people are poor, so it would be harder
for them,” she said.
Boonzaaier and her family had
thought about moving to Canada; she
said the water emergency is making
the decision easier.
Editor Ngubani, 27, a domestic
worker who lives in the Capricorn
township, said life hasn’t changed
much, and people drink, cook and
clean like they normally would.
“People know there is a drought, but
they haven’t changed,” she said. “I’m
worried because water is precious.”
Cape Town is in for a rude awaken-
ing when Day Zero arrives, she said.
The rainy season that begins in the
spring could help, but it probably won’t
solve the city’s problems.
Pushing back Day Zero has given
residents like Dawood reason to hope.
The water shortage has been a
“positive thing for my family,” she said.
“We are learning to respect our envi-
ronment. It’s a good lesson.”
John Dyer reported from Boston.
Picasso painted “La Miséreuse
Accroupie” over another artist’s work
turned clockwise, seen at right using
advanced imaging technology.
PICASSO ESTATE; ART GALLERY OF ONTARIO
Who knew?
Hidden art
cloaked in
Picasso Blue
Doyle Rice
USA TODAY
Even Pablo Picasso used recycled
materials.
One of the masterpieces of his Blue
Period from 1902 was painted atop an-
other work of art, one painted by an
unknown Spanish artist, scientists
announced this week.
Using advanced imaging technol-
ogy, researchers found another paint-
ing under Picasso’s La Miséreuse Ac-
croupie (The Crouching Woman).
Picasso not only changed the subject
of the original painting (from a land-
scape to a portrait), but he also changed
it from a horizontal to a vertical.
Mountains in the original painting
became the outline of the back of the
subject in Picasso’s work, which de-
picts a crouching, cloaked woman. The
discovery allows viewers “to look in-
side Picasso’s head and get a sense of
how he was making decisions as he
was painting the canvas,” says Marc
Walton, a cultural heritage scientist at
Northwestern University.
The findings were announced at the
annual meeting of the American Asso-
ciation for the Advancement of Sci-
ence in Austin. “Picasso had no
qualms about changing things during
the painting process,” Walton said.

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NEWS
Homelessness
debate intrudes
on Harry and
Meghan’s wedding
Some locals declare
Windsor cannot
be an eyesore
Kim Hjelmgaard
USA TODAY
WINDSOR, England – It’s a
place fit for a prince, but not, it
seems, for a pauper.
Ahead of Prince Harry and
American actress Meghan
Markle’s wedding here May 19,
this picturesque riverside town
is grappling with a problem af-
fecting a growing number of
communities across England:
homelessness.
Windsor is host to the
world’s oldest and largest in-
habited castle. Queen Elizabeth
II uses it on weekends. It has a
Gothic chapel that is the resting
place of 10 monarchs, including
Henry VIII. The town, 25 miles
west of London, has put on roy-
al weddings for centuries.
But a rift in this serene place
has opened up after Simon
Dudley, a local Conservative
Party official, suggested police
should consider clearing the
destitute from Windsor’s
streets so that “aggressive beg-
ging and intimidation” and
bags and debris do not spoil
Harry and Markle’s big day.
“It’s not just because they
are homeless and we don’t want
them here, although it doesn’t
look great for tourists when
they are always being asked for
money,” said Kelly Carpenter,
who runs a pub across from
Windsor Castle, where the pair
will wed. “They are a security
threat. Anyone could be hiding
under those blankets.”
When USA TODAY visited
Iceland debates ban
on male circumcision
Some see an attack
on religious freedom
Kim Hjelmgaard
USA TODAY
Iceland could become the
first country in Europe to ban
male circumcision, prompting
criticism from religious groups
about the ritual practiced in
both Judaism and Islam.
The legislation being debated
by Iceland’s Parliament would
impose a six-year jail term on
anyone who “removes part or all
of (a child’s) sexual organs” for
non-medical reasons.
“It’s an attack on freedom of
religion,” Ahmad Seddeeq,
imam of the Islamic Cultural
Center of Iceland, said Monday.
Silja Dögg Gunnarsdóttir, a
lawmaker from the center-right
Progressive Party, said she pro-
posed the measure after realiz-
ing the country’s ban on female
genital mutilation had no
equivalent for males. Iceland
outlawed female genital muti-
lation in 2005, in line with oth-
er nations, to prevent proce-
dures that intentionally alter or
injure female genital organs for
non-medical reasons.
“We are talking about chil-
dren’s rights, not about freedom
of belief,” she said when she in-
troduced the bill this month.
About 336,000 people live in
Iceland, including 250 Jews
and 1,500 Muslims, according
to government statistics and
Seddeeq. The Nordic island na-
tion is known for progressive
SN ws" Ы
legislation on gender equality.
/W e П
Last month, the government
M N П
S
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made it illegal for companies to
W
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pay women less than men —
another world first.
VK "W ИЗ
Male circumcision, or re-
Л
moving the foreskin from the
РЕ
penis, generally occurs shortly
РЕЛИЗ ГРУППЫ "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS
USA TODAY ❚ TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2018 ❚ 5A
“They are a security
threat. Anyone could
be hiding under those
blankets.”
Kelly Carpenter
Runs a pub across from Windsor Castle
A plan to clear the homeless
from the streets has sparked
Windsor in early February,
about a half-dozen people were
a debate before the royal
wedding May 19 in Windsor
bundled in sleeping bags amid Castle, reflected in a bank’s
ADVANCED
cardboard boxes. Layers of window. LEON NEAL/GETTY IMAGES
clothing could be seen in prom-
inent spots on the town’s High
Street, one of the main thor-
oughfares on which Harry and
Markle will greet crowds as
part of a carriage procession.
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market restaurants, tea rooms,
pubs and fancy stores. Busi-
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But it is also a place caught
up in the U.K.’s homelessness
problem. Over the past year,
homelessness in England is up
14% and has risen by 136% over
the past five years, government
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“Dudley called it an ‘epidem-
ic,’ ” James said. “It’s not an
How can a hearing
epidemic.” Dudley has said his
remarks were misinterpreted.
aid that costs less
Stuart Thatcher, 40, a for-
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6A ❚ TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2018 ❚ USA TODAY NEWS

Abandoned Fla. baby finds new home

Dumped days after birth, were advised to stop trying. The hor-
mones could bring back the cancer.
boy is doing ‘amazing’ The couple turned to adoption and
completed the exhaustive vetting proc-
TaMaryn Waters ess. They were told it could take years to
Tallahassee Democrat identify a baby.
USA TODAY NETWORK - FLORIDA
As the newborn remained at the hos-
pital for observation, she speed-dialed
TALLAHASSEE – His newborn legs the Florida Department of Children and
were bare and cold to the touch. Families and her case manager at the
That chilly morning of May 6, his Children’s Home Society to discuss a
short-sleeve onesie was wet, his diaper possible adoption of Whiskey Doe.
was soiled, his white bib was stained.
Curled up in the bed of a Nissan pickup, Welcome home
he was without a hat, a blanket or a
name. Charlie arrived May 10 at the Nichols’
He was less than a week old. And he four-bedroom home in northeast Talla-
was all alone. hassee in a new Graco car seat. A plush
It’s uncertain when the baby was cushion supported his head. A soft gray-
stowed in the truck bed or how long he and-white polka dot blanket kept him
was there. A college student walking cozy. He was safe and secure.
through the parking lot of the Meridian The house, which sits at the entrance
Apartments on High Road was drawn by Lorraine Nichols holds, Charlie, then 7 months, at a home in Tallahassee in Decem- of a quiet cul-de-sac, was plastered in
the sound of hushed cries and discov- ber. Nichols and her husband had been trying to adopt for months when Charlie portraits of his instant, forever family:
ered the child. Rattled, the 22-year-old was brought to the hospital where Nichols works. HALI TAUXE/USA TODAY NETWORK his parents and three grown siblings —
called police. It was 8:26 a.m. Within two brothers and a sister — and eight
minutes, an officer arrived, followed by nieces and nephews (one on the way).
paramedics. just in case the newborn had trouble Inside his nursery, a white crib was
As events unfolded, strangers found breathing. lined with baby lion linens. On the aqua
themselves at the right place, at the Lorraine Nichols, 46, will never forget blue walls, Charles Nichols hand-paint-
right time, to help an abandoned baby. that morning. ed colorful air balloons, flying airplanes
A week later, as if by divine design, Need some happy news? Little was known about the infant, and smiley-face clouds. “Charlie” was
that baby had a name, a home and a who was given the computer-generated spelled out in block letters on the front-
grateful mother who longed to nurture Check out usatoday.com for a daily name “Whiskey Doe” at the hospital. facing wall.
the newborn as her own. dose of inspiration. Nichols, a respiratory therapist for 18 Lorraine Nichols had always wanted
His name is Caleb, but his mom and years, said he was hypothermic, his a baby girl, but the odds always seemed
dad call him Charlie. body temperature dangerously low, stacked against them.
“The biggest concern we had at that even after the warming efforts of the Baby Charlie arrived one week before
Lights and sirens point was exposure to the elements,” paramedics. Doctors estimated he was 5 they were about to call a private adop-
said Suarez, who arrived around the to 7 days old, because his umbilical cord tion attorney. “I truly believe that what
Leon County EMS Captain Steve same time as an ambulance with two had fallen off. God has for you is for you,” Lorraine
Suarez had just grabbed a cup of coffee paramedics. “We could tell he was rela- “My heart just went out to him,” said. “It’s on His time.”
when a dispatcher’s voice piped tively new to the world.” Nichols said. “He was left alone.” On Sept. 7, four months after Charlie
through his field truck. Come with That Saturday morning, something When he arrived, Nichols monitored appeared in their lives, his adoption was
“lights and sirens,” the dispatcher said. told Suarez to put a special equipment his breathing and oxygen intake. For the made final.
He arrived in two minutes. bag in his truck. It contained a warming most part, the newborn was fine — cold, Since then, the couple have tackled
Tallahassee police officer Beth Bas- mattress designed for babies and chil- hungry and wet — but fine. No drugs each day while planning for the future.
com was on the scene at the student dren. The EMS field supervisor had used were detected in his bloodstream. He Baby Charlie has a passport for a family
apartment complex. In her arms, she it only once before, while training. had no obvious abnormalities. cruise in March. Swim lessons are set up
held a “cold, scared and young baby.” All Suarez called it “an incredible coinci- As a supervisor, Nichols works wher- for April, Taekwondo classes by age 3.
he had was a green pacifier and one un- dence” that left him thinking a higher ever she’s needed throughout the re- Lorraine said there are too many
used diaper; a loosely tied shirt was par- power was at work. gion’s largest hospital. That morning, what-ifs to count. She thinks of them all.
tially wrapped around his head and Sirens blared as the infant was she happened to be working in the ER. She prays a divine message may
body, the police report said. rushed by ambulance to Tallahassee Nichols is a two-time breast cancer reach the mother to let her know that
Temperatures dipped to 49 degrees Memorial HealthCare. Waiting in the survivor. She and her husband, Charles, the baby is in good hands, and he’ll have
that morning — 10 degrees colder than emergency room for the baby’s arrival 67, had spent tens of thousands of dol- a good life. She said, looking down on
usual. was a supervising respiratory therapist lars on in-vitro fertilization before they Charlie’s face, “It’s just been amazing.”

WEATHER
FRONT & CENTER TODAY’S HIGH TEMPERATURES
WEATHER ONLINE
USATODAY.COM
Breaking News Ground
Download our free app, now with virtual reality.

PRECIPITATION FORECAST
Heavy rain could T-storms Rain Snow Ice/mix
Seattle
lead to flooding Olympia
40 Bangor
from Texas to 40 Spokane
41
Portland 23 Miles City
Bismarck Duluth Marquette
New York Salem 40
Helena
1 11 19 29
44 9 Burlington Augusta

Tuesday and Boise Fargo Mpls-St. Paul 53 46

Bend
29 Billings 13 24
Montpelier
Boston
Wednesday. 34 9
Rapid City Grand Buffalo 54 59
Burns
5 Milwaukee Rapids 63 Albany
28 Pierre Sioux Falls
55 61 63
Detroit
62
Hartford
Eureka Idaho Falls Jackson
9 13 Cleveland 62
On this date in 1994, Caribou, 49 21 Hole Casper
Des Moines Madison
Lansing 69 Pittsburgh New York
Sacramento
Reno
Elko 14 12 North Platte
31 44 62 73 69 TODAY
Maine, hit 59 degrees, its 55 39 26 Salt Lake City 17 Chicago
Harrisburg Philadelphia
Carson City 31
Cheyenne Omaha
62 Columbus
70 70
record warmest winter 34 16 26 Kansas City Springfield 73 Washington Annapolis
(Dec.-Feb.) temperature.
San Francisco
34 69 Indianapolis Cincinnati
74 68
54 St. George Aspen
Denver
70 76
Las Vegas
42 20 21 Topeka
Charleston Richmond
Fresno
49 33 Jefferson City St. Louis Louisville 80 73
56 Wichita 65 75 79
Knoxville

What weather conditions are

Dodge City
35 76 Raleigh
Los Angeles Santa Fe 35 Memphis
Charlotte 76
ideal for cool temperatures? 60
Palm Springs Flagstaff
41 Oklahoma 78 Nashville
76
62 29
Tulsa
79
Columbia
Albuquerque
City
65 83
A clear, calm night San Diego
45 66 Little Rock Birmingham Atlanta Charleston
WEDNESDAY
60
Phoenix
Dallas 78 81 76 80 EXTREMES
Lubbock
with fresh snowcover. Alaska 58 68 72 Montgomery Savannah
El Paso Midland- Shreveport Jackson 83 81 Note: For contiguous

58 Odessa Austin
80 81 48 states through
75
Jacksonville
Fairbanks Hawaii 72 Mobile
Tallahassee
81
3 p.m. ET yesterday
37 Juneau
Honolulu San Antonio
Baton Rouge 79 83 HOTTEST:
Anchorage 36 81 76 Houston 83 New
88°
32 78
Orleans
83 Tampa Plant City, Fla.

Puerto Rico
88
Miami COLDEST:
San Juan
Brownsville 82 85 -24°
SOURCE AccuWeather Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather Inc. ©2018
Butte, Mont. THURSDAY
84
DOYLE RICE, KARL GELLES/USA TODAY
@USATODAYWEATHER Below 10 10s 20s 30s 40s 50s 60s 70s 80s 90s 100s 110+
TOP TRAVEL CITIES Air quality index (AQI)
ATLANTA BALTIMORE BOSTON CHARLOTTE CHICAGO DALLAS DENVER DETROIT HONOLULU HOUSTON LAS VEGAS LOS ANGELES
Not as Cloudy, Partly A P.M. Sunny, Sunny,
TUE Fog TUE Fog TUE cool TUE Fog TUE Rain TUE T-storms TUE cold TUE Rain TUE sunny TUE t-storm TUE cold TUE cool
76/64 72/56 76/63 62/26 72/44 63/46
59/52 21/5 81/69 78/68 49/32 60/41
Partly Partly Partly Much Rain, Not as A little Mostly Partly
WED Shower WED sunny WED sunny WED sunny WED colder WED cooler WED cold WED rain WED Shower WED Rain WED sunny WED sunny
77/65 75/49 83/71 77/62
70/42 77/64 35/29 48/40 33/13 47/29 52/33 59/44
Incr. A little Mostly Cloudy Incr. Partly A P.M. A little Partly Partly
THU clouds THU rain THU Cooler THU cloudy THU spells THU Rain THU clouds THU sunny THU shower THU rain THU sunny THU sunny
50/39 43/33 56/47
80/61 79/61 39/35 33/16 39/32 82/71 77/66 55/39 58/44
AQI Good AQI Moderate AQI Moderate AQI Good AQI Good AQI Good AQI Good AQI Good AQI Good AQI Good AQI Good AQI Good
MIAMI MPLS-ST. PAUL NEW ORLEANS NEW YORK ORLANDO PHILADELPHIA PHOENIX SALT LAKE CITY SAN DIEGO SAN FRANCISCO SEATTLE WASHINGTON
Mostly A bit of Partly Partly Mostly Sunny, A snow
TUE sunny TUE snow TUE Fog TUE Fog TUE sunny TUE Fog TUE sunny TUE cloudy TUE Sunny TUE cool TUE shower TUE Fog
24/6 83/71 69/58 70/58 60/46 74/60
85/76 86/66 58/38 31/11 54/41 40/26
Partly Sunny, Partly Partly Partly Partly Partly Partly Partly Cloudy, Partly
WED sunny WED cold WED T-storms WED sunny WED sunny WED sunny WED sunny WED sunny WED sunny WED sunny WED cold WED sunny
22/5 82/71
84/72 72/46 87/64 73/49 61/44 37/19 61/50 57/43 41/29 77/54
Snow, A little Some A little Partly Partly A stray Mainly A little
THU Shower THU 1-2” THU T-storm THU rain THU sun THU rain THU sunny THU Cloudy THU sunny THU shower THU cloudy THU rain
84/73 27/21 82/67 40/22
47/37 85/65 50/39 63/43 63/52 57/41 43/26 55/44
AQI Good AQI Good AQI Good AQI Moderate AQI Good AQI Good AQI Moderate AQI Good AQI Good AQI Moderate AQI Moderate AQI Moderate
c Cloudy f Fog i Ice r Rain sf Snowflurries sn Snow w Windy dr Drizzle h Haze pc Partly cloudy s Sunny sh Showers t Thunderstorms

U.S. CITIES TODAY WED

Cincinnati
TODAY
76/63w
WED
64/39r Hartford, Conn.
TODAY
62/52f
WED
70/39pc Nags Head, N.C.
TODAY
66/56f
WED
67/57pc Sarasota, Fla.
TODAY
87/67pc
WED
87/66pc
WORLD CITIES
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NEWS
OPINION
TODAY’S DEBATE: FOOD STAMPS
Our view: ‘America’s Harvest
Boxes’ will deliver socialism
Who knew that President Trump
and some in his Cabinet were closet So-
cialists. How else to explain their plan
to slash a partnership between govern-
ment and private industry that pro-
vides food for the poorest Americans
and partially replace it with a program
fresh from Cold War Bulgaria.
Since the 1960s, low-income Amer-
icans have received benefits from the
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program (SNAP), popularly known as
food stamps, and used them to buy
food at about 260,000 retailers from
Wal-Mart to corner groceries to farm-
ers’ markets. Now, the Trump admini-
stration has a bright idea: Eliminate
much of the freedom to shop in private
markets, add a dose of bureaucracy,
and instead give the 42 million poor
Americans using the program all the
convenience of a soup line.
Under Trump’s proposed budget,
the Department of Agriculture (USDA)
would purchase food with its bulk buy-
ing power, put in containers called
“America’s Harvest Boxes,” and some-
how get them to 16.4 million house-
holds across the country. Just how, no
one has explained. That will be a prob-
lem for the states. But the administra-
tion is sure of this much: Its plan would
save nearly $130 billion over a decade.
Never mind that this would require a
gigantic bureaucracy to store food, as-
semble boxes, let people pick up their
boxes or distribute boxes to recipients,
keep track of the addresses and moves,
track who gets the boxes and who
doesn’t, and find a speedy way to re-
place late or stolen boxes. Just how
government would account for people
with dietary restrictions or allergies is
also unstated.
And there’s this: The boxes would
provide only half of the monthly allot-
ment, so the government would still be
distributing debit cards. Twice the gov-
ernment and half the efficiency.
Opposing view: USDA
innovation will deliver to states
Brandon Lipps
They probably laughed at Fred
Smith when he conceived of FedEx and
the efficient distribution of packages to
customers. In Washington, it is a favor-
ite pastime to criticize new ideas and
claim they won’t work. But innovation
has always been one of the keys to suc-
cess, and innovation is what America’s
Harvest Boxes represent.
The proposal will provide nutritious
food for people in need and reduce
costs to taxpayers at a time when the
national debt exceeds $20.5 trillion.
America’s Harvest Boxes will be just
what they sound like: containers of
100% American-grown products to en-
courage nutritious diets. Using the De-
partment of Agriculture’s massive pur-
chasing power, it will save about
$129 billion over 10 years, and still pro-
vide the same food value recipients get
now through the Supplemental Nutri-
tion Assistance Program. This com-
monsense proposal is a win for SNAP
recipients, taxpayers and farmers.
Recipients will retain the ability to
make food choices for themselves.
America’s Harvest Boxes will use our
YOUR SAY
Arming teachers is no answer to shootings
LETTERS
LETTERS@USATODAY.COM
Arming teachers to stop gun violence
in the schools is a ridiculous idea. A
teacher in a classroom would be in poor
position to defend students when a
gunman bursts in. Even at the entrance
to a school, a gunman armed with an as-
sault weapon would have the advan-
tage. There would be a lot of collateral
damage. Do parents want their children
to be in the midst of shootouts in their
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es to arm and train teachers? Do teach-
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“USA TODAY hopes to serve as a forum for better understanding and unity to help make the USA truly one nation.” – Allen H. Neuharth, Founder, Sept. 15, 1982
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& Chief Executive Officer & Publisher
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ROBERT DICKEY JOHN ZIDICH
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Food stamp sign at a farmer’s market
in Maine. ROBERT F. BUKATY/AP
This from an administration that
hasn’t shown much ability to get food to
hungry people, even in an emergency.
It fumbled a contract to deliver 30 mil-
lion meals to Puerto Rico after Hurri-
cane Maria, pulling the contract after
only 50,000 meals were delivered.
Office of Management and Budget
Director Mick Mulvaney found a snap-
py way to describe this new scheme,
calling it a “Blue Apron-type program.”
That’s about as sensitive to people on
food stamps as “Let them eat cake.”
Blue Apron is a delivery service aimed
at well-heeled customers who want to
purchase fresh ingredients to make
fancy recipes without going to the
store. Meals start at $9.99 per serving.
The SNAP benefit for each person in
a single-parent household with chil-
dren is about $1.40 per meal — not ex-
actly fancy recipe resources.
This wacky idea has also taken at-
tention from deep cuts to the program.
Republicans have a reputation for
favoring free choice and private enter-
prise over government mandates and
bureaucracy. Not anymore. With
“America’s Harvest Boxes,” the Trump
administration is delivering digital-age
innovation that only Karl Marx would
approve.
agricultural abundance to provide
wholesome staple foods, while allow-
ing people to make their own food pur-
chases with the remaining portion of
their SNAP benefits. Because states
know their populations best, they will
have the flexibility to offer food options
for people with differing dietary needs.
As true laboratories of innovation,
states can determine their own meth-
ods of connecting people with their
Harvest Boxes. Some may choose to
partner with non-profits or the private
sector to arrange for boxes to be picked
up at non-profit or retail outlets, while
others may work with private sector in-
novators to deliver boxes to doorsteps.
Bold proposals can raise concerns
because they are new and different. But
the reality is that we must fulfill our
commitment to helping people who
need assistance, while also dealing
with the nation’s fiscal situation. USDA
is committed to doing right and feeding
everyone at the same time we keep
costs to a minimum.
Brandon Lipps is acting deputy
undersecretary for USDA’s Food Nutri-
tion and Consumer Services.
ers want such a responsibility? A deter-
mined gunman would not be deterred
by the threat because they often kill
themselves afterward or choose suicide
by cop.
The question should be, why is it so
easy for someone to buy an assault-
style rifle with high-capacity magazines
and bump stocks to increase the rate of
fire? Why would any law-abiding citi-
zens want to buy such a weapon of mass
destruction?
George Magakis Jr.
Norristown, Pa.
Associate Publisher
President, USA TODAY Network
MARIBEL PEREZ WADSWORTH
USA TODAY ❚ TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2018 ❚ 7A
Trump ‘alone can
fix it’ is now too true
Here’s how to save this
collapsing presidency
Gabriel Schoenfeld
The Florida school massacre and the
latest Mueller indictments have
brought a noticeable sense of solemni-
ty to the national conversation. Presi-
dent Trump, however, has used both to
let loose an epic tweet storm. By trying
to exploit the FBI’s mishandling of
Parkland to help him somehow escape
the clutches of the Russia probe, the
president has descended to hitherto
unplumbed depths of depravity.
For Trump the time is now 11:59 PM,
almost the witching hour. If he were
wise, he could still use the little time re-
maining to try to salvage his collapsing
presidency. If Trump were to ask for a
memo outlining the way ahead, here —
dotted throughout with dollops of es-
sential flattery — is what I would say:
Mr. President, you already have
great accomplishments for which you
will be long remembered: a historic tax
cut and the invigoration of the econo-
my, reflected in the record-breaking
performance of financial markets.
While your visage may never be carved
into Mount Rushmore, there’s still a
path forward that might earn you an
honored place in the pantheon of
America’s great presidents.
First, stanch the bleeding. The Rob
Porter wife-beating scandal and spe-
cial counsel Robert Mueller’s investiga-
tion are doing immense damage. Your
principal subordinates are engaged in
knife fights while failing to serve your
political and governing needs. With all
this, it is unsurprising that your stand-
ing with the American public continues
to hover near historic lows.
“I alone can fix it,” is what you once
said. In this instance, it’s absolutely
true. There’s no one else to whom you
can turn. You urgently need to make
fundamental changes.
The best way to accomplish this is fi-
nally to let Trump really be Trump. That
means getting rid of your phony con-
servative veneer and becoming once
again the more liberal wheeler-dealer
New Yorker that you are. Break with
your base on critical issues and make a
dash for the American center.
Dealing effectively with the mass-
Is our problem really about guns or
the core values and character of Amer-
ican culture? From the treatment of our
indigenous people to the inequality and
greed of today, our history of misdeeds
is well documented. Our mentally ill are
put on the streets to fend for them-
selves. Eventually, they become ware-
housed in a prison system with no via-
ble help.
Those who elude the prison system
are helped by loving, but weary, family
members and friends navigating an un-
known, overwhelming and sometimes
horrifying journey.
We allow very few of the many to de-
fine us. The majority are overwhelmed
Executive Editor: Patty Michalski
Managing Editor: Donna Leinwand Leger
R.J. MATSON, ROLL CALL, POLITICALCARTOONS.COM
shooting epidemic would be one way;
fixing our broken immigration system
would be another.
As a New Yorker, you know in your
heart and your head it’s insane that it’s
far easier to buy semiautomatic weap-
ons than it is to get a permit to sell hot
dogs on the sidewalk of Trump Tower.
You also know that scenes of young
immigrants who were brought here as
children being deported — to countries
they do not know and whose languages
they do not speak — would be a moral
calamity that will kill your reputation.
State the truth about these two is-
sues. Yes, many loyalists in your base
will flee, but you will gain greater num-
bers in the broad middle.
Clean house. Fire Stephen Miller and
all the other weirdo staffers who have
steered your presidency into a dead
end. Reach out to the moderate adver-
saries you defeated for recommenda-
tions of talented people to staff the
White House and the Cabinet properly.
As you have done to acclaim with the
courts, you will finally find the genu-
inely best people.
The appearance — the reality — of
nepotism and financial conflicts of in-
terest have been deeply corrosive to
your presidency. Announce that you
are severing all financial ties to the
Trump International Hotel down the
street. As you acquire competent staff
and gain political strength, you won’t
need to lean on your children anymore.
Send Jared and Ivanka packing.
Finally, find a way to bring the Russia
investigation to a close. If you did polit-
ically ugly things in the campaign,
come clean and ask for forgiveness. If
you broke the law, throw yourself on the
mercy of Congress and the American
people. A president who is more hum-
ble, who is candid, who finds a way to
be popular won’t be readily impeached.
I cannot guarantee that these radical
steps will help you succeed. But if your
presidency goes down, it is better to do
so as the man you are rather than the
immoral macho monster you’ve pre-
tended to be in the reality show that for
too long you’ve confused for real poli-
tics and real life.
Gabriel Schoenfeld, a member of
USA TODAY’s Board of Contributors,
was a senior adviser to the 2012 Rom-
ney for President campaign.
with an exhausted sense of helpless-
ness. Only when the majority of Amer-
icans stand strongly united with a very
loud voice, demanding change to our
core values, can we change the culture
of our society.
Our children are showing the way!
Jean E. Winkler
Washington, Utah
WANT TO COMMENT? Have Your Say at
letters@usatoday.com, @USATOpinion on Twitter
and facbook.com/usatodayopinion. Comments
are edited for length and clarity. Content sub-
mitted to USA TODAY may appear in print, digital
or other forms. For letters, include name, address
and phone number. Letters may be mailed to
7950 Jones Branch Drive, McLean, VA, 22108.
Editor, Editorial Page: Bill Sternberg
Chief Revenue Officer: Kevin Gentzel
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8A ❚ TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2018 ❚ USA TODAY NEWS

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USA TODAY ❚ TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2018 ❚ SECTION B

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Drinking in
Co-working
Whiskey, beer big incentives
80%: Excise tax cut on
spirits for the first
spaces grow
as more are
makers soak up
100,000 proof gallons
produced.

50%: Excise tax cut on

tailored to fit
beer for the first Some cater to women

tax cut savings 60,000 barrels pro-

duced.

$142 million: Saved

annually by the U.S.
or specific industries
Rachel Layne
Special to USA TODAY

Small producers expected to see biggest benefits beer industry.

Karen Burton’s longtime dream of a
home for building industry entrepre-
neurs in Detroit came to fruition in
June.
Bolstered by a $55,000 city devel-
opment grant, Burton and husband
Bobby opened SpaceLab Detroit, a
5,200-square-foot co-working space
in the heart of downtown just as the
real estate market there gathers
steam. In October, the area cracked
Realtor.com’s Top 10 hottest U.S. mar-
kets, coming in eighth.
“I did freelance architectural design
for quite some time. I worked from
home, worked from my clients’ of-
fices,” said Burton, 52. “I just wanted
the amenities available in an architec-
ture office and to be able to share re-
sources.”
SpaceLab now has 30 members
working in construction, interior de-
sign, architecture, real estate law,
property management and even furni-
ture supply. It’s filled with tailored fea-
tures such as a large-scale printing
plotter and a specialized materials li-
brary. Members are steps from city of-
fices that oversee building applica-
tions and permits, and some are team-
ing up to bid on new contracts.
As well-known co-working compa-
nies such as WeWork offer space to
businesses in many industries, a
growing number of niche or specialty
players such as The Wing and Hera
Hub, which cater to women, are grow-
ing in popularity. There are spaces
centered on specific industries such as
Biolabs, which offers co-working to
biotechnology firms, or Boston’s
Workbar, which has a regional focus.
These specialty hubs are a sign of the
The federal excise tax on spirits, wine and beer has been slashed through 2019. GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO co-working industry maturing a dec-
ade after the recession sparked de-
Lizzy Alfs make more than 100,000 proof gallons
USA TODAY NETWORK-Tennessee in a year — big Tennessee whiskey See CO-WORKING, Page 2B
Sponsored by producers such as Jack Daniels,
NASHVILLE – Toasting the nation’s George Dickel and Ole Smoky — will
USA SNAPSHOTS© booming economy, alcoholic-beverage still save 16 cents per proof gallon for
producers — from craft beer brewers to production of 100,000 to 22 million
large whiskey distilleries — are taking gallons.
advantage of a big tax cut. “This is an economic incentive for
The federal excise tax on spirits, wine distilleries to increase production, add
and beer has been slashed through 2019 more people and buy more supplies,”

50%
under the Craft Beverage Moderniza- said Will Cheek, an alcoholic beverage
tion and Tax Reform Act, which sup- law attorney and partner at Waller
porters say will allow owners to pour Law.
of small business owners say those savings back into their business- Craft brewers are also enjoying a
they do not know how to es. Many alcohol producers hope the tax significant tax break under the new
reach new prospective
cut will be extended beyond its two-year law.
customers on their own.
lifespan. Breweries that make fewer than 2
Among thriving small
The biggest benefits go to small pro- million barrels annually — which in-
businesses who use
marketing tools, 63% use ducers. cludes all 60-plus breweries in Ten-
social media advertising. The law, passed in Congress with bi- nessee — pay a new excise tax rate of
partisan support, slashes the excise tax $3.50 per barrel, a 50% reduction, on
SOURCE Staples survey distillers pay per proof gallon of liquor the first 60,000 barrels produced. Karen and Bobby Burton are the
of 503 small-business owners from $13.50 to $2.70 for the first 100,000 founders of SpaceLab Detroit.
JAE YANG, PAUL TRAP/USA TODAY gallons produced. Big producers that See BOOZE, Page 2B KAREN AND BOBBY BURTON
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usage in a mo. exceeds: (1) 800 min. or a majority of min.; or (2) 100MB or a majority of KB. Prohibited network use rules apply – see sprint.com/termsandconditions. Other Terms: Offer/
coverage not avail. everywhere or for all phones/networks. Restrictions apply. See store or sprint.com for details. © 2017 Sprint.
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2B ❚ TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2018 ❚ USA TODAY
Worried about crash? Check Dow Theory
Followers give Wall Street
the benefit of the doubt
Mark Hulbert
Columnist
USA TODAY
Panic is a bad investment strategy.
Yet that is exactly how many inves-
tors reacted this month when the stock
market dropped precipitously. They in-
discriminately dumped their stocks at
whatever prices they could get.
Odds are good that they will end up
regretting their behavior.
I say that not just because the stock
market has recovered some over the last
few sessions. It is still possible that a
bear market did begin from the late-
January market highs. But since most
scary drops do not lead to major bear
markets, it’s virtually assured that —
over the long term — selling after every
unnerving decline will lead to more
losses than gains.
If you’re not a long-term buy-and-
hold investor, therefore, you need an in-
Chicken is
finger lickin’
gone at KFC
restaurants
around U.K.
Nathan Bomey
USA TODAY
Why didn’t the chicken cross the
road? In the United Kingdom, the an-
swer is there aren’t enough of them to
cross — and that’s bad news for the
900 KFC restaurants there.
The fast-food chain once known as
Kentucky Fried Chicken is engulfed in
a crisis in the U.K., where about two-
thirds of its restaurants are temporari-
ly closed amid delivery challenges.
The cause? A chicken shortage —
coming at a chain whose core product
is chicken. Trying to make light of the
situation, KFC referenced the old-
fashioned riddle joke in a tweet.
“The chicken crossed the road, just
not to our restaurants,” KFC’s United
Kingdom and Ireland outfit said on
Twitter. “We’ve brought a new delivery
partner onboard, but they’ve had a
couple of teething problems — getting
chicken out to 900 restaurants across
the country is pretty complex!”
The chain promised not to “compro-
mise on quality, so no deliveries has
meant some of our restaurants are
closed and others are operating a lim-
ited menu or shortened hours.”
Only about 300 were open as of
Monday morning.
The situation was not expected to
affect the U.S. market. KFC spokesper-
son Tori Oman said it was an “isolated
issue” in the U.K. that the company is
working hard to rectify.
“We want to thank our incredible
restaurant teams, who are working flat
out all hours to get us back up and run-
ning again,” Oman said in an email.
The exact cause of the delivery
problems was not immediately clear,
but the U.K.’s Guardian publication re-
ported that KFC blamed the episode on
delivery service DHL.
Oman did not address a USA TO-
DAY inquiry on the potential DHL con-
nection. But DHL acknowledged a
problem. “Due to operational issues a
number of deliveries in recent days
have been incomplete or delayed,” the
company said in a statement. “We are
working with KFC and our partners to
rectify the situation as a priority and
apologize for any inconvenience this
may have caused.”
Yum Brands-owned KFC had 21,487
restaurants worldwide as of the end of
2017. Sales at U.K. KFC stores rose 5%
in 2017.
Contributing: Kim Hjelmgaard
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vestment system that keeps you from
panicking every time the market starts
heading south. The Dow Theory is the
oldest and perhaps the most popular of
such systems. Like any good investment
discipline, it provides you with preset
rules that try to differentiate between
less serious bouts of market volatility
and the beginnings of devastating bear
markets.
Currently, followers of the Dow The-
ory are giving the stock market the ben-
efit of the doubt.
The Dow Theory was created in the
early part of the last century by William
Peter Hamilton, then editor of The Wall
Street Journal. He introduced the strat-
egy in a series of editorials in the news-
paper up until his death in 1929. He ad-
vised readers to focus not on the initial
pullback from market highs but on the
market’s attempt to recover from that
pullback. A bear market signal would be
triggered if that recovery were so weak
that either the Dow industrials or the
Dow transports would fail to close above
their previous highs, and then both Dow
averages would break below their lows
hit in the initial pullback.
Here’s how that applies to the current
The Oasis Coworking Community houses water-related start-ups inside Milwaukee’s Global Water Center. KAHLER SLATER
Co-working
Continued from Page 1B
mand for more flexible workspace for
freelancers and start-ups.
“Co-working has finally become
mainstream. Everybody thinks it was
an overnight success. But it was 10
years in the making. You now need to
differentiate,” said Liz Elam, founder
of the industry’s biggest gathering, the
Global Coworking Unconference Con-
ference.
The number of U.S. workers who
use co-working may double to 1.08
million in 2022 from last year, accord-
ing to a forecast from Emergent Re-
search and GCUC, pronounced “juicy.”
Last year, there were an estimated
4,043 co-working spaces, up from just
14 a decade earlier, the study found. By
2022, that could reach 6,219.
Co-working tenants pay by the
hour, day or month rather than sign
years-long leases. They get amenities
such as conference room space, coffee
and camaraderie.
That can bring in more money for
operators. Annual profit per square
foot for a co-working space is an aver-
Booze
Continued from Page 1B
Brewers producing more than 2 million
barrels annually will pay $16 a barrel,
down from $18, on the first 6 million
barrels produced.
The Brewers Association projects
the reduced excise taxes will save the
U.S. beer industry $142 million annu-
ally.
Kris Tatum, president of the Ten-
nessee Distillers Guild and partner/
general manager at Old Forge Distill-
ery in Pigeon Forge, said members of
the guild are “ecstatic” to save money
on taxes and reinvest in their busi-
nesses. He said the East Tennessee
distillery he manages plans to use the
market: If in coming weeks the Dow in-
dustrials surpass their Jan. 26 closing
high of 26,616.71 and the Dow transports
close above their Jan. 12 record finish of
11,373.38, then the Dow Theory would
consider the bull market alive and well.
By contrast, a bear market signal
would be triggered if either the Dow in-
dustrials or transports couldn’t beat
their January highs, and both close be-
low their early February lows —
23,860.46 in the case of the industrials
and 10,136.61 for the transports.
Until then, Dow Theorists wait, let-
ting the market tells its story. And one of
the key tenets of Hamilton’s approach is
that the market’s major trend is pre-
sumed to remain in force until formally
reversed. That’s why the Dow Theory
currently is giving the bull market the
benefit of the doubt.
Note carefully that the Dow Theory
isn’t designed to catch the exact tops
and bottoms of bull and bear markets.
By requiring a decline from market
highs to prove itself before a bear mar-
ket is declared, for example, the strategy
is guaranteed to suffer losses at the be-
ginning of a bear market. The same goes
in reverse when a bear market gives way
age $11.08, while space in offices run by a
management company brings in $8.86,
according to a 2017 survey from the
Global Workspace Association. When
building owners run co-working spaces,
profit per-square-foot jumps to $14.29.
More niche offerings are showing up
just as big companies partner with the
largest co-working operators. In 2016,
Microsoft said employees in New York,
Atlanta, Philadelphia and Portland,
Ore., could work from WeWork spaces
globally. About 25% to 30% of WeWork
members now hail from companies with
more than 1,000 workers.
Connecting with people in similar or
complementary industries is a benefit
of working in a co-working space. That
was one of the reasons Kristi Sherfinski,
45, was attracted to the newly opened
Oasis Coworking Community, which
houses water-related start-ups inside
Milwaukee’s 98,000-square-foot Glob-
al Water Center.
“I was looking in downtown Milwau-
kee for something I could afford. As a
start-up company, money is very tight,”
said Sherfinski, who runs Helianthus, a
one-woman wetland design and envi-
ronmental firm. “I was really attracted to
the idea of collaboration.”
In a report from global design firm
savings to upgrade equipment and po-
tentially add another staff member to
help with a new line of spirits.
“This benefits everyone in the indus-
try. That’s what I think is huge,” Tatum
said. “Often tax breaks go to either the
big guys or the little guys, but not every-
body at one time.”
Whiskey remains one of Tennessee’s
top exports, thanks in large part to
megadistiller Jack Daniel’s in Lynch-
burg, which sells whiskey in 160-plus
countries. More than 30 other distiller-
ies now operate in the Volunteer State.
Meanwhile, the state’s craft beer in-
dustry is booming, with 60 breweries
churning out 250,247 barrels of craft
beer in 2016, per the Brewers Associa-
tion. Under the new law, that means
Tennessee brewers are poised to save
nearly $875,900 in taxes this year.
MONEY
to a new bull market.
But there never has been a market
timing system that consistently catches
the exact day of bull market tops and
bear market bottoms, and there never
will be. And the perfect is the enemy of
the good. Jack Schannep, editor of The-
DowTheory.com, one of the country’s
leading Dow Theorists, put it this way:
“The genius of investing is recognizing
the direction of the trend — not catching
the highs or the lows.”
One confirmation of the Dow The-
ory’s value comes from a study conduct-
ed in the 1990s by three finance profes-
sors — Stephen J. Brown of New York
University, William Goetzmann of Yale
University and Alok Kumar of the Uni-
versity of Miami. They tested the Dow
Theory over the nearly 70-year period
from 1930 (the year following Hamil-
ton’s death) to the end of 1997, finding it
beat a buy-and-hold by an annual aver-
age of 4.4 percentage points per year.
Mark Hulbert, founder of the Hulbert
Financial Digest, has been tracking in-
vestment advisers’ performances for
four decades. Email him at mark@hul-
bertratings.com or go to www.hulbert
ratings.com.
HLW and consulting firm Instant Group,
83% of people working in flexible spaces
said they benefited in the past five to 10
years from being able to cultivate direct
business opportunities, expand profes-
sional networks and enjoy a better
working environment.
“That’s part of why some of these
smaller, specialized spaces can exist be-
cause they can provide niche services,”
said Peter Bacevice, a research asso-
ciate at the University of Michigan and
director of research at HLW.
Workbar CEO Bill Jacobson, 47, co-
founded the Boston-based company in
2009. It now has 18 locations, eight com-
pany-branded and 10 that are partner-
ships.
One includes a space for financial
technology entrepreneurs and freelan-
cers inside Digital Credit Union, a non-
profit financial co-op. Another Workbar
space designed to incubate new busi-
nesses operates inside Framingham
State University.
In 2016, Workbar partnered with of-
fice supply retailer Staples and operates
in three stores.
Blending cross-industry spaces with
niche versions “is a very powerful com-
bination,” Jacobson said. “And that’s
what we’ve set out to do at Workbar.”
Linus Hall, owner of Nashville’s Yaz-
oo Brewery, said he’s happy to see the
tax break, but he’s not yet making long-
term plans to reinvest those savings
since it only lasts through 2019. He
hopes the temporary tax break will be
become permanent.
“It’s hard to hire somebody with the
extra margin or launch in new distribu-
tion markets or even buy some new
equipment when you know it’s a one-
time deal,” Hall said, adding the brew-
ery’s property taxes increase signifi-
cantly this year at its high-profile Gulch
location.
Still, Hall said the brewery is poised
to save about $80,000 in taxes this year
under the new law. Yazoo has an annual
production of about 25,000 barrels.
“We’re just looking at the whole land-
scape,” Hall said.

MONEY
AUTOS
The WRX STI is a well-sorted performance car with cool tech inside and out, making it a spirited drive. SUBARU
Spunky Subaru WRX STI lacks refinement
Price, fuel economy, lack of safety
features leave drivers wanting
Brian Wong
Cars.com
For fans of performance cars, the last couple of
years have been a breath of fresh air.
Sure, we lost the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution to the
scrap heap of history, but we gained the Ford Focus RS
in 2016, and the Honda Civic Type R finally made its
U.S. debut as a 2018 model. Those two, along with the
Volkswagen Golf R, are a strong set of competitors.
Subaru, with its WRX STI, is determined not to get
lost in the mix.
The 2018 WRX STI gets a slew of minor updates for
the new model year that are geared to enhance perfor-
mance and styling and address the STI’s interior qual-
ity issues. The driver-controlled center differential is
now fully electronic, the suspension has been retuned
and the Brembo brake system now features larger
cross-drilled, vented discs front and rear, as well as
six-piston front-calipers, compared to the the four-
piston calipers last year.
There is a new front grille and 19-inch alloy wheels
to enhance styling, as well as updated LED headlights
that are steering-responsive — they pan left and right
as you steer. Inside, there are updated cabin materials
and the option of a new pair of Recaro performance
The 2019 BMW X4 will start at $50,450. BMW
BMW reveals
bigger, lighter
X4 crossover
Nathan Bomey
USA TODAY
German luxury automaker BMW revealed a rede-
signed version of the X4 crossover that’s bigger and
stronger than its predecessor, following a trend of ve-
hicles growing larger as Americans lose interest in
passenger cars.
The 2019 BMW X4 will be released in July with a
starting price of $50,450.
The sporty crossover is 3 inches longer with an ad-
ditional 2.1 inches on the wheelbase. It’s also 1.4 inch-
es wider.
Taken together, those increases reflect a notice-
ably heftier look, but lightweight materials allowed
engineers to take weight out of the vehicle.
The vehicle will be offered with several different
powertrain options.
A 4-cylinder base model paired with the X4
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РЕЛИЗ ГРУППЫ "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS
front seats. The STI’s beating heart is a 305-horsepow-
er, turbocharged 2.5-liter 4-cylinder boxer-style en-
gine. There is only one transmission, a 6-speed man-
ual. All-wheel-drive is standard.
While I liked the throttle response, it also highlight-
ed my biggest problem with the WRX STI: its clutch
and shifter. I’ve always had problems with Subaru
clutches, which are heavy, feel inconsistent on the
catch and are hard to drive smoothly. I can usually fig-
ure out a clutch within a few days with a car, but after a
week with the STI, I was still a little flummoxed.
However, if you push the STI, it remains a reward-
ing experience. The suspension tuning is a bit stiff for
everyday use, but it pays off when you’re moving
quicker. The STI’s best trait is how it puts down power:
The all-wheel drive works hard. I was also a fan of the
STI’s power steering.
The STI’s fuel-economy figures are not good, an es-
timated 17 miles per gallon in the city, 22 mpg on the
highway and 19 mpg overall. The Civic Type R, by com-
parison, is rated 25 mpg combined. Plus, it requires
premium gas.
Though 2018 brought updated cabin materials,
they’re still not up to snuff for a car with a price tag that
pushes $40,000. It felt on par with the interior of the
Focus RS I tested in 2017, but it was definitely behind
the Civic Type R and Golf R in terms of materials and
design. The backseat is especially sparse, with no
power ports or vents for those passengers.
The STI starts at $36,955, including the destination
Mercedes-Benz moves closer
to self-driving with C-Class
Chris Woodyard
USA TODAY
Mercedes-Benz’s top-selling model worldwide,
the C-Class compact sedan, is getting an update that
will add more power and automated driver safety
systems.
It will bring the brand a step closer to self-driving
capability, using a system similar to the one found in
the larger E-Class.
The new C-Class, which will get its premiere at the
Geneva Motor Show, also has a redesigned front end,
with a change in the look of its bumpers, LED head-
lights and taillights.
While buyers have moved to a preference for
SUVs, the C-Class remains a top priority for the Ger-
man luxury brand with sales numbers too big to ig-
nore. Mercedes said it sold 415,000 in 2017.
The new 2019 version will go on sale in the U.S. late
in the year, Mercedes said.
The new C-Class will be powered by a 2-liter, 4-
The new C-Class, which will premiere at the Geneva Motor Show, has a redesigned front end. MERCEDES-BENZ
USA TODAY ❚ TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2018 ❚ 3B
What stands out
❚ Throttle response: Quick.
❚ Clutch: Not quite right.
❚ Price: Ouch.
2018 Subaru WRX STI
❚ What: A small performance car.
❚ When: On sale now.
❚ What makes it go: A turbocharged 2.5-liter 4-cylin-
der engine producing 305 horsepower.
❚ How thirsty: 17 miles per gallon in the city, 22 mpg
on the highway and 19 mpg overall.
❚ How much: Starts at $36,955, including destination
charge.
❚ How big: 15 feet.
❚ Overall: Subaru WRX STI’s rally pedigree still shines
through, but the car’s performance chops don’t over-
come the car’s roughness.
fee, but my test vehicle stickered at $39,455, thanks to
the racing seats. The Limited model at $41,755 isn’t
much easier to stomach.
That’s a lot of scratch for a car that doesn’t have an
upmarket interior and is lacking in safety features. At
all but the top level, you won’t find forward collision
warning, automatic emergency braking, lane keep as-
sist or adaptive cruise control here. Subaru does offer
its EyeSight safety system on other vehicles with a
manual transmission (including the 2018 WRX), so its
absence here is troubling.
cylinder turbocharged engine that produces 255
horsepower, 14 more than the 241 horsepower in the
outgoing model. It will come with a 9-speed automatic
transmission, which has become increasingly popular
in the industry to save gas.
Inside, the new multifunction leather steering
wheel will have buttons that work with swiping mo-
tions such as on the screen on a smartphone. The but-
tons are intended to allow the driver to control func-
tions both on the instrument panel and infotainment
system while keeping their hands on the wheel.
There’s also a touchpad in the center console for
controlling the infotainment system. If that isn’t
enough, it also works by voice command.
Using cameras and radar that see as far as 1,640 feet
ahead, the C-Class will be able to drive mostly by itself
in some situations. It also has a lane-keeping system
and can automatically slam on the brakes if it detects a
crash is about to occur.
C-Class is made at four plants around the world, in-
cluding Mercedes’ U.S. plant in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
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4B ❚ TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2018 ❚ USA TODAY MONEY

STATE-BY-STATE News from across the USA

ALABAMA Montgomery: Auburn
University’s Dixon Center has hosted
the first eastern U.S. training program
for wildland firefighters.
ALASKA Juneau: Doctors have con-
firmed a case of mumps in the city
for the first time since 1997.
ARIZONA Lake Havasu City: Arizona
State University’s campus here gets
about 150 students a semester, and
officials want to recruit more.
ARKANSAS Little Rock: The 15-mem-
ber Red Tape Reduction work group
is studying the state’s occupational
licensing requirements to identify
unnecessary regulations.
CALIFORNIA Avalon: Authorities say
a buffalo attacked and gored a camp-
er last weekend on Catalina Island.
COLORADO Colorado Springs: Au-
thorities say the super-secret Nation-
al Space Defense Center at Schriever
Air Force Base now operates 24/7.
CONNECTICUT Rocky Hill: The state
lottery’s security director is on paid
leave following a probe into why
100,000 special New Year’s game
tickets were mistakenly disregarded.
DELAWARE Bethany Beach: Bethany
Beach has become the third Delaware
town to restrict beach tents.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: Former
school board president Peggy Cooper
Cafritz, known for her contributions
to art, died Sunday at age 70.
FLORIDA Orlando: Orange and Semi-
nole counties, their cities and Kissim-
mee are on track this year to get “qui-
et zones” with no train horns at safe-
ty-enhanced railroad crossings.
GEORGIA Warner-Robbins: Robins
Air Force Base will soon handle over-
haul maintenance on C-130 planes
flown by the Navy and Marine Corps.
HAWAII Honolulu: Officials say a
good Samaritan drove a bulldozer
through floodwater to get firefighters
to three stranded motorists.
IDAHO Pocatello: Alpine Animal
Hospital says it was notified of a
canine flu case in Rigby.
ILLINOIS Evanston: Northwestern
University will fund events this
spring as part of the 50th anniver-
sary of the bursar’s office takeover.
INDIANA Bloomington: The city’s
police department is facing criti-
cism for buying an armored truck.
IOWA Burlington: The Steamboat
Senior Center may have to close
after Des Moines County leaders cut
$12,000 from its budget request.
KANSAS Wichita: Police say a
woman who pulled over for a funer-
al procession was killed when a van
slammed into the back of her SUV.
KENTUCKY Mount Washington: A
special election is set Tuesday to fill
the seat of Dan Johnson, a state
legislator who committed suicide.
LOUISIANA Baton Rouge: Congress-
man Clay Higgins wants state fish-
ery officials to set up bounties for
invasive Asian carp, saying that
would lessen damage they cause.
MAINE Augusta: The state’s winter
hunting seasons for bobcats ends
Wednesday, while fox and squirrel
seasons close a week later.
MARYLAND Baltimore: With an
emergency transit shutdown al-
ready underway, officials say they’ll
have to close and repair system
tracks again in August.
MASSACHUSETTS Boston: The city
is seeking artists to design a memo-
rial dedicated to Martin Luther King
Jr. and Coretta Scott King.
MICHIGAN Dexter: Officials plan to
cut down more than 100 trees along
a stretch of road because drivers
keep veering over and hitting them.
MINNESOTA St. Paul: City teachers
will vote Thursday on a tentative
contract giving them 1% pay hikes.
MISSISSIPPI Greenwood: The U.S.
Geological Survey says a low-flying
helicopter is gathering data through
early March over parts of the Mis-
sissippi Delta for high-resolution
maps of underground aquifers.
MISSOURI Jeffersonville: State
lawmakers are considering easing
workplace restrictions on convicted
felons to help them get jobs.
MONTANA Potomac: A conserva-
tion easement has been put on the
historic Hayes Family Ranch in the
Potomac Valley of Missoula County.
NEBRASKA Sidney: Workers at Ca-
bela’s former headquarters received
buyout offers from Bass Pro Shops,
which bought Cabela’s last year.
NEVADA Reno: A low snowpack has
forced a ban on snowmobiling until
further notice at the popular Bridge-
port Winter Recreation Area.
NEW HAMPSHIRE Plymouth: Tenny
Mountain Ski Area that closed eight
years ago now has snow tubing.
NEW JERSEY Camden: Authorities
say an 84-year-old driver veered
onto a sidewalk, striking and killing
an 8-year-old girl riding her bike.
NEW MEXICO Farmington: The city
of Bloomfield may use online fund-
raising to pay $700,000 in legal
costs to defend a Ten Command-
ments monument ordered removed.
NEW YORK Albany: Attendance at
state parks increased last year, to-
taling 71.5 million visitors.
NORTH CAROLINA Wilmington:
The Corps of Engineers is pumping
sand on Wrightsville Beach.
NORTH DAKOTA Fort Yates: Au-
thorities say an ex-director of an
elder abuse prevention program on
the Standing Rock reservation is
accused of embezzling $100,000.
OHIO Cleveland: Authorities say a
body found burning in a trash pile
had signs of a possible gun wound.
OKLAHOMA Yukon: Oil from a bro-
ken pipeline spilled into a pond near
a residential neighborhood here.
OREGON Bend: A hiker fell at Smith
Rock State Park while seeking a
shortcut to a parking lot.
PENNSYLVANIA Philadelphia: The
Barnes Foundation and Mural Arts
Philadelphia are collaborating on a
program called “Restorative Justice,”
where current and former prison
inmates work on public art projects.
RHODE ISLAND North Providence:
State Police are encouraging troopers
to take their guns to church services.
SOUTH CAROLINA York: A man
whose wife was killed when a car
being chased by police collided with
the car she was riding in has filed an
“unreasonable risk” lawsuit.
SOUTH DAKOTA Mitchell: Dakota
Wesleyan University has a partner-
ship with Apple in which full-time
students on campus will get an iPad
on the first day of classes this fall.
TENNESSEE Nashville: Hunting and
fishing licenses went on sale Sunday.
TEXAS Plainview: A former insurance
agent was sentenced to life in prison
for stealing from elderly clients.
UTAH Salt Lake City: Police say a car
apparently involved in a street race
smashed into the historic Eagle Gate
Monument at Temple Square.
VERMONT Burlington: State health
officials report an outbreak of mumps
among students at the University of
Vermont and St. Michael’s College.
VIRGINIA Stuart: Gov. Ralph North-
am went to Patrick County to sign
legislation paving the way to reopen
Pioneer Community Hospital.
WASHINGTON Spokane: Construc-
tion of an overpass that will allow
larger animals such as elk to cross
over I-90 is now visible westbound.
WEST VIRGINIA Charleston: State
Police Lt. Michael Baylous has been
confirmed as U.S. marshal for the
Southern District of West Virginia.
WISCONSIN Milwaukee: An original
Pablo Picasso print worth as much as
$50,000 was stolen from a down-
town art gallery, WITI-TV reports.
WYOMING Sheridan: A Wyoming
Community Foundation report says
the state’s minority populations grew
by a combined 57% between 2000
and 2016, while whites are up 20%.
Compiled from staff, wire reports.

Scanning your eyes Incredibly useful online sites that

could reveal heart
disease, Google says
Edward C. Baig
USA TODAY
I can look into your eyes and see straight to your
heart. It may sound like a sappy sentiment from a
Hallmark card. Essentially though, that’s what re-
searchers at Google did in applying artificial intelli-
gence to predict something deadly serious: the likeli-
hood that a patient will suffer a heart attack or stroke.
The researchers made these determinations by ex-
amining images of the patient’s retina.
Google, which is presenting its findings Monday
in Nature Biomedical Engineering, an online medical
journal, says that such a method is as accurate as
predicting cardiovascular disease through more in-
vasive measures that involve sticking a needle in a
patient’s arm. At the same time, Google cautions that
more research needs to be done.
According to the company, researchers have pre-
viously shown some correlation between retinal ves-
sels and the risk of a major cardiovascular episode.
Using the retinal image, Google says it was able to
quantify this association and 70% of the time accu-
rately predict which patient within five years would
experience a heart attack or other major cardiovas-
cular event, and which patient would not. Those re-
sults were in line with testing methods that require
blood be drawn to measure a patient’s cholesterol.
Google used models based on data from 284,335
patients and validated on two independent data sets
of 12,026 and 999 patients.
“The caveat to this is that it’s early, (and) we
trained this on a small data set,” says Google’s Lily
Peng, a doctor and lead researcher on the project.
“We think that the accuracy of this prediction will go
up a little bit more as we kind of get more compre-
hensive data. Discovering that we could do this is a
good first step. But we need to validate.”
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will make your life a whole lot easier
Tech Talk
Kim Komando
If you had to guess, how many different websites
do you think exist in the world today? From simple
blogs to complex businesses, the Internet spans the
gamut, dispensing and gathering information. Keep
your answer in your head because, at the very end of
this article, I’ll give the closest estimate we have.
Luckily, all kinds of websites exist that offer free
ways to perform simple yet essential tasks. Here are
some lesser-known sites you’ll use time and again.
❚ A search site just for streaming movies and
programs. You want to watch a movie. What’s the
easiest way to find out if that movie is available on
Netflix, iTunes, Amazon, Hulu, YouTube, HBO Now,
CW, Starz, Showtime, PlayStation or another stream-
ing service? Most importantly, if it’s free on Netflix or
HBO Now, then there is no need to pay to rent it on
iTunes or Amazon.
The site JustWatch sifts through almost every
streaming service out there to find a specific title or
show you what’s new on a particular service. In just a
few clicks, JustWatch will tell you where to find it,
whether it’s available on a subscription service and
how much it costs to rent or buy. Since platforms such
as Netflix vary around the world, you can also search
by country for available content.
❚ A simple way to send large files privately and
securely. It’s bound to happen. You have a large file
that you need to email. Your email program chokes on
the file’s size, and your service provider politely posts
a message that says, “The file size exceeds the limit
allowed.” Thanks.
To the rescue is Send. It lets you share files in a
fast, safe and temporary way. Upload a file — up to a
gigabyte, in almost any format — and Send will create
a URL, which you send to the recipient. Once the file
is downloaded somewhere else, it’s deleted from the
Internet, and it automatically vanishes after 24
hours.
This, as well as Firefox’s respected encryption
software, ensures that your file won’t fall into the
hands of some hacker. You can also check and see
whether the file was downloaded on the other end, so
right? One of the most overlooked vulnerabilities is
your router. Hackers can break into this device as easi-
ly as any other, a process called “DNS hijacking,” and
most victims wouldn’t think to check whether it’s se-
cure. This site (https://www.f-secure.com/en_US/
web/home_us/router-checker) offers a free service
that’s specially designed to scan your router for break-
ins. You may be surprised how easy and fast this diag-
nostic is; just click the “Check Your Router” icon, and
you’ll receive a near-instantaneous report.
❚ Write like your English teacher wants you to.
Ernest Hemingway was great at a lot of things: hunting
wild animals, out-drinking his friends and writing
very concise sentences. Hemingway Editor is de-
signed to mimic his minimalist prose. Copy and paste
a few paragraphs into the site’s text box, and the editor
will outline problematic parts such as long sentences,
obscure words and confusing passages.
For an all-encompassing grammar checker, Gram-
marly has taken homes and offices by storm. You can
paste a document and have it checked at the Gram-
marly site. The app and browser extension works
across programs and platforms, pointing out your split
infinitives in email, word processors, websites or on
social media.
❚ For the tinkerers among us. Apps, browsers, de-
vices, smart gadgets — they all come in different
forms, and they don’t all cooperate with each other. We
often struggle to hook up one service to another, espe-
cially when they were created by rival developers.
IFTTT is short for “if this then that,” and the site is
designed to help different devices and services talk to
each other. These so-called “recipes” can make your
gadgets do things as in a chain of events. Want your
smart lights to blink three times when you are tagged
in a photo on Facebook? Or how about getting a noti-
fication on your phone when your favorite artist tweets
about tickets to a concert?
❚ Print online articles without all the ads. You
would think, after all these decades, it would be easier
to print pages off the Internet.
Print Friendly takes the headache out of this proc-
ess: Just paste a URL into the field and hit “Preview.”
Print Friendly trims away a lot of the extraneous in-
formation and gives you the meat of the page, and you
can review your document as a PDF before hitting
“Print.” It’s shockingly effective, especially for soft-

you don’t have to wait for the recipient to send confir- ware that’s free.
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mation. ❚ And the answer is ... Here’s the number of web-

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❚ Make sure hackers are not lurking in your rou-

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sites in the world today: At the time of writing, it was

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ter. You’re using Internet security software. You have 1,331,525,090.

secured your wireless network. You’ve enabled your Learn about all the latest technology on the Kim Ko-
VK "W ИЗ

network’s firewall. You’ve got complex passwords mando Show, the nation’s largest weekend radio talk
Л

The image on the right shows how the algorithm that contain an uppercase letter, a number, a sign and show. For her daily tips, free newsletters and more, vis-
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picks out vessels to predict blood pressure. GOOGLE the name of your fourth-grade teacher. All done, it her website at Komando.com.
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USA TODAY ❚ TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2018 ❚ SECTION B

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LIFELINE Your Turn

Terry Crews
Guest columnist
ROYALS REPORT
NEARLY TIME
She didn’t wear NEWS & VIEWS
all black, but it
looked that way
under certain
light. Duchess
Terry Crews:
Kate donned a
dark green
Jenny Pack-
‘Panther’
ham gown
with a black
is a giant
ribbon at
the British
Academy Film
leap forward
Awards on
Sunday. So it In 1915, D.W. Griffith’s The Birth of A
seemed that Nation (originally titled The Clans-
the royal was men) was the first American motion
sort of dressed picture screened at the White House.
in solidarity The film featured a romanticized, he-
with British roic view of the Ku Klux Klan, while
stars who wore blacks, in particular, were presented
black for their as evil, conniving, violent rapists.
own version of KARWAI TANG/ Portrayed with righteous fervor by
the Time’s Up WIREIMAGE white actors, some in blackface, the
movement in London. film was enthusiastically praised by
Kate’s outfit, and Prince William’s President Woodrow Wilson, who is re-
traditional tux, seemed safe choices ported to have gushed, “It is like writ-
for the royals, who avoid political As Mrs. Which in “A Wrinkle in Time,” Oprah Winfrey needed a small army to ing history with lightning, and my only
statements. help her dress, put on her makeup, even to sit in the elaborate costumes. regret is that it is all so terribly true.”
I’ve often said that history doesn’t
give a damn if it’s true or not; what

Follow Oprah
matters is who’s telling it. The same
goes for mythology. The first modern
comic book, Action Comics, featuring
Superman, was created in 1938,
smack-dab in the middle of American

into ‘A Wrinkle segregation, and popular myths creat-

ed by these books were never kind to
blacks. Read and consumed by chil-
dren, these books infected the culture

in Time.’ Really.
of the day with racist black characters
like Ebony White, Whitewash Jones
and Steamboat.

Andrea Mandell USA TODAY

ERIC LIEBOWITZ/HBO

THEY SAID WHAT?
THE STARS’ BEST QUOTES
As an immigrant who has fallen
in love with this country, for
what it’s worth, please allow me to
speak to the rest of the world in
America’s defense. Donald Trump
does not represent America — well,
to be completely honest, he does
reflect it a bit. But the point is,
America is not one thing; it’s a beau-
tiful mess of contradictions where
good and bad are mixed together.”
— Host John Oliver as Last Week
Tonight returned Sunday
IT’S YOUR BIRTHDAY
WHO’S CELEBRATING TODAY
Sidney Poitier is 91. Cindy Crawford
is 52. Rihanna is 30.
USA SNAPSHOTS©
SANTA CLARITA, Calif. – Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon and
Mindy Kaling, bejeweled and festooned in fantastical garb, are peer-
ing over a teenager who lies crumpled on the ground.
“She’s giving in to the darkness,” says a hushed Winfrey, whose
eyebrows have been replaced with clusters of purple gemstones.
“Breathe, sweetie,” coaxes a flame-haired Witherspoon as a regally Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan)
and T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman)
costumed Kaling looks on, worried. Storm Reid, then 13 and playing don't see eye to eye in “Black
A Wrinkle in Time’s protagonist, Meg Murry, flutters her eyes. Panther.” MATT KENNEDY/MARVEL
“This is a life or death situation,” di- Now, Disney’s Wrinkle is cracking I’ve often said that history doesn’t
rector Ava DuVernay calls out from be- Hollywood’s glass ceiling. It marks the give a damn if it’s true or not;
hind a monitor. “And, action!” first time any studio handed a budget what matters is who’s telling it.
A Wrinkle in Time, the sci-fi adven- of $100 million or more to a woman of The same goes for mythology.
ture about a teen who combs the uni- color.
verse for her missing father, hits thea- DuVernay’s inclusive worldview is
ters March 9 — 56 years after author reflected throughout Wrinkle. In L’En- Which brings us to Marvel’s Black
Madeleine L’Engle unveiled her sci-fi gle’s book, Meg Murray is a white teen- Panther, an unapologetically black
novel, a work that defied skeptics by ager from Connecticut; in the film superhero movie depicting an African
featuring both quantum physics and a she’s an African-American girl from warrior/king from the fictional coun-
young girl at its center. South Central L.A. who comes from an try of Wakanda. There have been suc-
L’Engle’s mind-bending fantasy, interracial family. The latter is “never cessful films characterizing black
which employs three astral travelers commented on, which I think is great,” superheroes before, notably Blade
as the girl’s guides (Mrs. Which, says a bearded Chris Pine, who plays with Wesley Snipes, but none with a
played by Winfrey; Mrs. Whatsit, Meg’s astrophysicist father. mostly black cast, black director and,
played by Witherspoon; and Mrs. The director also shifted from the amazingly, a black writer. Even the
Who, played by Kaling), went on to be- all-white Mrs. characters in L’Engle’s soundtrack is executive-produced by
come Newbery Medal-winning re- a black record label.
quired reading in many schools. See WRINKLE, Page 7B It doesn’t disappoint, tackling ac-
tion, humor and intense drama that fi-
nally, to my relief, wasn’t race-related.
It was extremely satisfying to witness
African-themed costumes, technol-
ogy and warfare, but most of all to see
black people onscreen as full-fledged

38%
human beings, not just a sidekick or
comic relief until the real hero shows
up. Also, the film’s empowerment of
of Americans say they frequently its fierce female heroes rivals last
see others leave a public restroom year’s ground-breaking Wonder Wom-
without washing their hands. an, handling two sides of the typically
marginalized coin with polished grace.
As a black man growing up in the
comic-book era, I remember seeing
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Christopher Reeve as Superman in

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1978 and how happy I was to see a hero

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from those pages on the silver screen

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for the first time. “You will believe a

man can fly” was the movie’s market-
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ing tagline, and I was hooked.

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SOURCE Bradley Corp. survey of 1,035 adults First assistant director Michael J. Moore, director Ava DuVernay and star
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MIKE B. SMITH, JANET LOEHRKE/USA TODAY Storm Reid have some fun on the set. PHOTOS BY ATSUSHI NISHIJIMA/DISNEY See CREWS, Page 6B

6B ❚ TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2018 ❚ USA TODAY
MOVIES
Decoding ‘Black Panther’ bonus bits
A (spoiler-y) look at what
might be coming next
Brian Truitt
USA TODAY
Black Panther is the latest superhero
movie to rule the Marvel Cinematic Uni-
verse — and box office, too — and natu-
rally that means neat end-credits
scenes that set up where this expanding
galaxy goes next.
In the new film, Chadwick Boseman’s
African ruler T’Challa ascended to the
throne of the technologically advanced
nation of Wakanda, and he returns in
the mega-throwdown Avengers: Infinity
War (in theaters May 4). So do T’Chal-
la’s tech-whiz kid sister Shuri (Letitia
Wright), his army general Okoye (Danai
Gurira) and massive Wakandan warrior
M’Baku (Winston Duke). But there’s a
pair of Black Panther bonus scenes that
hold some clues to what fans will see
next in Marvel’s movie future.
OK, let’s dig in.
Wakanda becomes
a major world player
After centuries of his homeland hid-
ing its mind-blowing advancements be-
hind the guise of a third-world country,
T’Challa announces at the United Na-
tions in Vienna that Wakanda will be
sharing its knowledge and resources
with the rest of the globe.
“Wakanda will no longer watch from
the shadows. We cannot. We must not,”
he says, wanting to be a force for con-
necting mankind and helping those in
need. “We must find a way to look after
one another, as if we were one single
tribe.” And when a representative from
another country condescendingly ques-
tions what a place like Wakanda could
offer the rest of the world, T’Challa gives
a knowing smile.
The scene is reminiscent of Tony
Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) outing him-
self as Iron Man at the end of his first
Marvel movie 10 years ago, but it’s also a
callback to Black Panther’s first appear-
ance in 2016’s Captain America: Civil
Letitia Wright is here to school
those other movie princesses
Anika Reed
USA TODAY
Move over, Black Panther: Wakan-
da’s princess is taking her rightful place
as the breakout star of Marvel’s Black
Panther.
Although the movie’s titular charac-
ter is the superpowered alter ego of
T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman), the king
of Wakanda, his teenage sister Shuri,
played by Hollywood newcomer Letitia
Wright, is the film’s real force.
Dubbed “the smartest person in the
world; smarter than Tony Stark“ by ex-
ecutive producer Nate Moore, Shuri is
the genius behind some of Wakanda’s
most advanced technology and the cre-
ator of Black Panther’s suits and gad-
gets, made from the mythical, nearly in-
destructible metal known as vibranium.
“I’ve never really seen a character like
that in a script before,” Wright says. “I
never saw a young black girl being inter-
ested in engineering or science or math
or wanting to heal people. I saw lots of
stereotypes, and that’s clearly the dif-
ference in why I really wanted to play
that part.”
Shuri shows her strengths in the lab
as well as on the battlefield, switching
seamlessly from jokingly flipping off her
older brother to using her tech creations
to suit up as a Wakandan warrior.
“These characters exist, but we never
see them on the screen, especially the
mainstream level,” she says. “It was
something really positive, so I wanted to
put that out there into the world.”
The 24-year-old actress moved to
London from Guyana when she was 7,
and attended acting school before scor-
ing roles in British TV and movies. You
may have seen Wright in episodes of
BBC’s Doctor Who, AMC’s Humans or
Netflix’s Black Mirror, or her first major
film role in the indie coming-of-age dra-
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ma Urban Hymn, but her star is just be-
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ginning to fully rise.
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Wright is poised to continue a mas-
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sive 2018, with upcoming starring roles
in May’s other Marvel offering, Aveng-
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ers: Infinity War, and Steven Spielberg’s
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sci-fi film Ready Player One (March 29).
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Fans are already imagining a Shuri
РЕЛИЗ ГРУППЫ "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS
Captain America (Chris Evans, center) and Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman, right) lead their allies in the fight against
invading villains in “Avengers: Infinity War” this May. Recognize anyone else in there? MARVEL STUDIOS
War, where T’Challa didn’t want his
father, King T’Chaka (John Kani), to
address the U.N.
“He felt that’s not the most effective
way to get things done,” says Panther
executive producer Nate Moore. Now,
T’Challa has realized that “actually, you
do need to reach across all of the aisles if
you want to effect change on a large
scale.”
T’Challa’s moment on the interna-
tional stage hints at drama that could
come up in a Black Panther sequel, not
only in how other nations react to
Wakanda being a geopolitical power,
but the ripple effect back home.
“Not everybody in Wakanda is like,
‘Whatever you say, boss!’ ” Moore says.
“He decided to do this thing and maybe
it’s not something that would have
passed had they done a public voting
referendum.”
An old hero meets a new one
The last time we saw Bucky Barnes,
aka the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan),
he’d just had his metal arm ripped off in
Teenage princess Shuri (Letitia Wright) is the smartest person in the world in
“Black Panther.” She’s a tech wizard who’s also fierce on the battlefield. MARVEL
spinoff. “In the comic books, she be-
comes the Black Panther, but I would
like to do it where Chadwick is still Black
Panther and they can team up,” Wright
says. “Anything can happen.
“Maybe we can have an all-female
Marvel film,” Wright hints. “We’ve been
talking about it. It’s only a matter of
time.”
For now, Wright is focused on getting
the great messages from Black Panther
out to the masses.
“The thing that stood out to me was
everyone’s dedication to bringing the
story to life,” Wright says. “That spirit of
excellence inspired me to bring my A
game.”
The movie’s veteran actors were also
on hand to give rookie Wright advice on
acting, the pressures of fame and the fu-
ture.
“Sometimes I felt like I wasn’t good
enough on set, because I’m surrounded
a climactic Civil War fight between Cap-
tain America (Chris Evans) and Iron
Man, and Cap took him to Wakanda to
heal and deal with his Hydra brain-
washing issues.
Winter Soldier appears in the second
Black Panther bonus scene, emerging
from a hut after being awakened by Wa-
kandan children (who call him “White
Wolf ”) and finding Shuri, who beckons
him to come with her. “Much more for
you to learn,” she tells him as he looks
across a beautiful landscape.
If anybody has the technical know-
how to undo Bucky’s programming, it’s
Shuri, Moore says, and theirs is “a cool
dynamic” to play forward in future
films. “We do like to think there’s a
friendship there born of his thankful-
ness but also just understanding how
smart she is to do this. ... She under-
stands Bucky’s inherent goodness.”
The sequence also sets the stage for
the Wakandans’ role in Infinity War:
The first trailer showed Panther and
Okoye teaming up with Captain Amer-
ica, Winter Soldier, Black Widow (Scar-
lett Johansson), War Machine (Don
by all these people who are amazingly
good,” she says. Director Ryan Coogler
“would pull me to the corner and re-
mind me that I’m here for a reason and
that I have something to offer.”
From Lupita Nyong’o, Wright says
she received advice “about how to
handle what will happen when the film
comes out” and managing fame.
“Michael B. (Jordan) would give me
advice about taking ownership of pro-
ducing and putting out projects that I
want to see, like, not to wait for some-
one to hand me a project,” Wright says.
She says Angela Bassett gave her a
nugget of wisdom from her more than
30-year career in the industry: “Aim for
longevity instead of quick fame.”
Wright has another goal for her role
in the movie, touted as a celebration
and elevation of blackness and black
womanhood. “My approach is the
truth, and aiming for the truth.”
LIFE
Cheadle), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and Fal-
con (Anthony Mackie) to fight the cos-
mic force of the evil Thanos (Josh Bro-
lin) on African soil.
“It’s the ‘welcome to the MCU mo-
ment,’ ” Moore says. “In Black Panther,
that conflict is very much about the
Wakandans — well, now when you have
a king who all of a sudden is opening up
the borders of the country, the threats
are much bigger than anyone anticipat-
ed. And that notion that ‘OK, we just
went through this civil war. Wait, space-
ships are landing?’ is a fun one to play
with.”
There was definitely honor and re-
spect between Cap and Panther in Civil
War, so when they meet again, the dy-
namic deepens between the two heroes:
Now an international fugitive, Cap
comes “hat in hand” for help and T’Chal-
la obliges, though some Wakandans
might give their monarch some side eye.
Says Moore, “It speaks to T’Challa
being heroic outside of the office of
kingship but also the way that ultimate-
ly it sets him up to be one of the lead
figures of the Avengers.”
Crews
Continued from Page 5B
One by one, I showed up for them all
— Batman, Captain America, X-Men,
Spider-Man — but I wondered, “How
can black people be included in any of
these movies, especially since their
presence in the comic books that cre-
ated them was so minimal?” When I
was a teen, the main ones — Captain
America’s sidekick The Falcon, Luke
Cage and Black Panther — weren’t get-
ting their own movie anytime soon.
I made do for years with black
sports and music stars fulfilling the
roles that were left out of the comics.
My favorite book was Superman vs.
Muhammad Ali, in which Ali actually
beats Superman in a fair fight because
Superman loses his superpowers. I
had posters of Michael Jordan flying
through the air, along with Kareem
Abdul-Jabbar’s skyhook.
In a knowledgeable nod to my
experience as a teen, the poster of the
album cover to Public Enemy’s It Takes
A Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back is
prominently featured several times in
Black Panther. I could not hold back a
smile, because I had that poster in my
room as a teen, and it even hangs in my
office today. These men became our
superheroes.
Seeing Black Panther in all its glory
fulfills so many hopes and dreams I
had as child. Adding this experience to
things I wondered if I would ever see,
like America having a black president,
I smile again.
Change may be slow and hard-
fought, but as long as we never give up,
it is inevitable.
Terry Crews is an actor and activist.
Corrections & Clarifications
In some editions Monday, a Life story
incorrectly credited the 1996 Summer
Olympics performance of The Power
of the Dream. Celine Dion sang the
theme at the opening ceremony; the
song was performed again at the
closing ceremony by Rachel McMul-
lin and a choir of other children.
USA TODAY is committed to accuracy.
To reach us at any time, call 800-872-7073 or e-mail
accuracy@usatoday.com. Please indicate whether you’re
responding to content online or in the newspaper.
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LIFE USA TODAY ❚ TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2018 ❚ 7B

Wrinkle
Continued from Page 5B

book, instead assembling Winfrey,

Kaling and Witherspoon as Meg’s galac-
tic guides. “I just started to think about
really wanting to represent different
kinds, cultures, sizes, ages of women,”
DuVernay says.
When Winfrey read the script by Fro-
zen’s Jennifer Lee, she was taken with
“Ava’s idea for inclusion, diversifying,
opening it up so that the Mrs. are not all
like Mrs. Doubtfire, little New England
biddies, but this eclectic group of star
angels who have their own way of being
in the world. That was really kind of
thrilling to me.”
Kaling, DuVernay adds, “is a piece of
the puzzle that is so important, because
when we talk about inclusion in this
country we say black and white, and we
forget all the other people. The three of
them together are quite formidable in
what they represent for women at large.”
Today, a Girl Scout cookie drive adds
an earthly touch on a soundstage
cloaked in massive saturated blue
sheets, onto which the computer-gener-
ated world of Wrinkle will be overlaid.
(DuVernay tosses a box of cookies to
Reid once the scene wraps.) Director Ana DuVernay and Oprah Winfrey consult as Storm Reid looks over the script of “A Wrinkle In Time.”
Cameras roll, and Reid pretends to
struggle to breathe as Winfrey and cast
stand in position on sheets of glass here. “I never planned on being in A
made to look like an iceberg. Wrinkle in Time. It came about because
DuVerney squints at the screen. “I never planned on being in Ava said (the movie was) going to be
“You’ve got fingerprints I can see all shooting in New Zealand,” where pro-
around her,” she says. “It’s supposed to ‘A Wrinkle in Time.’ It came duction moves the following week. “I al-
be ice.” A female production assistant about because Ava said ways wanted to go to New Zealand!”
runs in, wiping the surface down. The So much so that Winfrey blocked out
director, dressed in jeans and a black (the movie was) going to Wrinkle’s shooting dates on her calen-
sweatshirt, joins in on hands and knees, dar to hang out and be a spectator. It
pointing out prints to wipe.
be shooting in New Zealand. was only then that DuVernay, who gen-
DuVernay stays on the floor with I always wanted to go to erally avoids asking Winfrey for favors,
Reid, softly talking to the young actress, asked her to read the script. Winfrey fell
who is playing her first major role. “All New Zealand!” for Mrs. Which, a character she calls
right?” she says. The teen nods. “Let’s Oprah Winfrey sort of a Glinda the Good Witch imbued
get another (take),” the director says. with the wisdom of Maya Angelou.
Once they wrap, Winfrey regally am- dressed. Or was it four this morning?” And now, she’s stuck. Literally.
bles by in her metallic blue lipstick, a DuVernay and Reid work on some of At night, she says, “it takes me at “I can’t move my arms. Oh, I’m
blond curly wig and a huge geometric the finer points. PHOTOS BY ATSUSHI least a half-hour just to get (Mrs. caught,” Winfrey sighs. “This happens
skirt. Today is the second day Pine has NISHIJIMA/DISNEY ENTERPRISES Which’s makeup) off. See, my own eye- all day long.”
worked alongside the mogul. “It’s so brows are covered. They’re glued down. What does Winfrey do when she goes
cool, man,” he says. “We talked books Those makeup removal pads, I use like home after a day in full hair and makeup?
together the other day,” trading recom- she inches in platform heels toward her 10 of those first, then a makeup remover “I will open the refrigerator in my ho-
mendations. (His was Anthony Doerr’s tent. “It is a THING,” she says a few min- thing, and then you start the whole tel and get a bad glass of wine. You
All the Light We Cannot See.) utes later of her getup, leaning precari- washing process.” know, the kind with the cap on it.” She
Embodying Mrs. Which is no joke: It ously on a stool. “Two people have to Get down to brass tacks, and Winfrey laughs. “And take a hot bath and (the
takes two aides to hold Winfrey up as help me sit. Three people help me get acknowledges she didn’t expect to be next day) start all over again.”

Report puzzle problems to us at

PUZZLES feedback@usatoday.com or 1-800-872-7073

CROSSWORD WORD ROUNDUP B R J S Z B K C R J E J

EDITED Fred Piscop By David L. Hoyt and Jeff Knurek 2/20 D E B K O C E E D N C A
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8B ❚ TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2018 ❚ USA TODAY LIFE

CHAT WITH KELLY

USA TODAY’s Kelly Lawler chats with readers Mondays at 2 p.m. ET
at facebook.com/USATODAY. Read edited excerpts below, email
questions to klawler@usatoday.com or tweet them to @klawls and visit
her live online.
Question: How is it that Vincint A: If you’re talking about streaming,
didn’t get to (go up) against Evvie there are ways to watch series without
on The Four: Battle for Stardom paying for a subscription. CW’s site
finale? and app, for instance, does not charge
Answer: The mechanics of this real- a fee or require a cable subscription,
ity competition show are a bit odd. But but it does include ads. And if you do
because The Four relied so heavily on pay for cable, many networks, includ-
battles in the episodes between two ing FX, NBC and AMC, will let you
competitors, it meant not all of the stream their shows online after logging
final four went up against each other. in with your cable provider. But yes, a
So the finale featured a four-way com- lot of TV content is behind a streaming
petition in the opening, then a battle paywall these days, and, as Apple and
between Evvie and Zhavia, then one Disney get into streaming, that’s un-
between Candice and Vincint. Since likely to change.
Evvie and Candice won those battles, CW doesn’t require a fee to watch its shows, including “Riverdale” KATIE YU/CW
they were vying for the championship. Q: Do you think The Walking
Dead can bounce back from declin-
Q: Will there ever be a time where ing ratings, or has the show peaked? audience, and the quality has dropped But lower ratings for The Walking Dead
you can watch anything without a A. I think it has probably peaked in significantly. It’s not quite the phe- are still better than the ratings for most
subscription? Or even a universal the ratings and creatively. The past nomenon it was, and a lot of the online cable and broadcast series, so it isn’t
subscription? season and a half have seen declines in buzz has moved on to newer shows. signing off anytime soon.

TONIGHT ON TV
8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30 10:00 10:30 11:00 11:30
Critic’s Corner NETWORK
ABC The Bachelor Winter Games International bachelors and bachelorettes compete Kevin (Probably) Saves the World Local Programs Jimmy Kimmel Live
Kelly Lawler in winter-themed challenges. Kevin wants Tyler to forgive him. (N)
USA TODAY CBS NCIS Kidnapping suspect had sensitive Bull Bull helps old roommate at tribal court; NCIS: New Orleans Russian operative Local Programs Late Show
info. Bull sees Marissa’s new boyfriend. suddenly disappears. Stephen Colbert (N)
Fox Lethal Weapon Guys involved in LA to Vegas The Mick Local Programs
conspiracy theories. Dead body onboard. 100th birthday.
NBC 2018 Olympic Winter Games Snowboarding, Bobsled, Alpine, Figure Skating from PyeongChang, South Korea (Live)
We’ll Meet Again
PBS, 8 ET/PT PBS We’ll Meet Again Civil rights. (N) Frontline (N) Amanpour (N) 100 (N)
(times may vary) CW The Flash Murder trial. Black Lightning Electric superhuman. Local Programs
ION Criminal Minds Ties to Russian mob. Criminal Minds Hunting for humans. Criminal Minds Killing homeless. Private Eyes Missing racehorse.

Ann Curry’s series brings to- Telemundo José José: El príncipe de la canción (N) Sangre de mi tierra (N) Señora Acero: La Coyote (N) Al rojo vivo (N) Titulares y más

gether people who have experi-
enced big historical events and
examines the way history has
changed us on an individual
level. Tonight, Curry reunites
people who lost touch after
working together during the
Univision El rico y Lázaro Drama bíblico. Papá a toda madre (N) Caer en tentación Primer (N) Noticiero Univ. (N)
CABLE
A&E Intervention Taylor’s family. Intervention Angela’s relapse. (N) Undercover High A talent show. (N) Intervention Allen’s family.
AMC Cool Runnings Jamaican men form a bobsled team. Leon, Doug E. Doug (1993) Problem Child An infertile couple adopts a misbehaving young boy. (1990)
Animal Planet River Monsters Wetlands monster. River Monsters Jeremy searches for river giants. River Monsters A devilish fish.
BBC America Out for Justice A cop hunts for his friend’s killer. Steven Seagal (1991) Hard to Kill Comatose cop seeks those who shot him. Steven Seagal (1990)
BET Boyz n the Hood Life in gang-ridden Los Angeles. Laurence Fishburne (1991) The Death Row Chronicles (N) The Death Row Chronicles (N)
Bravo Beverly Hills Social (N) Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (N) Bethenny (N) Bethenny What Happens (N) Real Housewives

civil rights movement, includ- Cartoon King of the Hill American Dad! Cleveland Show American Dad! Bob’s Burgers Bob’s Burgers Family Guy Family Guy

ing Fatima Cortez-Todd — who CMT Made of Honor A man realizes he loves his best friend, who just got engaged to a Scotsman. (2008) Made of Honor A man realizes he loves his best friend.

thanks her friend Thelma Caul- CNBC Shark Tank Foldable luggage. Shark Tank Vying for a share. 2018 Olympic Winter Games Men’s Ice Hockey: Quarterfinal (Live)
CNN Anderson Cooper 360° (N) Anderson Cooper 360° (N) CNN Tonight with Don Lemon (N) CNN Tonight with Don Lemon (N)
field for her courage during the
Comedy Drunk History Drunk History Drunk History Drunk History Drunk History (N) Another Period (N) Daily Show (N) Opposition (N)
movement — and Sherie Labe- Discovery Moonshiners: Outlaw Cuts (N) Moonshiners Josh prepares for biker gang sale. (N) Moonshiners Biker gang sale.
dis, who searches for the per- Disney Andi Mack Stuck in the Middle Bizaardvark Raven’s Home Gravity Falls Gravity Falls Andi Mack Stuck in the Middle
son who inspired her to commit DisXD Star vs. Forces Gravity Falls Parker Plays Polaris Player Star Wars Rebels Star Wars Rebels Spider-Man Spider-Man
to social justice and reform. DIY Building Off the Grid Building Off the Grid (N) Building Off the Grid: Cob Cottage Building Off the Grid “Earth-sheltered.”
E! Mean Girls Teen makes hit with A-list clique. Lindsay Lohan (2004) Keeping Up with the Kardashians E! News (N)
Food Chopped Delicious surprises. Chopped Wild ramp onions. Chopped Healthy dishes. (N) Chopped Healthy dishes.
Fox News Tucker Carlson Tonight (N) Hannity (N) The Ingraham Angle (N) Fox News @ Night (N)
Freeform Definitely, Maybe The Age of Adaline A woman leads a lonely life in order to protect the secret of her immortality. (2015) The 700 Club (N)
FX Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation Ethan’s team must stop attack on IMF. (2015) Baskets (N) Baskets Baskets American Reunion
FXX The Simpsons The Simpsons The Simpsons The Simpsons The Simpsons The Simpsons The Simpsons The Simpsons
GSN Family Feud Family Feud Family Feud Family Feud Family Feud Family Feud Cash Cab Cash Cab
Hallmark Full House Full House The Middle The Middle The Middle The Middle The Golden Girls The Golden Girls
HGTV Fixer Upper Farmhouse renovated. Fixer Upper European cottage. (N) Restored (N) House Hunters (N) House Hunters International
History The Curse of Oak Island (N) The Curse of Oak Island DMT shaft. (N) Hunting Hitler Paraguay compound. (N) The Curse of Oak Island DMT shaft.
HLN Forensic Files Forensic Files Forensic Files Forensic Files Forensic Files Forensic Files Forensic Files Forensic Files
ID Evil Lives Here A double life. Who Killed Jane Doe? (N) True Conviction (N) Evil Lives Here A double life.
IFC Two and Half Men Two and Half Men Two and Half Men Two and Half Men Two and Half Men Two and Half Men Fury Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf (2014)
Lifetime Married at First Sight Married at First (N) Married at First Sight (N) This Time Next Year (N) Married at First Sight

Fatima Cortez-Todd and Ann MSNBC All in with Chris Hayes (N) The Rachel Maddow Show (N) Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell (N) The 11th Hour with Brian Williams (N)

Curry “Meet.” PBS MTV Ridiculousness Ridiculousness The Challenge A player uses a grenade’s power. (N) Ridiculousness Ridiculousness Ridiculousness
NatGeo Life Below Zero Arctic rivers. Life Below Zero: Ice Breakers (N) Life Below Zero Creative survival. Life Below Zero Arctic rivers.
NatGeo Wild Wild Yellowstone Summer struggles. Wild Yellowstone Winter wonders. Wolverine Wolverine evaluated. Wild Yellowstone Summer struggles.
Nick Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows Turtles take on a new alien threat. (2016) Full House Friends Friends
Kevin (Probably) Saves OWN The Haves and the Have Nots The Haves and the Have Nots (N) The Haves and the Have Nots The Haves and the Have Nots
the World Oxygen Chicago P.D. Killer flees prison. Chicago P.D. Bag of heroin. Chicago P.D. Young boy killed. Chicago P.D. Bank robbery.
ABC, 10 ET/PT Paramount Friends Friends Friends Friends Ink Master (N) The Hangover Bradley Cooper (2009)
Pop Heartbreakers A mother and daughter swindle wealthy men out of their immense fortunes. Sigourney Weaver (2001) Big Brother After Dark (N)
Kevin (Jason Ritter) runs Science What on Earth? Nazi structure. What on Earth? Ark of the Covenant. (N) How the Universe Works (N) What on Earth? Nazi structure.
into a pair of mysterious strang- Sundance Lawless Shia LaBeouf (2012) (6:30) A Few Good Men Two defense lawyers try to break a code of silence that surrounds two soldiers. Tom Cruise (1992)
ers while working on a grand Syfy Futurama Futurama Futurama Futurama Futurama Futurama Futurama Futurama

gesture to repair his friendship TBS Big Bang Theory Big Bang Theory Big Bang Theory Big Bang Theory Big Bang Theory The Detour (N) Conan Jack Black.

with Tyler (Dustin Ybarra). TCM Viva Zapata! New regime is corrupt as last one. Marlon Brando (1952) A Thousand Clowns Living with an unconventional family. Jason Robards (1965)
TLC My Big Fat Fabulous Life (N) I Am Jazz 17th birthday gift. (N) Seeking Sister Wife My Big Fat Fabulous Life
Those strangers just happen to
TNT Red A retired CIA agent fights for his life. Bruce Willis, Mary-Louise Parker (2010) Red 2 Frank searches for a nuclear device. Bruce Willis (2013) (10:15)
be played by guest stars Bret Travel Bizarre Foods: Delicious Destinations Bizarre Foods with Andrew (N) Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern
Harrison and Tyler Labine, re- TruTV Impractical Jokers Impractical Jokers Impractical Jokers Impractical Jokers Hack My Life (N) Hack My Life (N) Carbonaro Effect Carbonaro Effect
prising their roles from the sim- TV Land Loves Raymond Loves Raymond Loves Raymond Loves Raymond Mom Mom King of Queens King of Queens
ilarly spiritually-themed 2007 USA WWE SmackDown from Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix (Live) Chrisley Knows Chrisley Knows Chrisley Knows Chrisley Knows
CW series Reaper. Sam (Harri- Velocity ToyMakerz Ford Mustang GT. Inside West Coast Customs (N) Inside West Coast Customs ToyMakerz Ford Mustang GT.
son) and Sock (Labine) help VH1 America’s Next Top Model (N) Love & Hip Hop Miami Love & Hip Hop Love & Hip Hop
Kevin on his own mission, as he Viceland It’s Always Sunny It’s Always Sunny It’s Always Sunny It’s Always Sunny Hate Thy Neighbor (N) Desus & Mero (N) Desus & Mero

tries to help Marc (Rhenzy Fe- WE Law & Order Baby killed. Law & Order Jewish jeweler murdered. Law & Order Honors student dead. Law & Order Politician’s secret.

liz), a young guy who left home Weather Tornado Road Kansas and Nebraska. Tornado Road Little Sioux, Iowa. Tornado Road New storm chasers. Weather Caught on Camera

looking for adventure. WGN America Cops Cops Cops Cops Bellevue Continuing the hunt. (N) Cops Cops
MOVIE NETWORKS
Cinemax Whip It Small-town misfit wants to be a roller derby girl while chasing love and 17 Again A bitter man in his 30s mysteriously gets a second Strike Back
purpose. Ellen Page, Drew Barrymore (2009) chance to be 17. Zac Efron, Leslie Mann (2009) (9:55) White nationalists.
Encore Shane Alan Ladd Marnie A beautiful thief, who uses her looks to steal from her employers, changes her identity and lands Ash vs. Evil Dead Ash vs. Evil Dead
(1953) (6:46) a job at a publishing house in Philadelphia. Tippi Hedren, Sean Connery (1964) (8:47) Teens take Delta. Ash is hunted.
FXM The Other Woman Three women team up The Other Woman A woman discovers that her boyfriend is married and teams up with his wife and 13 Going on 30
for revenge. Cameron Diaz (2014) another woman he is having an affair with to get revenge. Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann (2014) (9:15) (2004)
Hallmark Movies Psych Man found naked in a field says he Signed, Sealed, Delivered: The Road Less Traveled The Postables take a road trip Murder, She Wrote A virtual-reality game.
was the victim of alien abduction. to track down a small boy in Colorado. Eric Mabius, Kristin Booth (2018)
HBO Get Out Man discovers terrifying truth concerning his Divorce Robert finds 2 Dope Queens Phoebe shares her Here and Now Ramon and Shokrani
girlfriend’s parents. Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams (2017) Tom. experiences. search for details.
Lifetime Movie Double Daddy Teen learns that her boyfriend has gotten her and a new girl in school Girl Missing A young woman’s reconnection with her mother and family places her
pregnant. Mollee Gray, Brittany Curran (2015) in danger. Francesca Eastwood, Kiersten Warren (2015)
Showtime G.I. Jane Female soldier undergoes Navy Homeland Carrie makes a discovery. The Chi Brandon’s relationship with Jerrika Our Cartoon Homeland Carrie
Kevin (Jason Ritter) is on a training. Demi Moore (1997) (6:55) is put in jeopardy by his actions. President makes a discovery.

mission. ELIA JOSHUA ADE/ABC
Chopped
Food Network, 10 ET/PT
This week, the four chefs are
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Starz Obsessed Temp worker tries seducing Counterpart Howard learns of another Wild Things A high school guidance counselor is accused of Dracula 2000
her employer. Idris Elba (2009) (7:09) side to Emily. rape by two voluptuous students. Kevin Bacon (1998) (9:56) Jonny Lee Miller
TMC Don’t Knock Twice Troubled teenage girl and estranged The Autopsy of Jane Doe A coroner and his son perform an Brimstone Woman on run from ruthless
mother must try to stop demon. Katee Sackhoff (2017) autopsy and realize nothing about it is normal. (2016) (9:35) preacher. Guy Pearce (2017) (11:05)
SPORTS NETWORKS
ESPN College Basketball (Live) College Basketball Kentucky Wildcats at Arkansas Razorbacks (Live) SportsCenter
ESPN2 College Basketball (Live) College Basketball Ole Miss Rebels at Missouri Tigers from Mizzou Arena (Live) Basketball Live NFL Live
FS1 College Basketball Creighton vs. Butler UEFA Champions League Soccer Barcelona at Chelsea Speak for Yourself

Golf The Squeeze Golfer goes to Las Vegas for a tournament. Jeremy Sumpter (2015) The Squeeze Golfer goes to Las Vegas for a tournament. Jeremy Sumpter (2015)
tasked with creating healthy
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round requires them to incor- NFLN Top 10 High-powered offenses. A Football Life John Randle A Football Life Kevin Greene NFL Total Access
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 РЕЛИЗ ГРУППЫ "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS

USA TODAY ❚ TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2018 ❚ SECTION C

IN SPORTS
Mum’s the word for Harper
Nationals star says he won’t talk free agency 3C

NBA should bow to fans’ demands

All-Star draft likely to be televised 4C

Pac-12’s bubble about to burst?

League might send just two teams to NCAAs 4C
SILVER BY USA TODAY SPORTS

USA TODAY ANALYSIS

Ovechkin
MLB takes about to join
historic and
action on exclusive club

inaction
Jorge L. Ortiz
USA TODAY Sports

MESA, Ariz. – The sight of Gary

Sanchez repeatedly calling time to go
confer with his pitcher will become,
well, at least a bit less frequent.
The New York Yankees catcher has
been among the most egregious of-
fenders when it comes to slowing
games down to a crawl with frequent
mound visits, a practice that grew es-
pecially aggravating during the 2017
postseason.
Major League Baseball is taking ac-
tion against the inaction, announcing
Monday a series of steps to speed up
games that last season set a record
with an average length of 3:05.
Pitch clocks won’t be installed, as
had been expected, but MLB and the
players association agreed to limit the
number of mound visits to six a game,
excluding the instances when a pitch-

See MLB, Page 2C

Bell, Keenum
might be
team tagged
Mike Jones
USA TODAY
Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin has 593 goals in his career. BRAD MILLS/USA TODAY SPORTS
Tuesday is the first day NFL teams
can use the franchise tag as a means to

prevent prime players from hitting the
free agent market, which opens next
month. March 6 is the deadline to des-
ignate franchise or transition tag play-
ers. Each club is allowed to tag one of
its players.
As a refresher, the franchise tag
provides a one-year, guaranteed con-
tract equal to the average of the top five
salaries at a player’s position or 120%
of his salary the previous season if that
represents a higher value. Franchising
a player doesn’t preclude a team from
reaching a long-term deal, inevitably
one that’s more cap friendly, by July 16.
See NFL, Page 2C
IN GOOD COMPANY
Erik Brady
USA TODAY
CHICAGO – Alex Ovechkin is ring-
ing up historic numbers, and statisti-
cians are keeping track. Does he?
“Not really, I would say,” he tells
USA TODAY. “I need six goals, or sev-
en, to get to 600. So I think you just
have to play. Play your game and it will
come.”
The Washington Capitals winger ac-
tually needs seven goals to get to 600 for
his career. And if Ovechkin gets them in
his next 21 games — which will take him
to his 1,000th NHL game — he’ll join one
of the most exclusive clubs in hockey.
Here are the NHL players who
reached 600 goals in 1,000 games or
fewer:
Wayne Gretzky. Mario Lemieux. Brett
Hull.
That’s it. That’s the list.
This comes as news to Ovechkin.
Though, now that he’s heard, he’d be
happy to join the club.
“Yeah, it’s nice to be in the company,”
he says. “Obviously, as long as you take
a moment (to think), it’s nice to be in
history.”
Ovechkin scored once Monday in a
See OVECHKIN, Page 2C

OLYMPICLINE
NOTABLE ALMOST
NUMBERS LAST WORD

10 Teams for the

Olympic wom-
en’s hockey tourna-
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In skiing there are
a few things you
can do to play mind
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opportunity.”
FREE
boxspring
eight after an an- OR

SAVE
nouncement Sunday Downhill medal contend-
by the International er Lindsey Vonn, on slow- UP
Ice Hockey Feder- ing up in her training run TO

$
500
ation. on Monday so she didn’t
South Korea’s Yura Min and post the fastest time. As
Alexander Gamelin USA TODAY SPORTS
8 New cases of the
norovirus as of
Sunday, bringing the
she told NBC, “I like let-
ting other people think
that they’re faster.” on a Serta® Adjustable Set*
FIRST WORD total to 283.

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South Korea figure skater Yura Min, Figure skater Adam Rippon, who had agreed to work Limited Time Offer
who had a costume malfunction in the for NBC at the Olympics but decided against it Visit sertaretailers.com to find a retailer near you.
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team competition From staff reports *Some restrictions apply. See website for complete promotion rules and details.

2C ❚ TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2018 ❚ USA TODAY
Ovechkin
Continued from Page 1C
3-2 win against the Buffalo Sabres for
his league-leading 35th goal. He scored
his 34th goal plus three assists in a 5-2
win at the Minnesota Wild on Thursday.
Those five points give him 1,101 for his
career: 593 goals and 508 assists. He’s
the only player who made his NHL de-
but in this century to reach that plateau.
Ovechkin’s debut for the Caps came
Oct. 5, 2005. Could he have imagined
then the numbers he is reaching now?
“I would say you don’t think about it,”
he says. “When you came to the league
you just have to do your thing, try to stay
on the team and try to show your best
hockey.”
The numbers make a convincing case
he’s done precisely that.
“Yeah, obviously it has been 12 years,”
Ovechkin says. “So, terrific numbers.
Pretty nice.”
Here’s the funny thing: Sometimes,
when terrific numbers accumulate over
time, as if in slow motion, you forget to
marvel at them.
Caps defenseman Brooks Orpik says
Ovechkin reaches milestones so often
“that it almost seems kind of normal.
But then you look back at it and think,
‘Wow.’ ”
Coach Barry Trotz seconds that emo-
tion.
“When he starts passing some of
these milestones, you realize what a
great talent he is,” Trotz says. “Not that
you don’t know that he is, but you start
to recognize that he’s a legendary talent.
He is the greatest goal scorer of his gen-
eration. And he’s proving it by putting
up numbers that are insane. That’s the
best way to say it.”
NFL
Continued from Page 1C
Under the exclusive franchise tag,
players aren’t allowed to negotiate with
other teams. However, they can be trad-
ed once they sign their tender offer.
Non-exclusive tags allow outside teams
to negotiate with a player but his origi-
nal team has the right to match any offer
or decline it and receive two first-round
picks from the other club as compensa-
tion.
Transition tags are calculated by av-
eraging the top 10 salaries at a player’s
position. Transitioned players can ne-
gotiate with other teams and his original
club can match any offer sheet. Howev-
er, failure to match does not bring back
any compensation from the player’s
new organization.
Here are some of the biggest names
who might be tagged:
Steelers RB Le’Veon Bell: Unable to
reach a long-term deal last year, Pitts-
burgh franchised Bell, who played the
2017 season on a one-year deal worth
$12.1 million. The Steelers still want to
lock up Bell, and he wants the same
thing (even though he’s had some fun
with the idea of going elsewhere). How-
ever, to buy time, GM Kevin Colbert
could tag Bell, who would then be guar-
anteed at least $14.5 million in 2018.
Vikings QB Case Keenum: After en-
tering 2017 as the backup, he took over
for injured Sam Bradford and went 11-3
before leading Minnesota to the NFC
MLB
Continued from Page 1C
er is removed. The new allowed total,
which grows by one for every extra in-
ning, includes visits by managers,
coaches and teammates, even if they
don’t occur right on the mound.
In addition, the break between in-
nings will be tightened by 20 seconds,
with the countdown clock getting set at
2:05 for locally televised games and at
2:25 for national telecasts. It remains at
2:55 for postseason games. There’s also
a new measure in place to make pitching
changes a bit quicker.
The modifications don’t go nearly as
far as Commissioner Rob Manfred
seemed determined to take them in his
efforts to accelerate the increasingly
glacial pace of games, which grew by
nearly 41⁄2 minutes in length last season.
The collective bargaining agreement
that came into effect in December 2016
gave Manfred the power to unilaterally
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impose new measures such as a 20-sec-
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ond pitch clock and a timer between
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But at a time of increased acrimony
between MLB and the union because of
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the dramatic slowdown in offseason
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signings, Manfred decided to exercise
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patience rather than further alienate
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E2
Alex Ovechkin made his debut with Washington in 2005, but he and the Capitals
have yet to win a Stanley Cup in that time. BRAD REMPEL/USA TODAY SPORTS
Orpik figures among the most im-
pressive things is that Ovechkin has
played this long without significant in-
jury.
“As physical and reckless as he was
when he was younger, it’s amazing,” Or-
pik says. “And he still plays pretty phys-
ical.”
Still, for all of that, there’s one num-
ber that bedevils Ovechkin. Stanley
Cups won: zero. And he’s the one who
brings up this unpleasant fact.
“I want Stanley Cup,” he says. “I don’t
care about the numbers. That’s why I
play. I don’t play for numbers. It’s nice to
get big numbers. It’s nice to be in com-
pany with the great players. But I don’t
Running back Le’Veon Bell carried the franchise tag for the Steelers last season,
making $12.1 million. PHILIP G. PAVELY/USA TODAY SPORTS
Championship Game. Now, the Vikings
find themselves in a situation in which
Keenum, Bradford and Teddy Bridge-
water all have expiring contracts —
though it’s possible Bridgewater’s deal
could toll into 2018 due to his extensive
time on the physically unable to perform
the players, many of whom are still sit-
ting on the sidelines waiting to sign new
contracts.
Still, the news release announcing
the new rules points out the timer op-
tions are on the table.
“I am pleased that we were able to
reach an understanding with the Play-
ers Association to take concrete steps to
address pace of play with the coopera-
tion of the players,” Manfred said in a
statement. “My strong preference is to
continue to have ongoing dialogue with
players on this topic to find mutually ac-
ceptable solutions.”
In other words, this is not nearly
enough. At the owners meetings less
than three weeks ago, Manfred offered
to hold off on a pitch clock for the com-
ing season and 2019 if game times went
down by at least 10 minutes to 2:55, but
the players balked at that proposal.
And union head Tony Clark made it
clear he would continue to fight tooth
and nail against anything that might in-
fringe on work conditions.
“Players were involved in the pace-
of-game discussion from day one and
are committed to playing a crisp and ex-
citing brand of baseball for the fans,”
Clark said in a statement, “but they re-
main concerned about rule changes that
could alter the outcome of games and
the fabric of the game itself — now or in
the future.”
have Stanley Cup yet, so that’s the No. 1
priority.”
Left unsaid: The players he’d like to
join in the 600/1,000 club all won Cups.
This season, Ovechkin’s 13th, offers an-
other chance at the chalice.
“Every year is a shot,” he says. “You
just have to get ready for it.”
The Caps signed Ovechkin to a his-
toric 13-year contract in 2008, reported
at the time at $124 million. He was 22
then. He’s 32 now.
“I signed huge deal for so many years,
so I was lucky guy,” he says. “I am lucky
I came to the Washington Capitals. I
have great relations with everybody,
and I am very happy with how my career
list in 2017. Still, many around the
league expect Minnesota to retain Kee-
num’s services, though pursuing Kirk
Cousins in free agency is still an option.
Cowboys DE Demarcus Lawrence:
After a breakout season, during which
he earned $1.2 million on the final year
There doesn’t appear to be any clear
winners or losers in this latest round be-
tween the parties, who have been at
odds for a couple of years over how to
speed up the game and whether there is
actually a need for it.
The reduced commercial breaks do
offer a tangible gain of about six min-
utes a game, and it’s hard to see how it
would be all that difficult for players and
the coaching staff to avoid visiting the
mound more than six times. At this
point there are not even penalties for
breaking such a rule, only an encour-
agement to follow it.
Manfred would like to see more ur-
gency from the players, whose habits of
dawdling on the mound (hello, Pedro
Baez) or constantly stepping out of the
box to adjust their equipment add to the
game’s perception as languid. That
makes it a hard sell among young audi-
ences used to instant gratification.
As to how the changes will impact the
way the game is played, Chicago Cubs
manager Joe Maddon said the effect
would be negligible, and everybody
would get used to the new rules after
some initial consternation.
“We’ll have to just figure out a more
non-verbal method of communication.
We’re not going to be texting,” Maddon
said, drawing chuckles. “It’s going to be
a new normal. You learn how to do it and
you do it. That’s all.”
SPORTS
is going right now.”
Ovechkin is on pace for 92 points this
season. That would be his highest total
since 2009-10, when he had 109. And it
would be the first time he’s averaged
more than a point per game since the
2013-14 season, when he recorded 79
points in 78 games.
“He’s doing it in a league where it is
harder and harder to score,” Trotz says.
“He gets the best of the best as defend-
ers and checking lines.”
Pace-of-points projections are just
the sort of statistical stuff that Ovech-
kin professes to ignore.
“I would say I don’t pay attention to
that,” he says. “I just enjoy my time right
now. Enjoy the numbers I make and do
my thing.”
Still, he does appreciate round num-
bers. “This year it’s going to be 1,000
games for me, and nobody has played
1,000 games in this franchise,” he says.
“And I am going to be No. 1. I am very
happy and I can’t wait to reach that
milestone.”
There is one other hole in his résumé:
Ovechkin has never won Olympic gold.
He dearly wanted to play in the Pyeong-
chang Winter Games, but they are going
on without NHL players. Might Ovech-
kin play for Russia in Beijing in 2022 —
when he’ll be 36 — should the opportu-
nity arise?
“I don’t know where I’m going to be in
four years, here or in Russia,” he says.
“Four years is a long distance. So I don’t
know.”
Yes, but would he if he could?
“Yeah, of course,” he says. “If I’m go-
ing to be healthy and able to play hock-
ey, yeah, of course I would.”
Just imagine what kind of numbers
Ovechkin might reach by then.
“Yeah,” he says, flashing a crooked
grin. “You’re right.”
of his rookie deal, he is in line for a big
payday. He’s the priority of the offsea-
son for Dallas.
Dolphins WR Jarvis Landry: Mixed
signals out of Miami, where Landry is
coming off of a career-best season (112
catches, nine TDs). Some days, there are
rumors of progress; others, anything
but. If talks stall, Landry could receive
the tag, which means drawing a salary
of roughly $16 million in 2018.
Panthers G Andrew Norwell: Caroli-
na needs to keep Cam Newton’s line in-
tact. The franchise tag would be worth
approximately $15 million to Norwell —
maybe a bit rich for the Panthers’ taste,
but they have to consider the move.
Lions DE Ezekiel Ansah: Detroit’s
top pass rusher is coming off a 12-sack
campaign. However, Ansah’s injury his-
tory might be reason for pause before
franchising him for something in the
neighborhood of $17.5 million.
Seahawks DT Sheldon Richardson:
After being acquired from the Jets last
year, he proved his worth to coach Pete
Carroll, who says Seattle intends to keep
Richardson. It’s hard to say if the team
will be able to reach an extension to
avoid the tag. But after giving up a sec-
ond-round pick and WR Jermaine
Kearse to obtain Richardson, the Sea-
hawks definitely don’t want him to wind
up a one-year rental.
Other tag possibilities: Rams DB La-
marcus Joyner or WR Sammy Watkins,
Redskins QB Kirk Cousins (it could still
happen to create a trade scenario but is
very unlikely), Jaguars WR Allen Robin-
son, Bears CB Kyle Fuller.
USA SNAPSHOTS©
14
Gold medals
won by the
USA all time in
Olympic snowboarding,
most by any country.
NOTE Through Feb. 17
SOURCE TeamUSA.org
ELLEN J. HORROW, JANET LOEHRKE/USA TODAY
Corrections & clarifications
USA TODAY is committed to accuracy.
To reach us at any time, call 800-872-7073 or
e-mail accuracy@usatoday.com. Please indicate
whether you’re responding to content online on in
the newspaper.
A headline in some editions Monday
misspelled the surname of U.S.
slopestyle skiing silver medalist
Nick Goepper.

SPORTS
BASEBALL
Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo is from Parkland, Fla., and went to the school where a recent mass shooting occurred. GEOFF BURKE/USA TODAY SPORTS
Cubs’ Rizzo went back home and gave heartfelt speech to Douglas High students
Jorge L. Ortiz
USA TODAY Sports
MESA, Ariz. – Anthony Rizzo was di-
agnosed with cancer 10 years ago and
endured six months of chemotherapy.
That wasn’t as difficult as facing the
grieving community in his hometown
of Parkland, Fla., after Wednesday’s
shooting at his old high school left 17
people dead and 15 injured.
The Chicago Cubs first baseman left
camp to lend his support to the victims
of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High
tragedy, then delivered a heartfelt
speech at a candlelight vigil Thursday,
vowing to students that normalcy
would eventually return.
Upon rejoining the Cubs on Monday,
Rizzo expressed his pride in seeing
Douglas students speaking out de-
manding change and related his experi-
ence trying to help out amid so much
pain.
Harper’s future hot topic, and he’s not talking
Bob Nightengale
Columnist
USA TODAY
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – It’s the
hot topic that will burn all season in
baseball’s consciousness, but since we
live in such an impatient society, no one
wants to wait for the drama to unfold
before knowing the ending.
We want to know where Bryce Har-
per will be playing next year. We want to
know how many zeros will be in his pay-
check. We want to know whether he’ll
be wearing Dodger or Cubbie Blue or
Yankee pinstripes or stay in his Wash-
ington Nationals uniform.
Bryce Harper ended the fun Monday
before it could get ever started.
He announced that he is not talking
about free agency.
Not now.
Not for the rest of the season.
Not until he signs his next contract.
“I will not be discussing anything rel-
ative to 2019 at all,” Harper told a room
packed full of reporters at the Nationals
spring training complex. “If you guys
have any questions about 2019 or any-
thing past 2018, you can call (agent)
Scott (Boras) and he’ll answer you guys.
“If you guys do ask anything, I’ll be
walking right out the door.”
So no one asked.
Harper began his news conference
reading prepared remarks off his cell-
phone, sat there for 17 minutes, telling
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everyone that he’s fully healthy, the
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team is talented as ever, new manager
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Davey Martinez will be a perfect fit, he
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was shocked to see the Miami Marlins
trade Giancarlo Stanton, Marcell Ozuna
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and Christian Yelich, and he can’t be-
lieve the players still available in this bi-
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zarre free agent market.
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“It was the hardest thing I ever had to
do, going back,” Rizzo said. “You don’t
know what to say. There’s nothing you
can say. … Just to see how real it is, it’s
sad.”
A 2007 graduate of Douglas, Rizzo
has become baseball’s main connection
to a calamity that has gripped the nation
as the latest in the series of mass mur-
ders.
Shortly after hearing the news, Rizzo
posted a tweet encouraging the commu-
nity to stay strong and calling for
change.
On Monday he emphasized that
doesn’t necessarily mean he’s advocat-
ing gun-control measures.
“I don’t know what needs to be done.
I don’t know enough about it,” Rizzo told
reporters. “I know there’s a lot of shoot-
ings. I know they’re done with a specific
make (of weapon). But I don’t know
what needs to be done. Some type of
change needs to happen for the better.”
Bryce Harper is in the final year of his
contract.BRAD MILLS/USA TODAY SPORTS
He talked about everything related to
baseball except his own future.
Harper, who could become baseball’s
first $400 million man, or even
$500 million, says he’ll try to stay on
script the entire season. He’s not going
to talk about his dad’s love for the New
York Yankees, wondering if they would
dare trade Stanton in a year to make
room for him, and possibly third base-
man Manny Machado, too.
Las Vegas homeboy Kris Bryant
might be one of his best friends, but he
won’t talk about sharing deep-dish piz-
za with him as teammates in Chicago.
He lives a few hours along the highway
from Los Angeles but won’t start remi-
niscing about the days of Vin Scully and
Tommy Lasorda. And the Phillies might
be sitting on a mountain of cash, but it
doesn’t mean he’ll be calling Mike Trout
to get Philadelphia Eagles season
tickets.
Public silence.
The Nationals, who have exclusive
negotiating rights for the next eight
months with Harper, say they’ll keep
their talks private too but will do every-
E2 USA TODAY ❚ TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2018 ❚ 3C
‘Hardest
thing I ever
had to do’
Students in Parkland have gone on
social and traditional media demanding
action, appealing for civic leaders not to
let Douglas follow the path of Sandy
Hook Elementary School in Newtown,
Conn. Although 26 people, including 20
children, were killed in that 2012 shoot-
ing rampage, no meaningful measures
were taken nationally to prevent such
future tragedies.
“They just went through the scariest
time of their life, that no one should ever
have to go through,” Rizzo said. “For
them to be outspoken about it, it shows
they’re not just going to sit back and be
another statistic. They really want to
make a change.”
None of Rizzo’s direct relatives per-
ished in the shooting, to which former
Douglas student Nikolas Cruz has con-
fessed, but he knew several people af-
fected.
Rizzo and his brother played football
under Aaron Feis, an assistant coach
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experts’ mock draft. Available on news-
stands or at sportsspecials.usatoday
.com.
thing but give the Washington Monu-
ment to keep him.
The Nationals had exploratory talks
with Boras a year ago that stalled when
ownership believed he wanted at least a
13-year deal exceeding $500 million.
They talked again early this winter, Nats
general manager Mike Rizzo said, but it
was nothing more than preliminary ne-
gotiations.
“I look forward,” Rizzo said, “to many,
many more years with him. He’s dear to
my heart.”
Rizzo says the Nats will continue at-
tempts to sign Harper all year, insisting
there’s no deadline, and plan to talk
even after the start of the regular sea-
son.
“I never understood the logic in hav-
ing a deadline like that,” Rizzo said.
“We’ll keep talking. Hey, we did the
same with (Stephen) Strasburg and
signed him in May.”
Indeed, Strasburg signed a seven-
year, $175 million contract in May 2016,
five months before he was eligible for
free agency.
The Marlins might have a better
chance of winning the World Series
than Harper re-signing with the Nats
before he tests the free agent market,
but then again, with this strange mar-
ket, who can possibly project what own-
ers might do next winter?
and security guard who was killed by
Cruz as he tried to shield students. In
addition, Rizzo confirmed his agent’s
niece was also shot dead.
“Every single one of my best friends
in high school, we all have memories of
coach Feis,” Rizzo said. “For him to lay
his life down like that and save kids, it
just shows the type of person he is. He
has, I believe, a daughter or son at home.
He’s a true hero. You have this monster
coming in shooting up a school and he
jumps in front of kids and saves their
lives.”
Rizzo grew up in Parkland, a small
town in Broward County where his par-
ents were among the first to buy a
house.
He not only still lives there but main-
tains ties to the school, to which he do-
nated $150,000 for the installation of
lights at the baseball field.
He saw Feis three weeks ago at the
lights’ unveiling.
“If I’m the organization,” Harper said,
“I want the best players on my team. My
fans deserve that. The players deserve
that.”
Harper can’t believe there’s still a
Who’s Who of unemployed players re-
maining on the free agent market, in-
cluding 14 who are represented by his
agent, Boras.
“There’s a guy like (2015 Cy Young
winner) Jake Arrieta right now,” Harper
said, “I’d put him on my staff any day of
the week. I mean he’s one of the best
pitchers in the game, one of the best
playoff pitchers in the game. I’m not
sure what people are thinking, but if I’m
a fan base or a team and you’re trying to
lose ballgames to get the No. 1 pick, I’ll
take freaking Jayson Werth over a first-
round pick any day of the week.”
Something will be dreadfully wrong
next winter if a 25-year-old, five-time
All-Star doesn’t have every team in
baseball interested in his services, with
at least a handful willing to write a
check for at least $300 million and per-
haps a couple that will top $400 million.
“He deserves every penny he gets,”
said Nats starter Gio Gonzalez, who’s
also eligible for free agency. “He’s a su-
perstar. Correction, make that a rock
star.
“Him and Trout are phenomenal for
baseball. Those guys are why kids now
want to play baseball, and why baseball
needs these guys, and why baseball
needs to take care of these guys. I guar-
antee that whatever teams gets him will
be really happy for a long, long time.”
The bidding will start in eight
months. Baseball’s annual winter meet-
ings, which happen to be in Harper’s
hometown of Las Vegas, are in 10
months. In the meantime, we can start
the speculation now, with or without
Harper’s help.

4C ❚ TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2018 ❚ USA TODAY
NBA
‘Give the people what they want’
Players plead with NBA,
union to air All-Star draft
Michael Singer
USA TODAY
LOS ANGELES – Toronto Raptors All-
Star shooting guard DeMar DeRozan
made the most vocal plea for televising
the player draft immediately after Sun-
day’s All-Star Game.
“Give the people what they want,” he
said. “I think everybody wants to see it.
At the end of the day, every single per-
son that gets picked, you are an All-Star,
so it doesn’t matter where you really go,
so I think televise it.”
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver ap-
peared to be listening to players, fans
and media when he acknowledged after
the game the likelihood of revealing the
All-Star draft order next year on TV.
“When we sat with the union and
came up with this format, we all agreed,
let’s not turn something that’s 100%
positive into a potential negative to any
player,” he told ESPN. “But then ... may-
be we’re overly conservative because
then we came out of there, and the play-
ers were, ‘We can take it. We’re All-
Stars. Let’s have a draft.’ So it sounds
like we’re going to have a televised draft
next year.”
NCAA TOURNAMENT
Bubble Tracker: Pac-12 could send just 2 teams?
Scott Gleeson and Shelby Mast
USA TODAY
Rivals UCLA and Southern California
sit tied in second place in the Pac-12
standings behind league leader Arizona.
Yet as of right now, both have NIT-
caliber profiles and are on the outside
looking in for USA TODAY’s latest pro-
jected field of 68 NCAA tournament
teams.
Of course, conference standings
don’t matter to the NCAA tournament
selection committee, and that’s why Ar-
izona State has solidified its at-large bid
while being .500 in the Pac-12 race. It’s
also why Washington, another team
that trails UCLA and Southern Califor-
nia in conference records, is the only
bubble team to squeak into the Dance at
this point.
The Huskies’ résumé features a win
over current No. 1 seed Kansas and No. 3
seed Arizona. But losses to subpar
Pac-12 foes weigh down Washington’s
profile. This team is currently in the
play-in game as a No. 11 seed — show-
casing how unsafe it is three weeks from
Selection Sunday.
So, realistically, the Pac-12 could
COMMENTARY
Much has changed in race, athletics but much still to do
Greg Moore
The Arizona Republic
USA TODAY
PHOENIX – A lot can change in 25
years.
A lot can stay the same.
Bookending that span, Arizona went
from the only state that didn’t recognize
Martin Luther King Day to the only state
where three black coaches were hired in
the same offseason to lead major foot-
ball programs.
Black History Month is a time for re-
flection. It’s appropriate to note these
moments and ask: How did we get from
there to here?
In 1993, the first year Arizona observ-
ed MLK Day statewide, the head football
coach in Tempe was Bruce Snyder. Dick
Tomey led the program in Tucson. Joe
Bugel ran the then-Phoenix Cardinals.
All three were white. It wasn’t re-
markable. Almost every head football
coach was white then.
Art Shell was an exception. He was in
charge of the Los Angeles Raiders and
had taken the job in 1989, becoming the
NFL’s first black head coach since Fritz
Pollard ran the Hammond Pros in 1925.
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coaches in the NFL had skyrocketed.
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There were two. Shell in the AFC. Dennis
Green in the NFC.
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It was worse in college.
Л
There were no black coaches in what
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was then the Pac-10. Or the Big Ten. Or
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E2
LeBron James celebrates after winning MVP and leading Team LeBron over Team
Stephen in the All-Star Game at Staples Center. RICHARD MACKSON/USA TODAY SPORTS
Silver didn’t have exact details on
what would be the latest iteration of the
NBA’s revamped All-Star format, but he
was confident it would be sorted out.
In the wake of Sunday’s competitive
All-Star Game, which saw Team LeBron
storm back on Team Stephen 148-145
thanks to crunchtime defense, fans got
send a mind-boggling two teams to the
NCAAs — Arizona and Arizona State —
if the three bubble teams don’t put
things together in the homestretch of
the regular season.
UCLA and USC have won two games
in a row, so their omission has much
more to do with other movement on the
bubble and the success of fellow border-
line teams. UCLA has three road games
to close out Pac-12 play, and USC has
two out of three on the road. They face
each other March 3 in the regular-sea-
son finale, a game that surely will have
postseason implications.
American Athletic
Locks: Cincinnati, Wichita State,
Houston
Atlantic Coast
Locks: Virginia, Duke, North Caroli-
na, Clemson
Probable: Miami (Fla.), Florida State,
Virginia Tech
Bubble: Louisville, North Carolina
State, Syracuse
Steve Wilks Kevin Herm
Sumlin Edwards
the SEC. Or the Big Eight. Or the Big
East. Or the Big West. Or the Southwest.
The ACC had Jim Caldwell, though.
This offseason, ASU hired Herm Ed-
wards. Arizona brought in Kevin Sum-
lin. And the Arizona Cardinals — they
changed their name in ’94 — tapped
Steve Wilks.
All three are black. It’s remarkable.
“You’re talking to a guy, who when I
got traded there, we didn’t have MLK
Day,” Charles Barkley said. “It was a big
deal.”
Barkley has always scratched his
head over it. He still lives in the Valley
and says he’s never been treated poorly
because of his race in Arizona.
He wasn’t the only one who didn’t get
it.
About 15,000 people had marched to
the state capitol in 1988. They put up a
fight that rattled the nation, but not
Gov. Evan Mecham.
Mecham died 10 years ago. Feb. 21,
1988. He was 83.
Rev. Warren Stewart helped lead the
movement from the basement of his
church to get the holiday recognized. He
a few more answers from James on
what had previously been an unknown
draft order.
“I took Kevin (Durant) first, then I
took Anthony Davis, and I followed that
with Kyrie (Irving) and DeMarcus
(Cousins),” James said, ending specula-
tion of where he selected his former
Atlantic 10
Locks: Rhode Island
Bubble: St. Bonaventure
Big East
Locks: Villanova, Xavier
Probable: Creighton, Seton Hall
Bubble: Butler, Providence, Mar-
quette
Big Ten
Locks: Michigan State, Purdue, Ohio
State
Probable: Michigan
Bubble: Nebraska, Penn State
Big 12
Locks: Kansas, Texas Tech, Oklaho-
ma, West Virginia
Bubble: TCU, Texas, Kansas State,
Baylor
Pac-12
Locks: Arizona, Arizona State
Bubble: Washington, Southern Cali-
said Mecham came and met with them
early in the fight.
“The first thing he said was, ‘Black
people don’t need a holiday, what you
people need is jobs,’ ” Stewart recalled.
“That conversation didn’t last long.”
Mecham always framed it as an issue
of state’s rights.
By 1992, Stewart was tired. He want-
ed people to understand MLK Day as an
American holiday. It was for equality
and opportunity, against oppression
and exclusion. For togetherness and
morality, against church bombings and
lynch mobs.
Stewart had been pushing for years
and had seen every inch of progress
slide back.
He was ready to quit.
Then his phone rang. It was Frank
Camacho, the longtime TV anchor.
Camacho didn’t understand, either.
He grew up in south Phoenix and
didn’t think there should have been any
question about whether there should
have been a King holiday.
“What are you gonna do?” Camacho
asked Stewart.
He said he knew that by calling Stew-
art he was at the edge of what his em-
ployer allowed. But he said that because
he wasn’t covering the story, he took a
risk that could have cost him his job.
Camacho told the story recently at
the Arizona Capitol, one floor above an
exhibit showing the history of MLK Day
in the state.
“I asked him,” Camacho told a small
SPORTS
Cleveland teammate.
In fact, after connecting on one of the
game’s decisive buckets with Irving,
James reminisced about their time to-
gether.
“It was phenomenal, it was phenom-
enal,” he said. “Anytime you’re able to
get back and play with one of your old
teammates, and as great as he is, we all
know that. The flashiness, the ballhan-
dling, the ability to shoot, it was just
great to get back on the floor with him. It
was a great moment, for sure.”
James was also enthusiastic about
the weekend’s host, Los Angeles, which
many wonder whether it will be his new
home when the Cavs star becomes a free
agent this summer.
“I think L.A. is a perfect place to host
All-Star Weekend,” James said after be-
ing named MVP with his 29-point, 10-
rebound, eight-assist outing. “You’ve
got so many people from all over the
world coming to watch our game and
just be a part of All-Star Weekend. And
we know the traffic. We understand
that. But traffic is traffic and — but L.A.
can accommodate that.
“It’s built for stars. It’s built for enter-
tainment. It’s built for cameras and
bright lights, and it’s a great place for it. I
hope everybody had a great weekend. I
know I did. I know my family did. So it
was a great weekend.”
fornia, UCLA, Utah
Southeastern
Locks: Auburn, Tennessee, Texas
A&M, Alabama, Kentucky, Missouri, Ar-
kansas, Florida
Bubble: LSU, Georgia
Mid-majors
Locks: Gonzaga, Nevada
Bubble: Saint Mary’s, Middle Ten-
nesse State, Loyola (Ill.)
Removed from consideration: Tem-
ple, Maryland, Oklahoma State, Oregon,
New Mexico State, Mississippi State,
Boise State
About our bracketologist: Mast has
been projecting the field since 2005 on
his website, Bracket W.A.G. He joined
USA TODAY in 2014. In his fifth season as
our national bracketologist, Mast has
finished as one of the top three bracke-
tologists in the past four March Mad-
nesses. He’s also predicted for The Indi-
anapolis Star and Collegeinsider.com
and is an inaugural member of the
Super 10 Selection Committee. Follow
him on Twitter @BracketWag.
crowd, “ ‘Are you planning to raise your
family here? … Do you want to raise your
kids in a state that’s being called the
‘new Mississippi’?”
The debate was nasty and was taking
a heavy economic toll.
Phoenix lost the opportunity to host
the 1993 Super Bowl. The Fiesta Bowl
had trouble attracting teams. Conven-
tions and concerts were pulling out.
Jerry Colangelo remembers all of it.
His Suns were winning 50 games a
year back then (1988-95). Every year.
For seven years in a row. Five of those
seven years, they won 55 or more. It was
galvanizing.
During that run, Colangelo acquired
one of the greatest players in the sport’s
history, trading for Barkley in June 1992.
It’s not fair to say the trade brought
MLK Day to the state.
It is fair to say that the same civic
emotion that brought 300,000 people
out to celebrate the season after the
Suns lost in the 1993 NBA Finals — “a
love-in,” as Colangelo called it — was
present four days before the franchise’s
greatest season began.
On Nov. 3, 1992, Arizona became the
only state with a voter-approved MLK
Day. The people wanted it, back then.
Now, there are seven black head
coaches in the 32-team NFL and about a
dozen black coaches at college football’s
top tier.
A lot can change in 25 years in Arizo-
na. A lot can stay the same around the
nation.
 РЕЛИЗ ГРУППЫ "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS

SPORTS E2 USA TODAY ❚ TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2018 ❚ 5C

A. Dillon celebrates win with butt tattoo

Winner of 500 gets ‘Daytona brought us to victory lane. I’ll never forget that.”
Dillon, who became the 18th driver to win both the
champ’ in permanent ink Daytona 500 and Coca-Cola 600 — NASCAR’s most
famous race and its longest one — had 500 text mes-
Bob Velin sages Sunday night on his phone. “I haven’t looked
USA TODAY through them all, but I’m going to savor every moment
of that,” Dillon said. “I can truly say I got all my friends
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Hours after he won the here, and a part of this race team and the ones that
60th Daytona 500 on Sunday in spectacular fashion — aren’t here all contacted me on my phone.”
when he led only on the final lap — Austin Dillon made Richard Childress, the owner of Richard Childress
sure his unlikely victory was going to stick with him for Racing and grandfather of the Dillon boys, was blown
a long time. away by his grandson’s victory. It was 20 years ago that
So Dillon went out with his buddies and crew mem- Austin Dillon returned the iconic No. 3 to Daytona’s Childress and his driver Dale Earnhardt Sr. celebrated
bers and got a tattoo. On his butt. victory lane. MARK J. REBILAS/USA TODAY SPORTS Earnhardt’s only Daytona 500 victory. Three years lat-
Not that you will be able to see it anytime soon. er, Earnhardt was killed on the last lap of the 500.
“Yeah, I got a tattoo last night. It says Daytona 500 Asked to compare the two victories two decades
champ on it,” the 27-year-old Dillon said Monday brother Ty is also a driver in the Monster Energy NAS- apart, Childress said, “They’re both so different. I
morning during a news conference at the Daytona 500 CAR Cup Series, won the Super Bowl of stock car rac- know how much it meant to Dale to win the Daytona
Championship Breakfast. “It’s pretty cool. And you’ll ing. The moment he crossed the finish line just ahead 500. He came so close so many times, and it just
never be able to see it either. Whitney (his wife, a for- of rookie Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr., Dillon went from wouldn’t have been right if he didn’t have it on his résu-
mer NFL cheerleader) is probably the only one who’s little known driver who previously had one win in the mé. That was one of the most special wins I’ve ever
going to see it for a while. Cup series — last year’s Coca-Cola 600 — to the toast been involved in.
“Actually a lot of guys got tattoos last night. Every- of the racing world. Suddenly, Dillon’s name is on ev- “Then last night to see my grandson 20 years later,
one was lined up. It was pretty cool.” ery racing fan’s lips. and win the Daytona 500, it’s hard to beat blood.”
One who didn’t was crew chief Justin Alexander, “It truly won’t sink in for a long time, but seeing that Dillon will be in New York on Tuesday for the cham-
who promised to ink up his face a bit if the team wins a race car down there, I want to go hug it,” Dillon said of pion’s media tour, then it’s on to Atlanta Motor Speed-
championship. his No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro, which will be put on dis- way for Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500.
A day after what was by far the biggest triumph of play for a year in Daytona International Speedway’s “We’re still trying to win races,” Dillon said. “This is
his career, it still hasn’t sunk in that Dillon, whose ticket and tours building. “It’s a pretty race car, and it the beginning, I feel like.”

FOR THE RECORD

NBA Detroit
Ottawa
58
57
24
21
25 9
27 9
57
51
155 174
156 199
13. Auburn
14. Arizona
23-4 358
21-6 340
11
19
18. South Florida
19. Georgia
22-5
21-5
229
214
22
20
Margin of Victory: 0.260 seconds.
Caution Flags: 8 for 37 laps.
NEBRASKA
DAYTON
3
3
Indiana
Saint Louis
Montreal 58 22 29 7 51 149 185 15. Ohio State 22-7 339 9 20. Duke 20-7 184 17 Lead Changes: 24 among 14 drivers. MISSOURI 10 Mississippi
All Times ET Buffalo 60 17 32 11 45 143 198 16. Michigan 22-7 325 21 21. NC State 21-6 132 25 Lap Leaders: A.Bowman 0; D.Hamlin 1-10; ARKANSAS 5 Kentucky
17. Clemson 20-6 324 12 22. Green Bay 23-3 106 19 J.Marks 11; Ku.Busch 12-14; A.Bowman 15- LSU 4 Vanderbilt
EASTERN CONFERENCE Metropolitan Division 18. Rhode Island 21-4 263 14 23. Belmont 26-3 98 24 22; E.Jones 23-33; R.Stenhouse 34-44; C.El- WYOMING 41⁄2 New Mexico
Atlantic Division GP W L OT Pts GF GA 19. Tennessee 19-7 208 17 24. LSU 18-7 87 — liott 45-48; J.Logano 49-51; Ku.Busch 52- VALPARAISO 4 N. Iowa
W L Pct GB Washington 59 34 18 7 75 185 176 20. Saint Mary’s 25-4 173 15 25. Oklahoma St. 18-8 73 21 62; A.Bowman 63-67; R.Blaney 68-93;
Toronto 41 16 .719 — 21. West Virginia 19-8 168 20 Others receiving votes: Minnesota 60, Day- P.Menard 94; M.Truex 95-98; R.Blaney 99- National Hockey League
Pittsburgh 61 35 22 4 74 195 180
Boston 40 19 .678 2 New Jersey 59 31 20 8 70 180 181 22. Nevada 23-5 143 24 ton 29, Mercer 19, Miami 14, Arizona St. 12, 122; A.Allmendinger 123; R.Blaney 124- Tuesday
Philadelphia 30 25 .545 10 Phildelphia 59 30 19 10 70 178 172 23. Houston 21-5 119 — Iowa 11, Michigan 10, West Virginia 7, 170; D.Hamlin 171-173; R.Blaney 174-193; Favorite Line Underdog Line
New York 23 36 .390 19 Carolina 60 27 23 10 64 162 180 24. Middle Tenn. 22-5 72 — Gonzaga 5, California 3, Cent. Michigan 3, D.Hamlin 194; Ku.Busch 195-196; R.Blaney PHILADELPHIA -165 Montreal +155
Brooklyn 19 40 .322 23 N.Y. Islnders 61 29 26 6 64 203 219 25. Arizona State 19-7 47 22 Oklahoma 3, Quinnipiac 3, Nebraska 3, 197; D.Hamlin 198-205; A.Almirola 206; TORONTO -193 Florida +178
Southeast Division Columbus 59 29 25 5 63 157 169 Others receiving votes: Creighton 34, Ken- Southern Cal 1, Syracuse 1. A.Dillon 207 WASHINGTON OFF Tampa Bay OFF
W L Pct GB N.Y. Rngers 60 27 28 5 59 173 191 tucky 31, Virginia Tech 20, Florida State 18, Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Led, Laps NEW JERSEY -105 Columbus -105
Washington 33 24 .579 — Texas A&M 15, Florida 14, Seton Hall 13, Led): R.Blaney, 5 times for 113 laps; D.Ham- DETROIT OFF Nashville OFF
Miami 30 28 .517 3½ WESTERN CONFERENCE Baylor 12, St. Bonaventure 11, UCLA 11, AUTO RACING lin, 4 times for 18 laps; Ku.Busch, 3 times for WINNIPEG
ST. LOUIS
-164
OFF
Los Angeles +154
San Jose OFF
Charlotte 24 33 .421 9 Central Division Butler 9, Kansas State 9, Miami 9, Nebraska 13 laps; A.Bowman, 3 times for 11 laps;
Orlando 18 39 .316 15 7, Loyola of Chicago 6, Arkansas 3, ETSU 2, E.Jones, 1 time for 10 laps; R.Stenhouse, 1 EDMONTON OFF Boston OFF
GP W L OT Pts GF GA time for 10 laps; C.Elliott, 1 time for 3 laps; VANCOUVER -108 Colorado -102
Atlanta 18 41 .305 16
Winnipeg 59 35 15 9 79 196 157
Boise State 1, Louisiana-Lafayette 1, New NASCAR Monster Energy
Mexico State 1, Oklahoma 1, TCU 1. M.Truex, 1 time for 3 laps; J.Logano, 1 time
Central Division Nashville 57 34 14 9 77 177 150 Cup-DAYTONA 500 Results for 2 laps; A.Allmendinger, 1 time for 0
W L Pct GB Dallas 59 34 21 4 72 179 157 AP Top 25 Poll Sunday
Cleveland 34 22 .607 — St. Louis 60 34 22 4 72 171 153 The top 25 teams in The Associated Press’ laps; A.Almirola, 1 time for 0 laps; A.Dillon, DEALS
college basketball poll, with first-place At Daytona International 1 time for 0 laps; J.Marks, 1 time for 0 laps;
Indiana 33 25 .569 2 Minnesota 59 32 20 7 71 177 169 P.Menard, 1 time for 0 laps.
Milwaukee 32 25 .561 2½ Colorado 58 31 23 4 66 179 173 votes in parentheses, records through Feb. Speedway
Wins: A.Dillon, 1. Monday’s Sports Transactions
Detroit 28 29 .491 6½ Chicago 59 25 26 8 58 169 170 18, total points based on 25 points for a Daytona Beach, Fla. Top 16 in Points: 1. R.Blaney, 48; 2. A.Dillon,
Chicago 20 37 .351 14½ first-place vote through one point for a Lap length: 2.50 miles 42; 3. P.Menard, 42; 4. J.Logano, 41; 5. BASEBALL
Pacific Division 25th-place vote and previous ranking: American League
WESTERN CONFERENCE Record Pts Prv (Start position in parentheses) M.McDowell, 39; 6. D.Wallace, 39; 7.
Southwest Division GP W L OT Pts GF GA 1. (14) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 207 laps, 0 D.Hamlin, 35; 8. A.Almirola, 33; 9. C.Buesch- BALTIMORE ORIOLES — Agreed to terms
1. Virginia (42) 24-2 1601 1
W L Pct GB Vegas 58 39 15 4 82 202 158 rating, 42 points. er, 32; 10. M.Truex, 30; 11. A.Bowman, 29; with OF Alex Presley on a minor league
2. Mich. St. (19) 26-3 1565 2
Houston 44 13 .772 — San Jose 59 32 19 8 72 175 161 2. (7) Darrell Wallace Jr, Chevrolet, 207, 0, 12. R.Newman, 29; 13. T.Bayne, 28; 14. contract.
3. Villanova (4) 24-3 1509 3
San Antonio 35 24 .593 10 Calgary 60 30 21 9 69 169 175 39. A.Allmendinger, 27; 15. C.Bowyer, 22; 16. LOS ANGELES ANGELS — Agreed to terms
4. Xavier 24-4 1398 4
New Orleans 31 26 .544 13 Anaheim 60 29 20 11 69 167 170 3. (2) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 207, 0, 35. Ku.Busch, 21. with 1B Chris Carter on a minor league
5. Duke 22-5 1292 12
Memphis 18 38 .321 25½ Los Angeles 58 31 22 5 67 167 145 4. (5) Joey Logano, Ford, 207, 0, 41. NASCAR Rating Formula contract and OF Chris Young on a one-year
6. Texas Tech 22-5 1206 7
Dallas 18 40 .310 26½ Edmonton 58 24 30 4 52 162 191 5. (21) Chris Buescher, Chevrolet, 207, 0, 32. A maximum of 150 points can be attained contract.
6. Gonzaga 25-4 1206 9
Northwest Division Vancouver 59 23 30 6 52 157 189 8. Kansas 21-6 1166 13 6. (16) Paul Menard, Ford, 207, 0, 42. in a race. National League
Arizona 59 17 32 10 44 143 197 9. Purdue 24-5 1130 6 7. (3) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 207, 0, 48. The formula combines the following cate- CINCINNATI REDS — Agreed to terms with
W L Pct GB 8. (13) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 207, 0, 29. RHP Ben Rowen on a minor league con-
Minnesota 36 25 .590 — Sunday’s Games 10. N. Carolina 21-7 1074 14 gories: Wins, Finishes, Top-15 Finishes, Av-
11. Cincinnati 23-4 954 5 9. (22) Michael McDowell, Ford, 207, 0, 39. erage Running Position While on Lead Lap, tract.
Oklahoma City 33 26 .559 2 Philadelphia 7, N.Y. Rangers 4
12. Auburn 23-4 873 10 10. (20) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 207, 0, Average Speed Under Green, Fastest Lap, ST. LOUIS CARDINALS — Agreed to terms
Denver 32 26 .552 2½ Edmonton 4, Colorado 2
13. Wichita St. 21-5 870 19 27. Led Most Laps, Lead-Lap Finish. with RHP Jason Motte on a minor league
Portland 32 26 .552 2½ New Jersey 3, Carolina 2, OT
14. Arizona 21-6 831 17 11. (37) Aric Almirola, Ford, 206, 0, 33. contract.
Utah 30 28 .517 4½ Pittsburgh 5, Columbus 2
15. Clemson 20-6 683 11 12. (29) Justin Marks, Chevrolet, 206, 0, 0. FOOTBALL
Pacific Division Toronto 3, Detroit 2
Winnipeg 7, Florida 2 16. Ohio St. 22-7 680 8 13. (18) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 206, 0, 28. ODDS National Football League
W L Pct GB 17. Michigan 22-7 615 22 14. (39) David Gilliland, Ford, 206, 0, 0.
Golden State 44 14 .759 — San Jose 5, Dallas 2 MINNESOTA VIKINGS — Named Todd
18. Rhode Island 21-4 455 16 15. (10) Clint Bowyer, Ford, 206, 0, 22.
L.A. Clippers 30 26 .536 13 Monday’s Games 16. (19) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 205, 0, Pregame.com Line
Downing senior offensive assistant.
Minnesota 5, N.Y. Islanders 3 19. Tennessee 19-7 427 18 HOCKEY
L.A. Lakers 23 34 .404 20½ 21.
Sacramento 18 39 .316 25½ Washington 3, Buffalo 2 20. Nevada 23-5 330 24
17. (1) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 205, 0, 29. COLLEGE BASKETBALL National Hockey League
Boston 2, Calgary 1, OT 21. West Virginia 19-8 329 20 Tuesday
Phoenix 18 41 .305 26½ 18. (24) Martin Truex Jr, Toyota, 205, 0, 30. CAROLINA HURRICANES — Reassigned F
Ottawa at Nashville 22. Saint Mary’s 25-4 291 15 Favorite Line Underdog
Sunday’s Games 23. Houston 21-5 263 — 19. (38) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 204, 0, 18. Lucas Wallmark to Charlotte (AHL).
Los Angeles at Chicago 20. (34) Gray Gaulding, Toyota, 204, 0, 17. NC STATE 7 Boston College CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS — Traded D Mi-
2018 All-Star Game Anaheim at Vegas 24. Middle Tenn. 22-5 87 — BAYLOR 21⁄2 West Virginia
Team LeBron 148, Team Stephen 145 25. Florida St. 19-8 63 — 21. (27) Jeffrey Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 204, chal Kempny to Washington for a condi-
Monday’s Games Tuesday’s Games Others receiving votes: Baylor 52, Kentucky
0, 16. OHIO STATE 14 Rutgers tional 2018 third-round draft pick.
Montreal at Philadelphia, 7 p.m. 22. (40) Mark Thompson, Ford, 203, 0, 15. Rhode Island 61⁄2 LA SALLE NEW YORK ISLANDERS — Recalled G Ea-
No games scheduled. Tampa Bay at Washington, 7 p.m. 33, Arizona St 32, Arkansas 23, UCLA 20, St. 23. (33) William Byron, Chevrolet, 203, 0, BUTLER 5 Creighton mon McAdam from Worcester (ECHL) to
Tuesday’s Games Columbus at New Jersey, 7 p.m. Bonaventure 13, Virginia Tech 12, Creight- 14. BALL ST 9 N. Illinois Bridgeport (AHL). Recalled G Christopher
No games scheduled. Florida at Toronto, 7 p.m. on 10, Penn St. 6, Kansas St 5, Missouri 5, 24. (30) D.J. Kennington, Toyota, 201, 0, 13. W MICHIGAN 5 Cent. Michigan Gibson from Bridgeport on an emergency
Wednesday’s Games Nashville at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. Texas A&M 4, TCU 4, Butler 2, Loyola of Chi- 25. (12) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 200, 0, 12. E. MICHIGAN PK Toledo basis.
No games scheduled. San Jose at St. Louis, 8 p.m. cago 2, Alabama 1, Oklahoma 1, Boise St. 26. (11) Kurt Busch, Ford, accident, 198, 0, TEXAS A&M 6 Mississippi St
1, ETSU 1. MICHIGAN ST 17 Illinois
COLLEGE
Thursday’s Games Los Angeles at Winnipeg, 8 p.m. 21. GEORGIA SOUTHERN — Agreed to a con-
Brooklyn at Charlotte, 7 p.m. Boston at Edmonton, 9 p.m. 27. (36) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, accident, BOWLING GREEN 7 Akron tract extension with men’s basketball
Colorado at Vancouver, 10 p.m. 198, 0, 10. Buffalo 61⁄2 MIAMI (OHIO)
New York at Orlando, 7 p.m.
Philadelphia at Chicago, 8 p.m. Wednesday’s Games
COLLEGE WOMEN’S 28. (25) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, ac- OHIO 4 Kent St
coach Mark Byington through the 2021-22
season.
Washington at Cleveland, 8 p.m. Ottawa at Chicago, 8 p.m. BASKETBALL cident, 198, 0, 9.
Oklahoma City at Sacramento, 10 p.m. Dallas at Anaheim, 10 p.m. 29. (9) Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Ford, accident,
L.A. Clippers at Golden State, 10:30 p.m. Calgary at Vegas, 10:30 p.m. 197, 0, 15.
Friday’s Games AP Top 25 Poll 30. (15) David Ragan, Ford, accident, 107,
The top 25 teams in The Associated Press’ 0, 7.
Atlanta at Indiana, 7 p.m.
Boston at Detroit, 7 p.m. COLLEGE MEN’S women’s college basketball poll, with first- 31. (6) Kevin Harvick, Ford, accident, 105, 0,
place votes in parentheses, records 10.
Charlotte at Washington, 7 p.m.
Milwaukee at Toronto, 7:30 p.m.
BASKETBALL through Feb. 18, total points based on 25 32. (31) Brad Keselowski, Ford, accident,
102, 0, 5.
IN BRIEF
Cleveland at Memphis, 8 p.m. points for a first-place vote through one
point for a 25th-place vote and last week’s 33. (4) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, accident,
Miami at New Orleans, 8 p.m. USA Today Top 25 Poll
Minnesota at Houston, 8 p.m. The top 25 teams in the USA Today men’s
ranking:
Record Pts Prv
101, 0, 7.
34. (26) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, accident,
Red Sox sign slugger Martinez
L.A. Clippers at Phoenix, 9 p.m. college basketball poll, with first-place 1. UConn (32) 26-0 800 1 101, 0, 3.
Portland at Utah, 9 p.m. votes in parentheses, records through Feb. 2. Mississippi St. 28-0 765 2 35. (28) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, acci-
San Antonio at Denver, 9 p.m.
Dallas at L.A. Lakers, 10:30 p.m.
18, points based on 25 points for a first-
place vote through one point for a 25th-
3. Baylor 25-1 735 3 dent, 101, 0, 2. The most coveted free agent slugger on the market
4. Louisville 27-2 688 4 36. (8) Erik Jones, Toyota, accident, 59, 0, 1.
place vote and previous ranking:
Record Pts Pvs
5. Notre Dame 25-2 686 5 37. (17) Daniel Suarez, Toyota, accident, 59, has finally found a home. Outfielder J.D. Martinez
6. Texas 22-4 632 6 0, 1.
NHL 1. Mich. St. (20) 26-3 782 1 7. South Carolina 22-5 597 8 38. (35) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, acci- has agreed to terms with the Boston Red Sox on a
2. Virginia (8) 24-2 773 3 8. Oregon 24-4 587 9 dent, 59, 0, 1.
3. Villanova (4) 24-3 745 2 9. Florida St. 22-4 521 12 39. (23) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, accident, 59, 0, five-year contract worth $110 million, according to a
All Times ET 4. Xavier 24-4 656 4
EASTERN CONFERENCE 5. Duke 22-5 655 10
10. UCLA
11. Missouri
21-5
22-5
501
488
7
13
1.
40. (32) Corey Lajoie, Chevrolet, engine, 8,
baseball official with direct knowledge of the deal.
6. Gonzaga 25-4 602 8
Atlantic Division 7. Texas Tech 22-5 588 6
12. Oregon St. 21-6 443 15 0, 1. The official spoke to USA TODAY on the condition of
GP W L OT Pts GF GA 13. Maryland 22-5 367 10 Race Statistics
Tampa Bay 59 39 17 3 81 211 159
8. Kansas
9. Purdue
21-6 566
24-5 526
13
7
14. Ohio St. 22-6 359 16 Average Speed of Race Winner: 150.551 anonymity because the trade has not been finalized.
15. Tennessee 21-6 358 11 mph.
Boston
Toronto
57
61
36
36
13 8 80 188 140
20 5 77 204 172
10. North Carolina 21-7 498 16 16. Stanford 19-9 319 14 Time of Race: 3 hours, 26 minutes, 15 sec- Martinez hit .303 with 45 home runs and 104 RBI last
11. Cincinnati 23-4 497 5 17. Texas A&M 20-8 247 17 onds.
Florida 56 26 24 6 58 166 185 12. Wichita State 21-5 404 18 season. He was traded from the Detroit Tigers to the
Arizona Diamondbacks in late July, and his slugging
prowess helped propel the Diamondbacks to a wild-
SUPER 25 BOYS BASKETBALL RANKINGS card playoff berth. The Red Sox can use the offensive
upgrade after finishing last in the American League
1. Montverde Academy, Montverde, Fla. (32-0). Previous ranking (PR): 1.
2. Sunrise Christian, Bel Aire, Kan. (21-2). PR: 2.
17. Roselle Catholic, Roselle, N.J. (20-4). PR: 18.
18. Oak Ridge, Orlando (25-4). PR: 19.
in home runs in 2017 and with their archrivals in the
3. Oak Hill Academy, Mouth of Wilson, Va. (36-1). PR: 3. 19. Brentwood Academy, Brentwood, Tenn. (22-5). PR: 20. American League East, the New York Yankees, ac-
4. University High, Davie, Fla. (28-1). PR: 4. 20. Wasatch Academy, Mount Pleasant, Utah (21-2). PR: 21.
5. Bishop Montgomery, Torrance, Calif. (26-0). PR: 5. 21. Riley, South Bend, Ind. (21-0). PR: 22. quiring slugger Giancarlo Stanton this winter.
6. Findlay Prep, Henderson, Nev. (29-4). PR: 6.
❚ The top-ranked Wake Forest men’s team won its
22. Upson-Lee, Thomaston, Ga. (27-0). PR: 23.
7. Paul VI, Fairfax, Va. (26-2). PR: 7. 23. Plymouth Whitemarsh, Plymouth Meeting, Pa. (24-0). PR: 24.
8. McEachern, Powder Springs, Ga. (25-2). PR: 8. 24. Cretin-Derham Hall, St. Paul, Minn. (20-1). PR: 25:
9. Simeon, Chicago (25-3). PR: 9. 25. Gonzaga Prep, Spokane, Wash. (23-0). PR: Not ranked. first national championship Monday, defeating No. 7
10. Shadow Mountain, Phoenix (23-1). PR: 10.
11. Memphis East, Memphis (23-3). PR: 11.
UCLA 4-2 to win the ITA National Team Indoor
12. La Lumiere, La Porte, Ind. (20-3). PR: 12.
13. Imhotep Charter, Philadelphia (22-2). PR: 14.
Dropped out: No. 15 Richland, Wash.
The Super 25 rankings are compiled by USA TODAY Sports’ Jim Halley, based on results,
Championship in Seattle.
14. Guyer, Denton, Texas (34-1). PR: 16. tradition, quality of players and strength of schedule. Next rankings: Feb. 27. Results are
through Feb. 18 games. Regional rankings are available at usatodayhss.com.
From Steve Gardner, Bob Nightengale and wire re-
15. DeMatha Catholic, Hyattsville, Md. (25-5). PR: 17.
16. Garfield, Seattle (24-1). PR: 13. ports

GOLF
GENESIS OPEN Kevin Chappell (40), $78,000..............69-71-70-71—281 (-3)
Talor Gooch (40), $78,000...................73-70-67-71—281 (-3)
Jason Kokrak (40), $78,000 ................68-72-69-72—281 (-3)
Sunday Rory McIlroy (40), $78,000 ..................71-69-73-68—281 (-3)
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Los Angeles John Huh (27), $46,996 ........................70-72-70-70—282 (-2)
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Yardage: 7,322; Par: 71 Peter Uihlein (27), $46,996 ..................70-73-69-70—282 (-2)
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Final Matt Kuchar (27), $46,996 ..................73-71-69-69—282 (-2)
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Kevin Na (245), $633,600..................68-70-67-69—274 (-10)
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Patrick Cantlay (123), $316,800 ........66-69-69-71—275 (-9) Patrick Rodgers (27), $46,996 ............70-71-72-69—282 (-2)
Scott Stallings (123), $316,800 ..........71-68-68-68—275 (-9)
SN ws" Ы
SPORTS ON TV
Times Eastern. Programs live unless noted. Check
Austin Cook (8), $17,964.....................74-66-73-72—285 (+1)
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HaoTong Li, $16,437 ...........................71-71-69-75—286 (+2) State (Big Ten, 7 p.m.); Rhode Island at La Salle (CBS
Adam Schenk (6), $16,437 .................76-67-72-71—286 (+2) Sports Network, 7 p.m.); Illinois at Michigan State
Adam Scott (6), $16,437.....................72-72-71-71—286 (+2)
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(ESPN, 7 p.m.); West Virginia at Baylor (ESPN2,
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Harold Varner III (5), $15,696 ............73-70-72-72—287 (+3)
Kelly Kraft (4), $15,408........................71-72-72-73—288 (+4) Mississippi State at Texas A&M (SEC Network,
Ryan Armour (4), $15,120...................71-71-74-73—289 (+5)
Padraig Harrington (4), $15,120.......71-73-71-74—289 (+5) 7 p.m.); Indiana at Nebraska (Big Ten Network,

Sam Saunders (27), $46,996...............67-69-72-74—282 (-2) Sean O’Hair (4), $15,120 ....................71-72-73-73—289 (+5)
Adam Hadwin (92), $241,200 ............70-74-66-66—276 (-8) Luke Donald (18), $33,120..................71-72-72-68—283 (-1) Martin Piller (4), $14,832 ....................72-72-75-71—290 (+6) 9 p.m.); Northern Iowa at Valparaiso (CBS Sports
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Phil Mickelson (92), $241,200 .............70-71-67-68—276 (-8) Tommy Fleetwood (18), $33,120 .......70-71-73-69—283 (-1) Abraham Ancer (3), $14,400 .............72-69-75-75—291 (+7)
Cameron Smith (92), $241,200..........72-68-65-71—276 (-8) Branden Grace (18), $33,120.............70-72-69-72—283 (-1) Greg Chalmers (3), $14,400 ..............73-69-74-75—291 (+7)
Network, 9 p.m.); Kentucky at Arkansas (ESPN,
M N П

Martin Laird (70), $180,000 ................68-73-68-68—277 (-7) Charles Howell III (18), $33,120..........74-70-69-70—283 (-1) Thomas Pieters (3), $14,400 ..............71-71-71-78—291 (+7) 9 p.m.); Mississippi at Missouri (ESPN2, 9 p.m.); Saint
S

Ryan Moore (70), $180,000.................68-68-71-70—277 (-7)

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Jonas Blixt (12), $24,516 .......................71-71-68-74—284 (E) Charl Schwartzel (3), $14,400............71-73-73-74—291 (+7)
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Xander Schauffele (70), $180,000.....71-70-68-68—277 (-7) Bryson DeChambeau (12), $24,516 ...71-69-72-72—284 (E) Tyrone Van Aswegen (3), $14,400 ....70-72-75-74—291 (+7) Louis at Dayton (ESPNU, 9 p.m.); Vanderbilt at LSU
.C ha ГР

Jordan Spieth (70), $180,000..............71-70-69-67—277 (-7) Brandon Harkins (12), $24,516 ............71-70-74-69—284 (E) Chez Reavie (3), $13,896 ....................68-76-77-71—292 (+8)
Justin Thomas (70), $180,000 .............69-71-67-70—277 (-7)
Aaron Baddeley (56), $133,200.........72-68-67-71—278 (-6)
Charley Hoffman (12), $24,516...........75-69-69-71—284 (E) Vijay Singh (3), $13,896 ......................72-70-73-77—292 (+8) (SEC Network, 9 p.m.)
Troy Merritt (12), $24,516......................68-71-72-73—284 (E) Sangmoon Bae (2), $13,608............73-71-73-77—294 (+10)
VK "W ИЗ

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Derek Fathauer (50), $111,600 ..........68-70-68-74—280 (-4) Kevin Streelman (12), $24,516 .............72-70-69-73—284 (E)
Dustin Johnson (50), $111,600...........74-69-64-73—280 (-4) Nick Taylor (12), $24,516.......................71-71-74-68—284 (E) Chelsea vs. Barcelona (Fox Sports 1, 2:30 p.m.); Bay-
Л

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РЕ

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Bud Cauley (40), $78,000 ....................70-72-69-70—281 (-3)
 РЕЛИЗ ГРУППЫ "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS

6C ❚ TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2018 ❚ USA TODAY SPORTS

THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF No. 3’s WIN

AT DAYTONA WAS CELEBRATED
WITH No. 3 WINNING AT DAYTONA.

Twenty years ago, we saw another No. 3 Chevy win at Daytona. Sunday,
Austin Dillon found the perfect way to celebrate with a first-place finish in
the debut race of the Camaro ZL1. Congratulations to Austin and the entire
Chevy team. You’ve given the perfect introduction to the ZL1 and helped
make Chevy the winningest manufacturer at the DAYTONA 500.®

NASCAR® is a registered trademark of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc.
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 РЕЛИЗ ГРУППЫ "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS

E2 USA TODAY ❚ TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2018 ❚ SECTION D

GIRL
POWER
USA’s Snow Queen, hockey team and
triple-axel skater will be in spotlight

❚ The greatest women’s skier of all time, Lindsey Vonn, top photo, will
be the one to watch in the women’s downhill 4D
❚ With a 5-0 trouncing of Finland and its respected goaltender, the
U.S. women’s hockey team has a blueprint of what it will need to do
against defending champion Canada in the gold medal game 6D
❚ Mirai Nagasu, left, the first American woman to land a clean triple
axel in Olympic history, will have a tough road against the Russians,
including controversial Alina Zagitova, who backloads her programs
with all of her jumps to gain bonus points 6D

Vonn photo by Eric Bolte/USA TODAY Sports; hockey photo by James Lang/USA TODAY Sports; Na-
gasu photo by Robert Deutsch/USA TODAY Sports

OLYMPIC MEDAL LEADERS Inside ❚ Like all South Korean citizens, Olympic
volunteers air their grievances directly
Country j j j Total
to the president 4D
Norway 11 9 8 28 ❚ U.S. bobsledder Jamie Greubel Poser’s
sister is a South Korea native 2D ❚ U.S. Alpine skier Lindsey Vonn says, “I
Germany 10 6 4 20 stand by my values, and I’m not going
❚ Elana Meyers Taylor is out recruiting
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Canada 6 5 6 17 to back down” in spite of social media

the next generation of American bob-
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Netherlands 6 5 2 13 backlash 4D
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sledders 2D
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❚ Complete medals table and latest

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OA Russia 0 3 8 11
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❚ Dan Wolken column: IOC shouldn’t

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results 5D
MEDAL COUNT THROUGH MONDAY
reinstate Russia 3D
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❚ Olympic Games TV listings 5D

❚ Norway makes sports fun, and it’s
❚ For results, galleries and videos, check
Л

paying off at these Games 3D

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MEYERS TAYLOR BY KEVIN JAIRAJ/USA TODAY out olympics.usatoday.com


2D ❚ TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2018 ❚ USA TODAY
WINTER OLYMPICS
Greubel Poser draws inspiration from sis
Sibling is native
of South Korea
Nancy Armour
Columnist
USA TODAY
PYEONGCHANG, South Korea –
From the time Pyeongchang was chosen
to host these Winter Olympics, Jamie
Greubel Poser knew she had to be here.
As much for her sister as for herself.
Greubel Poser’s 17-year-old sister,
Elizabeth, was adopted from South Ko-
rea when she was 5 months old. Until a
few days ago, she hadn’t been back.
“I never thought I would have that
connection in my sports career,” said
Greubel Poser, the driver of the USA-2
bobsled. “I was always motivated be-
cause I was so competitive and I loved
competing in sports. But to have a new
meaning behind why I wanted to com-
pete there was just different.
“I wanted to go in Sochi because I
wanted to be the best in the world at my
sport,” she said. “I still do, but this has a
deeper meaning for me now.”
Elizabeth and her father, Peter, spent
the past couple of days in Seoul, where
they did a street tour that took them to
several palaces and then a food tour.
They took a train to Pyeongchang on
Monday, arriving in time to see Greubel
Poser’s husband, Germany’s Christian
Poser, compete in the two-man bobsled.
Christian Poser and Nico Walther
were in first place heading into the final
two runs. Jamie Greubel Poser, who is
34, begins competition Tuesday night.
“It’s been exciting,” Elizabeth told
USA TODAY. “It’s been different be-
cause it’s a whole different culture.”
Greubel Poser grew up in Newtown,
Pa., with two younger brothers, so she
was thrilled when her parents said they
were adopting Elizabeth. She got her
first passport because of her sister, a re-
quirement as part of the family’s back-
ground check.
Unlike adoptions from some other
countries, parents don’t come to South
Korea to pick up their babies. Instead,
Athletic, strong and fast? You should try bobsled
Current team focused on
recruiting future squad
Dan Wolken
USA TODAY
PYEONGCHANG, South Korea – A
few weeks after her Olympics are over,
U.S. bobsled pilot Elana Meyers Taylor
plans to spend a lot of time on social
media. But rather than starting Twitter
fights or posting Instagram selfies, her
cause will be a more noble one: Recruit-
ing her eventual replacement.
She does it by any means necessary,
whether it’s scouting college softball
games on television, canvassing
strength and conditioning coaches at
top college athletics programs or simply
lobbying them on Facebook to give bob-
sled a try.
“I get a ton of ‘nos,’ ” Meyers Taylor
said. “But that’s never stopped me be-
fore.”
The pitch is a simple one to young
women who have exhibited athletic at-
tributes in other sports such as strength
and sprinting speed that would come in
handy on a bobsled. If you ever thought
about competing in the Olympics, Mey-
ers Taylor tells them, here’s an opportu-
nity in a sport you don’t have to spend
your entire life trying to master.
And while Meyers Taylor’s efforts
have already paid off — her brakeman at
these Olympics, Lauren Gibbs, transi-
tioned from power lifting just four years
ago — she’s hoping success at these
Games combined with her recruiting
pitch in the coming months will replen-
ish the ranks for 2022 and beyond.
“We really try to take advantage of
this opportunity,” she said. “Every four
years it’s about rebuilding and making
sure we have a fresh crop of athletes.”
As successful as the U.S. team has
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to the Olympic program in 2002 — it has
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had at least one medalist in every com-
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petition — it’s not easy to sustain.
Americans generally don’t grow up bob-
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sledding, there isn’t a lot of money to be
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made in it and yet it’s expensive to get
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on the World Cup circuit (imagine ship-
РЕЛИЗ ГРУППЫ "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS
Two-time Olympian Jamie Greubel Poser says, “This has a deeper meaning for
me now.” Her sister, Elizabeth, is from South Korea. JEFF SWINGER/USA TODAY SPORTS
Greubel Poser said she and her brothers
accompanied their parents to John F.
Kennedy airport, where they eagerly
waited at the gate for her sister.
“We were super excited waiting,”
Greubel Poser said. “A couple got off the
plane and had our sister. It was just an
incredible moment and something I’ll
never forget for the rest of my life.”
Elizabeth has never been to one of
her sister’s races. Most bobsled World
ping a 365-pound sled and all the other
equipment around the world in a crate).
Thus, women’s bobsledders aren’t
really groomed as much as they’re con-
verted, which is where Meyers Taylor is
constantly on the lookout for prospects,
reaching out to more than 100 a year by
her estimation. Half of the women’s na-
tional team last year, she said, were her
recruits, including former Baylor track
and field star Kehri Jones, who was her
brakeman last February when she won
gold in the world championships.
How did she find Jones? By calling
Baylor’s strength coach, Chris Ruf, and
asking who might have the right attri-
butes to make it in bobsled.
“It’s a sport that lends well to conver-
sion,” said Meyers Taylor, who convert-
ed herself after her softball career end-
ed. “And it lends well to athletes who
have that multisport background be-
cause you’re athletic, you’re able to pick
up new skills quickly and that’s really
what it takes to be a bobsledder.
“As a brakeman you can come in in a
short amount of time and win medals.
But even if you never make an Olympic
team, even if you don’t win a medal or a
world championship medal, you have
the chance to travel around the world
and represent your country. This is the
most amazing thing I could ever think of
doing, and, who knows, you might make
an Olympic team as well.”
That pitch also worked on Gibbs, a
former all-Ivy League volleyball player
at Brown who was connected with Mey-
ers Taylor through Olympic rugby player
Jillion Potter. Gibbs, who has an MBA
from Pepperdine and was working in a
corporate job with an online retailer,
eventually quit her job to give bobsled a
shot, transformed her body from 205
pounds down to 170 and rose through
the ranks to land the coveted slot as
Meyers Taylor’s brakeman.
“She’s so powerful off the blocks,”
Meyers Taylor said. “Off the first 5 me-
ters of the sled, that’s really when you
get the sled going. She’s better than any-
one in the world at that portion, so it
really complements my style. Her po-
werlifting background but also her vol-
leyball skills. We’ve been successful
Cups are in Europe, and Elizabeth was a
little too young to join her father and
brother in Sochi four years ago, when
Greubel Poser won a bronze medal.
(Their mother, a physician, couldn’t
take off of work, and their other brother
was in school.)
But when Greubel Poser came to Pye-
ongchang for last year’s test event, it
was as if her little sister was with her.
“Just kind of walking around and be-
U.S. pilot Elana Meyers Taylor hopes to corner the market for future American
bobsledders by recruiting after the Games. MARK RALSTON/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
converting volleyball players in the past
because of that jumping, that power.
You have to go and spike a ball down
someone’s throat. That’s a hidden gem
of a conversion to bobsled.”
Jamie Greubel Poser, who will pilot
the other U.S. sled, said bobsled is the
perfect sport for women to be converted
into because there are so few sports that
allow them an opportunity to compete
after college.
“For a lot of us, we didn’t know bob-
sled was an opportunity for us to pur-
sue,” said Greubel Poser, who competed
in the heptathlon and pentathlon at
Cornell. “It wasn’t on my radar that I
could be an Olympian because the
sports I watched were sports like figure
skating or gymnastics, things you had to
do your entire life to even have a shot.”
Recruiting from more traditional
women’s sports has also opened up op-
portunities for the U.S. Olympic team to
become more diverse, which has been
one of the U.S. Olympic Committee’s
SPORTS
ing like, ‘My sister could be here. She
could be any one of these people that
I’m meeting,’ ” Greubel Poser said. “It’s
very emotional. It’s crazy. It’s hard to ex-
plain, just walking around and taking it
in and thinking that life could be com-
pletely different, but this is how it
worked out.”
Greubel Poser sent her sister an end-
less amount of photos — mostly of food.
The Greubels have tried to make sure
Elizabeth maintains a link to her heri-
tage and sent her to Korean language
classes when she was younger. But it’s a
hard language to learn, and Peter Greu-
bel said she got frustrated with it.
“The only time she was using it was
at school,” he said. “So we opted to let
that kind of go to the wayside.”
Korean food, however, was a different
story.
“She loves Korean food,” Greubel Pos-
er said. “We have this amazing (Korean)
restaurant in our hometown, and our
family eats there all the time. She loves
it.”
Indeed, that was one of the things
Elizabeth was looking forward to about
getting to Pyeongchang. While she en-
joyed the food in Seoul — “I wanted eggs
this morning for breakfast, and she
wanted kimchi and pork,” Peter Greubel
said — it wasn’t any different from what
she gets in the USA.
The other thing Elizabeth is looking
forward to — besides seeing her sister
and brother-in-law, of course — is meet-
ing Olympians.
When Elizabeth and Greubel Poser
were FaceTiming last week, Elizabeth
told her sister she wanted to meet Chloe
Kim.
“She said, ‘I’m standing right next to
her.’ I freaked out. I was in an ice cream
store,” Elizabeth said. “I want to meet in
her person because she’s 17, I’m 17. She’s
Korean, I’m Korean.
“And because she’s an Olympic gold
medalist.”
Depending on how things go the next
few days, her sister and brother-in-law
might soon be, too. What a sweet ending
that would be, Greubel Poser winning
the ultimate prize in a country that has
already given her so much.
Contributing: Rachel Axon
primary goals over the last decade.
Aja Evans, a former sprinter and shot
putter at Illinois, said bobsled can be a
turning point important in the partici-
pation of black women at the Winter
Games, noting the celebrated Nigerian
bobsled team that will compete this
year.
“I had a pretty unique combination
(with sprinting and shot put), but the
consistent thing between those two was
the power from my legs and being able
to get up in the air when I threw the shot
or get out of the blocks,” she said.
“That’s basically what I do on the block
in our sport now is you literally go from 0
to 100 and we’re moving 365-pound
sled, so you have to have that power for
sure, and speed is a big portion of it.
Track and field athletes usually transi-
tion pretty well because we’ve learned
technique and how to run our whole
lives. A lot of college athletes have po-
tential in the sport of bobsled and don’t
even know it.”
 РЕЛИЗ ГРУППЫ "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS

SPORTS USA TODAY ❚ TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2018 ❚ 3D

WINTER OLYMPICS

IOC, don’t even think about reinstating Russia

Dan Wolken
Columnist
USA TODAY
PYEONGCHANG, South Korea –
There is a breathlessly hilarious, per-
fectly nonsensical symmetry to Russia’s
first hiccup after one of the biggest dop-
ing scandals in Olympic history occur-
ring in a sport in which lifting weights
and being physically fit only recently
became in vogue.
For Russia, having a curler disquali-
fied from a medal would be akin to SMU
football coming back from the death
penalty in the 1980s, only to get put on
probation for cheating in field hockey.
While Aleksandr Krushelnitckii’s posi-
tive test for the banned substance mel-
donium is brazen and outrageous given
the controversial nature of Russia’s
mere presence at these Games, let’s
concede it’s worthy of a good chuckle.
Here’s what isn’t funny at all: The In-
ternational Olympic Committee possi-
bly reinstating Russia by the end of the
Games and letting its athletes walk un-
der their flag at the closing ceremony.
It shouldn’t happen. It can’t happen.
Not if the IOC wants to maintain any
shred of credibility, not if it wants the
rest of the world to believe it considers
doping to be a serious breach of its eth-
ical standards for fair competition.
That notion already was on thin ice
The Court of Arbitration for Sports has opened a positive doping test
investigation of Russia’s Aleksandr Krushelnitckii. He won bronze in mixed
doubles curling with his wife, Anastasia Bryzgalova. SOOBUM IM/USA TODAY SPORTS
this time, given that some Russian ath-
letes were allowed to come and compete
under the Olympic flag as the Olympic
Athletes from Russia, a clunky designa-
tion that fools no one but ensures that a
country of 145 million people still has
reason to watch on television.
As usual, the IOC needed some twist-
ed logic to justify that decision, but at
least you can sort of understand it. If
there were clean Russians, the IOC said,
let them compete, nevermind the whole
thing about the country that hosted the
last Winter Olympics systematically
manipulating the tests. Whatever.
The point is, that kind of gift should
come with a zero-tolerance policy at-
tached. It doesn’t matter whether you
think meldonium helps a curler. It
doesn’t matter if every other Russian
athlete here is clean. It doesn’t matter if
there are athletes from other countries
who are not. And it certainly doesn’t
matter whether someone spiked Krush-
elnitckii’s drink at a training camp in Ja-
pan, which is the excuse now reportedly
bubbling out of the Russian delegation.
Maybe Krushelnitckii, a curler with a
hulking physique who made a striking
pair with wife Anastasia Bryzgalova
during their bronze medal run in mixed
doubles, is the victim of a sabotage
campaign. Maybe he’s just using the
same excuse hundreds of cheaters have
attempted to use when they’ve been
caught. Can anyone know for sure?
But for the purposes of reinstating
Russia at the closing ceremony — an
event that would be tantamount to a
big, ceremonial wet kiss from the IOC —
any positive test should be a non-start-
er.
You want to reinstate Russia? Fine. It
will happen eventually anyway. But do it
in a low-key manner in the middle of
August, not in a way that celebrates its
delegation and makes the rest of the
countries watch the Russian literally
wave their flag at the send-off for the
Pyeongchang Games.
Russia has already sucked up enough
of the oxygen from these Olympics just
by being here as a semi-rogue sideshow.
At this point, returning them to equal
status would be nothing more than the
IOC attempting to erase reality.

Medals-leading Norway dominates with unique approach

Youth system focuses on
fun, friendships, medals
Dan Wolken
USA TODAY

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea –

They’re not here to gloat. The Norwe-
gians, in fact, will go out of their way to
tell you there’s still a long way to go at
these Olympics before they reach their
goals and win the overall medal count.
They’re also not here to tell anyone
(such as the struggling U.S. team;
cough, cough) how to go about their
business or impose their Norwegian so-
cietal values, which they believe are di-
rectly tied into the success of their win-
ter sports development.
“We’re not a gorilla beating its chest,”
said Tore Ovrebo, the Norwegian Olym-
pic Committee’s director of elite sports.
“We know it can change very quickly.
We have to work hard.”
But from a U.S. perspective, let’s be
real about this: Norway is kicking our
red, white and blue rear ends in Pyeong-
chang. And we’re not the only ones.
Norway, which is always among the
best nations at the Winter Games de-
spite having roughly the same popula-
tion as the Detroit metropolitan area, is
on track to win at an unprecedented lev-
el with 26 medals and nine golds, practi-
cally matching their all-time best per-
formance as the host country in 1994.
Barring a major drought the rest of the
way, Norway is likely going to meet its
pre-Olympic goal of 30 and run away
with the medal count.
Apparently being No. 1 in the United
Nations’ Human Development Index
last year wasn’t good enough for Nor- Norwegian athletes, including the women’s 4x5-kilometer cross country relay that won gold, have stood on the podium at
way. Now they want to beat your brains the Pyeongchang Games medals plaza 28 times through Monday’s competition. KEVIN JAIRAJ/USA TODAY SPORTS
on the ski slopes, too.
“Now we have 26, and that’s our his-
torically best medal count,” Ovrebo to have the highest-ranked 10-year-old health care, free college education and really want to succeed in: fun, friend-
said. “We had 26 in Lillehammer in ’94 athletes in the world but rather the most high employment rates. ships and medals.”
which was a home game and we got 26 mature adults. “We have quite a high level of life Ovrebo doesn’t want to come across
in Sochi, but this time we thought we “A huge amount of Norwegian kids quality for a very high percentage of the as though he’s being critical of any other
had to raise the bar because sports are are doing sports, so we have very broad people, and that puts them in a position country or that the Norwegian approach
in a very good condition and we thought recruiting base, and our top sports pro- where they can actually choose sports is best for any other country than Nor-
as a nation we were better than 26 and grams and our kids are very closely con- as a kind of self-realization and devel- way.
we want to deliver more.” nected in our system,” Ovrebo said. opment arena,” Ovrebo said. “They’re He also acknowledges that the coun-
They’re delivering, all right. The “They can compete, but we don’t make not struggling for their lives, so they’re try’s plentiful snow and many months
question is how. like No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 before they’re in quite free and quite educated and have of cold weather have something to do
Ironically, for a country that’s been their 13th year. We think it’s better to be good health state. That means many of with becoming so good at winter sports
winning everything here, Ovrebo be- a child in this way because then they the youth are actually in a position as opposed to summer, where they rare-
lieves much of the success traces back can concentrate on having fun and be where they can choose sports.” ly reach double figures in medals.
to its disregard for the scoreboard with with their friends and develop. We think And if that isn’t utopiaish enough for “We want to be better at summer
younger athletes. the biggest motivation for the kids to do you, get this: Even when the athletes sports because there are lots of kids do-
Unlike the USA, where we keep score sports that they do it with their friends grow up and start competing for big tro- ing summer sports, but they don’t have
of everything all the time, Norway puts and they have fun while they’re doing it, phies, they remain friends. Not made- the same natural advantages and the
kids in sports but doesn’t let them keep and we want to keep that feeling for-TV and Twitter friends, but, like, funding is much lower for their sports,”
score until age 13. The idea is to make throughout their whole career.” real friends. Among the other things Ovrebo said. “But if they’re not funded,
sports part of their social development Fun remains a key tent of the Norwe- Norway encourages is for the sports and they die. We’re really working hard on
so that the motivation to stay involved is gian experience even when they grow coaches to get out of their silos and talk that piece.”
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to have fun with their friends, not win- up, which is important since, as Ovrebo to each other and learn from each other. Although government support for the
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ning.
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acknowledges, “it’s not a very compet- “We go abroad as a big team that national Olympic committee all goes
S
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Eventually, the Norwegians intro- itive society from the start.” In other wants to have fun, and we should be into the same financial pot, the market-
W
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duce competition and the most ad- words, Norway doesn’t look at sports as even better friends when we come back ing money and sponsorships are much
vanced sports science techniques they an avenue to fame and fortune, nor is it home than when we leave Norway,” Ov- stronger for skiing and biathlon, so
VK "W ИЗ

can develop to pump out their medal- an escape from their troubles. Because rebo said. “We also have a very high am- those tend to attract the best athletes.
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hoarding biathletes, skiers and ski most Norwegians, it turns out, don’t bition for results. Hey, even a little powerhouse such as
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jumpers. But the idea, Ovrebo said, isn’t have many troubles given the universal “So it’s those three elements that we Norway can’t overachieve in everything.
 РЕЛИЗ ГРУППЫ "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS

4D ❚ TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2018 ❚ USA TODAY SPORTS

WINTER OLYMPICS

President listening to will of volunteers

Complaints down
from Games’ start
Jim Michaels
USA TODAY
PYEONGCHANG, South Korea –
Olympic Games volunteers had a host of
gripes, ranging from lousy food to over-
crowded accommodations.
So they did what many of their fellow
countrymen do: They went to the presi-
dent.
Petitioning the president has become
extremely popular. Last year President
Moon Jae-in opened the floodgates by
promising the presidential website
would become a national bulletin board
for citizens who want to be heard.
More than 50,000 petitions have
been filed, ranging from a plea to ban
eating dog meat to urging the Blue
House to publicly sell commemorative
presidential watches. Some have only a
few signatures, but others have thou-
leaky pipes and other problems. They
also complained of lousy food.
sands.
The issue of volunteers is an impor-
The Pyeongchang Organizing Com-
mittee said only 141 volunteers left be-
tant one for Moon, whose political ca- cause of the problems and said the bulk
reer rides at least partly on the success of problems have been resolved.
of the Olympics. “We’ve been doing what we can to
“The Blue House is ... very interested address the needs of the volunteers,
in the operation of the Games so they making sure that they’re taken care of,”
have also received some letters” of com- Volunteers enjoy themselves after the Park said.
plaints, said Nancy Park, the Olympic women’s giant slalom was postponed It seems to be working. Complaints
organizing committee spokeswoman. because of strong winds last week. from volunteers on social media have
Blue House is the presidential palace. ALEXANDER HASSENSTEIN/GETTY IMAGES dwindled in recent days.
About 14,000 volunteers are working Petitions are part of the popular pro-
at the Winter Games. They are impos- test culture here. Massive protests led to
sible to miss, with their red and gray They levied a slew of complaints in the impeachment of Park Geun-hye,
uniforms and irrepressible cheeriness. the days leading up to the Games. Vol- Moon’s predecessor.
Leaving a freestyle skiing event this unteers said they were stranded at ven- South Korea’s post World War II his-
past weekend, dozens of young volun- ues because of a lack of buses. Many tory has been marked by turmoil and
teers lined the path to smile and wave also said they had to stand in subfreez- episodes of military rule, but it has
goodbye to spectators even though it ing weather without properly heated emerged as a vibrant democracy.
was late and the temperature was drop- cabins to escape the cold during breaks. Politicians have learned to listen to
ping. They get free housing, but in the early the voice of the people.
“They are the face of the games,” Park days many volunteers complained of Contributing: Thomas Maresca in
said. “They’re very important to us.” overcrowding and apartments with Seoul

No showdown for Vonn, just spotlight Vonn ignores

Greatest women’s skier
all in at these Games
Nancy Armour
USA TODAY
PYEONGCHANG, South Korea –
Lindsey Vonn has the spotlight all to
herself.
Rather than a showdown with young
American teammate Mikaela Shiffrin,
the women’s downhill is now all about
the Speed Queen and her pursuit of an-
other gold in her signature event. The
spotlight will be squarely on Vonn on
Wednesday, regardless of where she fin-
ishes.
“I’ve tried not to think about it as be-
ing my last Olympic downhill and just
focus on the moment, the right here and
the right now,” Vonn said Monday.
It’s that here and now that had made
the prospect of Vonn and Shiffrin in the
downhill so intriguing.
Vonn is the greatest female ski racer
of all time, and it won’t be long before
the modifier becomes irrelevant. With
81 World Cup victories, she needs six
more to surpass Swedish male Ingemar
Stenmark’s record.
And Shiffrin might one day pass
them both.
A month shy of her 23rd birthday,
Shiffrin has 41 World Cup wins. But
most of those have been in the tech
events, meaning she and Vonn rarely
crossed paths on the World Cup circuit.
That changed this season, as Shiffrin
began adding speed events to her
schedule.
She got her first career downhill win
this season — at Lake Louise, of all
places, which has been dubbed “Lake
Lindsey” for all of Vonn’s success there
— and last month shared a podium with
Vonn in Cortina, Italy.
With Shiffrin hoping to do all five
events in Pyeongchang, the idea of see-
ing her and Vonn, 33, go head-to-head
with Olympic gold on the line was one of
gold in the downhill and bronze in the
super-G, she was skiing with a badly
bruised shin.
With one last chance to have the
Olympics she wants, Vonn has poured
every bit of herself into these Games.
The death of her beloved grandfather,
Don Kildow, on Nov. 1 only hardened
her resolve.
“This time I have a more important
mission; win for my late Grandpa,”
Vonn said in an Instagram post the
night before the super-G. “He will be
watching from the best seat in the
house, hopefully looking out for me
and guiding me down the mountain.”
Lindsey Vonn says she plans to Vonn didn’t win the super-G, tying
compete in the downhill and the for sixth after making a mistake in the
combined, which will be held on last turn. But she was upbeat after-
back-to-back days. ward, knowing her best race was still
MICHAEL MADRID/USA TODAY SPORTS in front of her.
“In general, this season, I feel like
I’ve been much better in downhill than
the most tantalizing story lines of the super-G,” Vonn said Saturday. “And
Games. But the fireworks keep fizzling. this hill, it suits me really well for
First was Saturday’s super-G, which downhill.”
Shiffrin dropped after racing the giant She’s backed that up. She had the
slalom and slalom the two previous fastest time in Sunday’s training run.
days. (And taking gold in the GS, for Despite backing off a bit Monday, she
those keeping track.) Now it’s the down- still finished third, 0.35 seconds be-
hill, which Shiffrin is skipping to focus hind Austria’s Stephanie Venier.
on the Alpine combined that was moved “I’m not looking to do anything spe-
from Friday to Thursday. cial here in the training runs,” Vonn
There’s still the combined, where said Monday. “I just want to get a feel-
both are expected to be in the medals ing for the line. I’m trying some differ-
hunt. But that’s not quite the same as ent skis every day to seeing what’s
the downhill, the premier ski race in the running. But, in general, I’m really
Olympics. What could be better than happy.”
seeing a torch passed at 90 mph? It is only a matter of days before
Then again, it feels right that Vonn Vonn’s Olympic career is over, and she
gets the spotlight to herself in the race can see the finish line ahead. But as
that’s defined her. she’s done for the better part of two
For all that she’s achieved, Vonn’s decades, she will not let up until she’s
luck at the Olympics has been stunning- crossed it, pushing hard until the very
ly bad. She was eighth in the downhill in end.
Torino, two days after she had to be air- “You can’t get too sentimental right
lifted to a hospital following a scary now because I still have to race, I still
crash in training. She missed Sochi after have to be focused,” she said. “After-
reinjuring her knee about six weeks be- wards I’ll do some reflecting.”
fore the Games. And savor that one last race that be-
Even in Vancouver, where she won longed all to her.
social bullies
Josh Peter
USA TODAY
PYEONGCHANG, South Korea –
Lindsey Vonn, the target of hateful
comments on social media, said she
has no plans to change her social
media strategy and disengage.
“No, that’s what bullies want you to
do,” Vonn said Monday after her train-
ing run at the downhill course. “They
want to defeat you. I’m not defeated. I
stand by my values, and I’m not going
to back down.
“I may not be as vocal right now
with my opinions, but that doesn’t
mean they’ve won. I haven’t changed
my mind.”
Vonn, the American ski racing star,
came under harsh attack on Twitter af-
ter her sixth-place finish in the su-
per-G Saturday; many of the com-
ments referred to Vonn’s criticism of
President Trump.
Before the Olympics, Vonn said she
would not visit the White House if in-
vited. In December she told CNN, “I
want to represent our country well. I
don’t think that there are a lot of peo-
ple currently in our government that
do that.’’
On Monday, Vonn sighed while say-
ing, “I always try to remember that it’s
people talking behind a computer and
they’re going to say anything. The
most important thing is that I’m hav-
ing a good time.
“I’m enjoying being at the Olym-
pics. My family’s here. They love me,
and of course there’s going to be peo-
ple that hate me and hope I ski off a
cliff and die. But that’s fine. I’m not go-
ing to do that.
“I just take it for what it is. At some
point you have to laugh and say this is
just completely ridiculous.”
Vonn is scheduled to race in the
women’s downhill Wednesday and the
combined Thursday.

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SPORTS USA TODAY ❚ TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2018 ❚ 5D

WINTER OLYMPICS
FOR THE RECORD OLYMPICS ON TV 12:45 p.m.
Times Eastern. Programs Nordic Combined: Men’s
MEDALS TABLE pacz), 3:16.86. Rhoads, Kevin Bickner, Casey Larson), Semifinals
3. Latvia 2 (Oskars Melbardis, Janis Stren- (377.20) 377.20. United States 5, Finland 0 live unless noted. Check individual large hill/10km
ga), 3:16.91. 10. Czech Republic (Roman Koudelka, Monday
Through Monday 4. Germany 3 (Walther Nico, Christian Pos- Cestmir Kozisek, Vojtech Stursa, Viktor Po-
Semifinals local listings. gold medal final; Short
er), 3:17.06. lasek), (370.10) 370.10.
(64 medal events) 5. Germany 1 (Johannes Lochner, Christo- 11. Italy (Sebastian Colloredo, Davide Bre- Canada 5, OA Russia 0 Track: Gold medal final;
Nation G S B Tot pher Weber), 3:17.14. sadola, Federico Cecon, Alex Insam), Seventh Place CNBC Women’s Curling: United
6. South Korea 1 (Won Yunjong, Seo (364.50) 364.50. Korea vs. Sweden, 10 p.m.
Norway 11 9 8 28 Youngwoo), 3:17.40. 12. South Korea (Kim Hyun Ki, Choi Seou, Tuesday 5 p.m. States vs. South Korea
Germany 10 6 4 20 7. Canada 3 (Nick Poloniato, Jesse Lums- Park Je-Un, Choi Heung-Chul), (274.50)
den), 3:17.74. 274.50.
Fifth Place
Canada 6 5 6 17 Switzerland vs. Japan, 2:30 a.m.
Netherlands 6 5 2 13
8. Austria 2 (Benjamin Maier, Markus Sam-
Men’s Curling: United 5 p.m.
mer), 3:17.76. SPEEDSKATING United States 5, Finland 0
OA Russia 0 3 8 11 U.S. Finishers States vs. Switzerland
Men’s 500 United States 2 2 1 — 5
United States 5 3 2 10 14. United States 3 (Justin Olsen, Evan Final Finland 0 0 0 — 0
Hockey Game of the Day
Weinstock), 3:18.54.
Austria 4 2 4 10
21. United States 2 (Nick Cunningham, Ha-
1. Havard Lorentzen, Norway, 34.41. First Period—1, United States, Gigi Marvin 10 p.m. (replay)
France 4 2 4 10 2. Cha Min-Kyu, South Korea, 34.42. (Meghan Duggan, Amanda Pelkey), 2:25.
keem Abdul-Saboor), 2:29.69. 3. Gao Tingyu, China, 34.65. 2, United States, Dani Cameranesi, 18:38.
Japan 2 5 3 10 25. United States 1 (Codie Bascue, Samuel
Mc Guffie), 2:30.09.
4. Mika Poutala, Finland, 34.68. Penalties—Brianna Decker, USA (illegal hit), Ice Hockey: Men’s quar- USA
Sweden 4 3 0 7 5. Daichi Yamanaka, Japan, 34.78. 3:31; Michelle Karvinen, Fin (tripping), 4:59;
South Korea 3 2 2 7 FIGURE SKATING
6. Joji Kato, Japan, 34.831. Tanja Niskanen, Fin (illegal hit), 7:46; terfinal (live) 3 p.m.
7. Ronald Mulder, Netherlands, 34.839. Amanda Pelkey USA (hooking), 13:36.
Switzerland 2 4 1 7 Ice Dancing 8. Nico Ihle, Germany, 34.89.
China 0 5 2 7 Short Program U.S. Finishers
Second Period—3, United States, Jocelyne
Lamoureux-Davidson (Kelly Pannek, Dani
NBC Ice Hockey: Men’s elim-
Italy 2 1 3 6 1. Scott Moir and Tessa Virtue, Canada, 15. Mitchell Whitmore, United States, Cameranesi), 13:21 (pp). 4, United States,
Czech Republic 1 2 3 6 83.67 (Q). 35.13. Hilary Knight (Sidney Morin, Kendall 3 p.m. ination round (live)
2. Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Ci- 23. Jonathan Garcia, United States, 35.31. Coyne), 13:55. Penalties—Sara Sakkinen,
Britain 1 0 3 4 zeron, France, 81.93 (Q). 26. Kimani Griffin, United States, 35.38. Fin (elbowing), 11:23; Rosa Lindstedt, Fin
Slovakia 1 2 0 3 3. Zachary Donohue and Madison Hub- (cross-checking), 12:00; Isa Rahunen, Fin Biathlon: Mixed relay 7 p.m.
Australia 0 2 1 3 bell, United States, 77.75 (Q). (interference), 16:39; Hilary Knight, USA (il-
4. Alex and Maia Shibutani, United States, MEN’S HOCKEY legal hit), 16:59; Sara Sakkinen, Fin (hook- gold medal final; Nordic Olympic Ice; Figure Skat-
Finland 0 0 3 3 77.73 (Q). ing), 19:42.
Belarus 1 1 0 2 5. Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte, Italy, Third Period—5, United States, Dani Cam- Combined: Men’s individ- ing: Ladies’ short pro-
Poland 1 0 1 2 76.57 (Q). All Times ET eranesi (Hannah Brandt, Amanda Kessel), ual large hill/10km gold
Spain 0 0 2 2
6. Dmitri Soloviev and Ekaterina Bobrova, Preliminary Round :45 (pp). Penalties—None. gram (live)
OA Russia, 75.47 (Q).
7. Evan Bates and Madison Chock, United Group A Shots on Goal—United States 11-18-9-38. medal final
Ukraine 1 0 0 1 Finland 2-7-5-14.
Slovenia 0 1 0 1 States, 75.45 (Q). W L Pts GF GA
Goalies— United States, Maddie Rooney. 10:35 p.m.
Kazakhstan 0 0 1 1
8. Andrew Poje and Kaitlyn Weaver, Cana- Czech Republic 2 0 8 9 4 Finland, Noora Raty. 8 p.m.
da, 74.33 (Q). Canada 2 0 7 11 4
Latvia 0 0 1 1 9. Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, Canada, Women’s Curling: Canada
Liechtenstein 0 0 1 1 69.60 (Q). Switzerland 1 2 3 10 9
WOMEN’S CURLING Alpine Skiing: Women’s vs. Great Britain and
10. Nicholas Buckland and Penny Coomes, South Korea 0 3 0 1 14
Britain, 68.36 (Q). downhill gold medal final South Korea vs. Olympic
11. Marco Fabbri and Charlene Guignard,
Group B
MONDAY’S MEDALISTS W L Pts GF GA All Times ET (live); Figure Skating:
Italy, 68.16 (Q).
OA Russia 2 1 6 14 5
Country W L Athletes from Russia
12. Kirill Khaliavin and Sara Hurtado,
Spain, 66.93 (Q).
South Korea 5 1 Ladies’ short program
Slovenia 0 1 4 8 12 Japan 5 2
BOBSLED 13. Jonathan Gureiro and Tiffani Zagorski,
United States 1 1 4 4 8 Sweden 5 2 (live); Bobsled: Women’s WEDNESDAY
Men’s Two-Man OA Russia, 66.47 (Q).
GOLD—Germany (Francesco Friedrich, 14. Natalia Kaliszek and Maksym Spody- Slovakia 1 1 4 6 7 United States 4 3 competition; Snowboard-
Thorsten Margis) riev, Poland, 66.06 (Q). Group C Britain 4 3
NBC
GOLD—Canada (Justin Kripps, Alexander 15. Chris Reed and Kana Muramoto, Ja- W L Pts GF GA
ing: Men’s big air compe-
pan, 63.41 (Q). Canada 3 3
Kopacz)
BRONZE—Latvia (Oskars Melbardis, Janis Sweden 3 0 9 8 1 China 3 4 tition (live) 12:05 a.m.
Strenga) SKI JUMPING Finland 2 1 6 11 6 Switzerland 2 5
Men Team (K120) Germany 0 2 2 4 7 OA Russia 2 5 NBC Sports Network Freestyle Skiing: Men’s
SKI JUMPING Final Ranking
Team Event Large Hill
Norway 0 2 1 2 11 Denmark 1 6 ski cross gold medal final;
(First and second jumps in Sunday Sunday 5 a.m.
GOLD—Norway (Andreas Stjernen, Robert
Johansson, Johan Andre Forfang, Daniel parentheses) Sweden 3, Finland 1 Sweden 8, Britain 6
Short Track speed skat-
1. Norway (Andreas Stjernen, Robert Jo-
Andre Tande)
hansson, Johan Andre Forfang, Daniel An-
Czech Republic 4, Switzerland 1
Canada 4, South Korea 0
Canada 10, Switzerland 8 Women’s Curling: United ing: gold medal final
SILVER—Germany (Richard Freitag, Karl South Korea 12, China 5
dre Tande), (545.90; 552.60) 1098.50.
Geiger, Andreas Wellinger, Stephan Playoff Round South Korea 7, Sweden 6 States vs. South Korea
Leyhe) 2. Germany (Richard Freitag, Karl Geiger,
Andreas Wellinger, Stephan Leyhe), Monday Switzerland 11, OA Russia 2 NBC Sports Network
BRONZE—Poland (Kamil Stoch, Stefan Hu- Canada 8, Japan 3
la, Maciej Kot, Dawid Kubacki) (543.90; 531.80) 1075.70. Qualifications United States 7, Denmark 6 7 a.m.
3. Poland (Kamil Stoch, Stefan Hula, Maciej United States vs. Slovakia
Monday 2:40 a.m.
Kot, Dawid Kubacki), (540.90; 531.50) Tuesday
SPEEDSKATING 1072.40. Britain 8, Switzerland 7 Ice Hockey: Men’s elim-
Men’s 500 4. Austria (Manuel Fettner, Gregor Schlie-
Qualifications United States 10, China 4 Ice Hockey: Men’s quar-
GOLD—Havard Lorentzen, Norway renzauer, Michael Haybock, Stefan Kraft),
Slovenia vs. Norway, 2:30 a.m. Japan 5, Sweden 4 ination round (live)
SILVER—Cha Min-Kyu, South Korea (493.70; 484.70) 978.40.
Switzerland vs. Germany, 7 a.m. OA Russia 8, Denmark 7 terfinal (live)
BRONZE—Gao Tingyu, China Finland vs. South Korea, 7 a.m. Tuesday
5. Slovenia (Jernej Damjan, Peter Prevc,
Quarterfinals Canada vs. China, 12:05 a.m. 9:30 a.m.
Anze Semenic, Tilen Bartol), (492.40;
475.40) 967.80. Czech Republic vs. United States-Slovakia United States vs. South Korea, 12:05 a.m. USA
winner, 10 p.m. Britain vs. Japan, 12:05 a.m.
MONDAY’S RESULTS 6. Japan (Noriaki Kasai, Daiki Ito, Taki Ta- Nordic Combined: Men’s
keuchi, Ryoyu Kobayashi), (475.50; 465.00) South Korea vs. OA Russia, 7:05 p.m. 2:30 a.m.
940.50.
WOMEN’S HOCKEY
Sweden vs. China, 7:05 p.m.
Switzerland vs. Denmark, 7:05 p.m.
individual large hill/10km
7. OA Russia (Denis Kornilov, Alexey Ro-
BOBSLED mashov, Evgeniy Klimov, Mikhail Nazarov), Canada vs. Britain, 7:05 p.m. gold medal final; Biath- Ice Hockey: Women’s
Men’s Two-Man (409.60; 400.20) 809.80. Wednesday
Final Ranking 8. Finland (Janne Ahonen, Jarkko Maeaet- All Times ET Sweden vs. United States, 6:05 a.m. lon: Mixed relay gold bronze medal game (live)
1. Germany 2 (Francesco Friedrich, Thor- tae, Antti Aalto, Andreas Alamommo), Sunday Switzerland vs. Japan, 6:05 a.m.
sten Margis), 3:16.86. (397.50; 392.90) 790.40. Classification (5-8 place) OA Russia vs. Canada, 6:05 a.m. medal final
1. Canada 1 (Justin Kripps, Alexander Ko- 9. United States (Michael Glasder, William Japan 2, Sweden 1, OT South Korea vs. Denmark, 6:05 a.m.
Women’s Tiebreaker, 6:30 p.m.

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AT&T’s contracts with programmers for the content displayed on U-verse TV service
In the UnIted StateS BankrUptcy coUrt for the dIStrIct of delaware
In re: chapter 11
periodically expire, or may be terminated, but are usually re-negotiated or extended
VelocIty HoldIng company, Inc., et al.,1 case no. 17-12442 (KJc) with no interruption or change for our U-verse members. Additionally, from time to time
debtors. (Jointly administered) it is necessary to change channel line-ups as well as television package contents. The
notIce of hearInG to conSIder confIrMatIon of the chapter 11 plan
fIled By the deBtorS and related VotInG and oBJectIon deadlIneS programming changes set forth below may occur as follows:
pleaSe take notIce that on February 14, 2018, the United States Bankruptcy court for the district of
delaware (the “court”) entered an order [ecF no. 401] (the “disclosure Statement order”): (a) authorizing February 2018:
Velocity Holding company,Inc.and its affiliated debtors and debtors in possession (collectively,the“debtors”),
to solicit acceptances for the Joint Chapter 11 Plan of Reorganization of Velocity Holding Company, Inc. and its As previously noticed, AT&T’s contract with the programmer for the following channels is set to expire. While these
Affiliated Debtors (as modified,amended,or supplemented from time to time,the“plan”);2 (b) approving the channels will continue to be available to U-verse members so long as AT&T has the rights to carry them, if a reasonable
Disclosure Statement for the Joint Chapter 11 Plan of Reorganization of Velocity Holding Company, Inc. and its
Affiliated Debtors (the“disclosure Statement”) as containing“adequate information”pursuant to section 1125 agreement cannot be reached with the programmer the programming will no longer be available. AT&T may modify the
of the Bankruptcy code;(c) approving the solicitation materials and documents to be included in the solicita- channel location for the programming by moving them from their current channel location to a channel between 9501 –
tion packages (the“Solicitation packages”);and (d) approving procedures for soliciting,receiving,and tabulat-
ingvotesontheplanandforfilingobjectionstotheplan. 9599, and if a reasonable longer term agreement cannot be reached with the programmers, we may lose the rights to
pleaSe take fUrther notIce that the hearing at which the court will consider confirmation of the carry them (listed in alphabetical order) in or after February 2018: Ovation (channel 385 and 1385 in HD), and Stingray
plan (the“confirmation Hearing”) will commence on March 28,2018,at 11:00 a.m.prevailing easterntime,
before the Honorable Judge Kevin J.carey,in the United States Bankruptcy court for the district of delaware, Karaoke (channel 96 and 1096 in HD), Stingray Music (channel 500, 531 and 1500, 1531 in HD).
locatedat824marketStreet,FifthFloor,courtroomno.5,Wilmington,delaware19801.
pleaSe Be adVISed:tHe conFIRmatIon HeaRIng may Be contInUed FRomtImetotIme BytHe coURt As well as the following local channels:
oR tHe deBtoRS wIthoUt fUrther notIce otHeR tHan By SUcH adJoURnment BeIng annoUnced In
open coURt oR By a notIce oF adJoURnment FIledWItHtHe coURt and SeRVed on all paRtIeS entItled
tonotIce. 1) n Alabama, in the Montgomery-Selma area, WNCF (channel 32 and 1032 in HD);
crItIcal InforMatIon reGardInG VotInG on the plan
Voting record date. the voting record date is february 14, 2018 (the“Voting Record date”), which is 2) In Georgia, in the Columbus area, WLTZ (channel 38, 39 and 1038, 1039 in HD);
thedatefordeterminingwhichholdersofclaimsinclass3areentitledtovoteontheplan. 3) In Ohio, in the Cleveland area, WBNX (channel 7 and 1007 in HD);
Voting deadline. the deadline for voting on the plan is wednesday, March 21, 2018, at 4:00 p.m.
prevailing eastern time (the“Voting deadline”).If you received a Solicitation package,including a Ballot,and 4) In Texas, in the Corpus Christi area, KZTV (channel 10 and 1010 in HD); in the Odessa-Midland area, KWWT
intend to vote on the plan you must:(a) follow the instructions carefully;(b) complete all of the required infor- (channel KWWT);
mation on the ballot;and (c) execute and return your completed Ballot according to and as set forth in detail in
the voting instructions so that it is actually received by the debtors’notice and claims agent,donlin,Recano
& company, Inc.(the“notice and claims agent”), on or before the Voting deadline.A failure to follow such
instructionsmaydisqualifyyourvote.
crItIcal InforMatIon reGardInG oBJectInG to the plan March 2018:
aRtIcle X oF tHe plan contaInS ReleaSe, eXcUlpatIon, and InJUnctIon pRoVISIonS, and SectIon As previously noticed, AT&T’s contract with the programmer for the following channels is set to expire. While these
10.6. contaInS a thIrd-party releaSe.tHUS,yoU aRe adVISed to ReVIeW and conSIdeR tHe plan
caReFUllyBecaUSeyoURRIgHtSmIgHtBeaFFectedtHeReUndeR. channels will continue to be available to U-verse members so long as AT&T has the rights to carry them, if a reasonable
plan objection deadline.the deadline for filing objections to the plan is March 21,2018,at 4:00 p.m., agreement cannot be reached with the programmer the programming will no longer be available. AT&T may modify the
prevailing easterntime (the“plan objection deadline”).all objections to the relief sought at the confirmation channel location for the programming by moving them from their current channel location to a channel between 9501 –
Hearing must: (a) be in writing; (b) conform to the Bankruptcy Rules, the local Rules, and any orders of the
court; (c) state, with particularity, the legal and factual basis for the objection and, if practicable, a proposed 9599, and if a reasonable longer term agreement cannot be reached with the programmers, we may lose the rights to
modification to the plan (or related materials) that would resolve such objection; and (d) be filed with the carry them (listed in alphabetical order) in or after March 2018: Havoc TV HD (channel 1490), MegaTV (channel 3008
court (contemporaneously with a proof of service) and served upon the following parties so as to be actually
received on or before the plan objection deadline: (i) Co-Counsel to the Debtors: cole SchotZ p.c., in HD), SNY HD (channel 1704), U-verse Shopping Multiview application (channel 412 and 1412 in HD), and U-verse
norman l.pernick (no.2290), patrick J.Reilley (no.4451), 500 delaware avenue, Suite 1410,Wilmington, de Paquete Espanol application (channel 3001); World Fishing Network HD (channel 1679).
19801, telephone: (302) 652-3131, Facsimile: (302) 652-3117, email: npernick@coleschotz.com, preilley@
coleschotz.com -and- proSkaUer roSe llp, Jeff J. marwil (admitted pro hac vice), paul V. possinger
(admitted pro hac vice), christopher m. Hayes (de Bar no. 5902), Jeramy d.Webb (admitted pro hac vice), 70 And the following channel:
West madison, Suite 3800, chicago, Illinois 60602, telephone: (312) 962-3550, Facsimile: (312) 962-3551,
email: jmarwil@proskauer.com, ppossinger@proskauer.com, chayes@proskauer.com, jwebb@proskauer. Newsy (channel 175 and 1175 in HD).
com; (ii) U.S. Trustee: office of the United States trustee, linda J. casey, 844 King Street, Suite 2207,
lockbox 35,Wilmington, de 19801, email: linda.casey@usdoj.com; (iii) Counsel to the Official Committee
of Unsecured Creditors Appointed in These Chapter 11 Cases: whiteford, taylor & preston llc, As well as the following local channels:
christopher m.Samis,l.Katherine good,the Renaissance centre,405 north King Street,Suite 500,Wilmington,
delaware 19801, email: csamis@wtplaw.com, kgood@wtplaw.com -and- foley & lardner llp, erika l. 1) In Florida, in the Miami-Ft. Lauderdale area, WPLG (channel 10 and 1010 in HD); in the Orlando-Daytona area,
morabito, esq., Brittany J. nelson, esq.,Washington Harbour, 3000 K Street, n.W., Suite 600,Washington, d.c.
20007-5109,email:emorabito@foley.com,bnelson@foley.com -and- foley & lardner llp, michael J.Small, WKMG (channel 6 and 1006 in HD);
esq., lars a. peterson, esq., 321 north clark Street, Suite 2800, chicago, Illinois 60654-5313, email: msmall@ 2) In Georgia, in the Jacksonville, FL-Brunswick area, WCWJ (channel 17 and 1017 in HD), and WJXT (channel 4
foley.com, lapeterson@foley.com; (iv) Counsel to the ABL DIP Lenders: Goldberg kohn ltd., Randall
Klein,prisca Kim,55 east monroe,Suite 3300,chicago,Illinois 60603,email:randall.klein@goldbergkohn.com, and 1004 in HD);
prisca.kim@goldbergkohn.com -and- richards, layton & finger, p.a., John H.Knight,one Rodney Square, 3) In Michigan, in the Detroit area, WDIV (channel 4 and 1004 in HD);
920 north King Street,Wilmington, de 19801, email:knight@rlf.com; and (v) Counsel to the Ad Hoc Group
of First Lien Term Lenders and Term DIP Lenders: Stroock & Stroock & lavan llp, Jayme t. goldstein, 4) In Texas, in the Houston area, KPRC (channel 2 and 1002 in HD); in the Odessa-Midland area, KOSA (channel
daniel p.ginsberg, matthew garofalo, 180 maiden lane, new york, ny 10038, email:jgoldstein@stroock.com, 7, 16 and 1007, 1016 in HD); in the San Antonio area, KSAT (channel 12 and 1012 in HD);
dginsberg@stroock.com,mgarofalo@stroock.com -and- young conaway Stargatt & taylor llp, matthew
B.lunn,1000n.KingStreet,RodneySquare,Wilmington,de19801,email:mlunn@ycst.com. 5) In Wisconsin, in the Madison area WKOW (channel 27 and 1027 in HD);
addItIonal InforMatIon
obtaining Solicitation Materials. the materials in the Solicitation package are intended to be self-
explanatory.If you should have any questions or if you would like to obtain additional solicitation materials (or
paper copies of solicitation materials if you received a cd-Rom),please feel free to contact the debtors’notice April 2018:
andclaimsagent,by:(a)callingthedebtors’restructuringhotlineat800-581-5607(tollfree)or212-771-1128 AT&T’s contract with the programmer for the following channels is set to expire. While these channels will continue
(international); (b) visiting the debtors’ restructuring website at: https://www.donlinrecano.com/clients/
vhc/Index;(c) writing to donlin,Recano & company,Inc.,Re:Velocity Holding Company,Inc.,et al.,attn:Voting to be available to U-verse members so long as AT&T has the rights to carry them, if a reasonable agreement cannot
department, po Box 192016, Blythebourne Station, Brooklyn, ny 11219 (first class mail) or donlin, Recano be reached with the programmer the programming will no longer be available. AT&T may modify the channel location
& company, Inc., Re:Velocity Holding Company, Inc., et al., attn:Voting department, 6201 15th ave, Brooklyn,
ny 11219 (hand delivery or overnight mail); and/or (d) emailing VelocityVote@donlinrecano.com. you for the programming by moving them from their current channel location to a channel between 9501 – 9599, and if a
may also obtain copies of any pleadings filed in the chapter 11 cases for a fee via paceR at:http://www.deb. reasonable longer term agreement cannot be reached with the programmers, we may lose the rights to carry them (listed
uscourts.gov.please be advised that the notice and claims agent is authorized to answer questions about,and
provide additional copies of,the solicitation materials,but may not advise you as to whether you should vote to in alphabetical order) in or after April 2018: NFL Network (channel 630 and 1630 in HD); NFL RedZone (channel 1629 in
acceptorrejecttheplan. HD); QVC (channel 420 and 1420 in HD); QVC2 (channel 421).
the plan Supplement. the debtors will file the plan Supplement (as defined in the plan) on or before
March 14, 2018, and will serve notice on all holders of claims entitled to vote on the plan, which will: (a)
inform parties that the debtors filed the plan Supplement; (b) list the information contained in the plan As well as the following local channel:
Supplement;and(c)explainhowpartiesmayobtaincopiesoftheplanSupplement.
BIndInG natUre of the plan:If confIrMed, the plan Shall BInd all holderS of claIMS
1) In Alabama, in the Montgomery-Selma area, WCOV – FOX (channel 20 and 1020 in HD)
and IntereStS to the MaXIMUM eXtent perMItted By applIcaBle law, whether or not
SUch holder wIll receIVe or retaIn any property or IntereSt In property Under the
plan, haS fIled a proof of claIM In the chapter 11 caSeS or faIled to Vote to accept or
reJect the plan or Voted to reJect the plan.
Wilmington,delaware, dated: February 15,2018
cole SchotZ p.c., /s/ Patrick J. Reilley , norman l. pernick (no. 2290), patrick J. Reilley (no. 4451), 500
delaware avenue, Suite 1410, Wilmington, de 19801, telephone: (302) 652-3131, Facsimile: (302) 652-
3117,email:npernick@coleschotz.com,preilley@coleschotz.com -and- proSkaUer roSe llp,Jeff J.marwil
(admitted pro hac vice), paul V. possinger (admitted pro hac vice), christopher m. Hayes (de Bar no. 5902),
Jeramy d. Webb (admitted pro hac vice), 70 West madison, Suite 3800, chicago, Illinois 60602, telephone:
(312) 962-3550, Facsimile: (312) 962-3551, email: jmarwil@proskauer.com, ppossinger@proskauer.com,
chayes@proskauer.com,jwebb@proskauer.com,Counsel to the Debtors and Debtors in Possession
1
the debtors in these chapter 11 cases, along with the last four digits of each debtor’s federal tax identifi-

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6D ❚ TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2018 ❚ USA TODAY SPORTS

WINTER OLYMPICS

Controversy follows Russian figure skater

Euro champion
eyes bonus system
Christine Brennan
Columnist
USA TODAY
PYEONGCHANG, South Korea – The
women’s figure skating competition
hasn’t begun at these Olympic Games,
yet we already know who is going to
come in first and second, barring epic
collapses on the ice, which could hap-
pen, but probably won’t.
An Olympic Athlete from Russia will
win, and another Olympic Athlete from
Russia will come in second in the com-
petition that begins Wednesday with
the short program and ends Friday with
the long. It will be either 18-year-old
two-time defending world champion
Evgenia Medvedeva, or 15-year-old
Grand Prix Final and European champi-
on Alina Zagitova. Or vice versa. Med
and Zag. Zag and Med. That’s gold and
silver right there.
Everyone else is fighting for the
bronze medal, including American Mi-
rai Nagasu, the 24-year-old who wasn’t
in the conversation until she landed her
historic triple axel to help the United
States win the bronze last week in the
team competition.
It wouldn’t be a top international
women’s figure skating competition
without its share of controversy, howev-
er. This one involves one of the Rus-
sians. (Of course it does.) It’s the way
Zagitova has laid out her long program,
specifically her jumps. They’re all in the
last two minutes of her program, every
single one of them. She doesn’t do any
jumps in the first half of her program,
then jumps like mad in the final two
minutes — all to get the 10% bonus in
points for jumps in the second half of a
program.
Talk about gaming the system. The
idea behind the bonus is that skaters
will have already tried several jumps in
the first two minutes, so their legs will
be getting tired, hence awarding the 10%
extra for jumps tried in the final two
minutes.
But Zagitova gets the bonus without
having put in the exertion. Nagasu, for
instance, has a well-balanced long pro-
gram: eight triple jumps in all, five in the
first two minutes, three in the last two
minutes. Zagitova has seven triple
jumps, all in the final two minutes.
Some rave about her strategy, saying
she is only doing what the rules allow
and that she is smart to rack up as many
points as possible any way she can.
But others wonder why the judges
aren’t penalizing her for an unbalanced
program with the tools available to
them: in the program component scores
Medal favorite Alina Zagitova of Russia backloads her program with jumps, which
has sparked some criticism. ROBERT DEUTSCH/USA TODAY SPORTS
(the five scores that focus not on the
jumps but on artistry and the like), par-
ticularly the component score for com-
position of the program.
One of those wondering what the
judges are doing is one of the world’s top
judges.
“When everything in the second half
of the program is jump, jump, jump, you
tell me if that’s a balanced program,”
said Joe Inman, a highly regarded U.S.
international figure skating judge who
worked the women’s event at the 2002
Salt Lake City Olympics but is not judg-
ing at these Games.
“There’s supposed to be a balance so
everything difficult can’t be in one part
of the program,” Inman said in a recent
interview. “It would be reflected in the
composition mark (one of the five pro-
gram components). For me she would
get two points less (out of 10) than if she
had balance in the program.”
Audrey Weisiger, who coached two-
time U.S. Olympian and three-time na-
tional champion Michael Weiss, agreed.
“She should get credit for the jumps
and the judges should take off in the
component scores,” she said.
As she watched Zagitova skate in the
women’s team competition long pro-
gram (and beat Nagasu by a mile, more
than 20 points), 2014 U.S. Olympic team
bronze medalist and three-time U.S. na-
tional champion Ashley Wagner tweet-
ed a strong critique of the program:
“I respect the competitive approach.
But ... cannot do this set up. It’s not a
program. She killed time in the begin-
ning and then just jumped the second
half. It’s not a performance. I under-
stand that this is what the system al-
lows but it’s not all figure skating is
about. … I find back loaded programs
very empty in the front and too chaotic
at the end.”
Paul Wylie, the 1992 Olympic silver
medalist who is working for Westwood
One here, thought another one of the
five component scores — skating skills
— should come into play with Zagitova.
“I feel like she’s going so slowly,” he
said. “I don’t ever feel like she’s reaching
a top speed in the entire program. I think
that an Olympic gold medalist needs to
sail around the rink a little bit.”
Zagitova doesn’t skate with the speed
that Nagasu does, especially going into
their respective jumps. The interna-
tional judges who are in love with both
Russian women don’t seem to care, but
Wylie does.
“I don’t think (Zagitova) would be
able to do all the jumps in the second
half if she was going into them with the
speed that Mirai takes into her jumps.
She couldn’t do jump after jump after
jump if she was going with any speed.
Just look at her ice coverage, it’s very
moderate, whereas Mirai is flying into
her triple axels, flying into her triple flip-
triple toe.
“I’m old school enough to like that
and think that you don’t deserve the
skating skills marks unless you’re build-
ing up a lot of speed.”
Every single one of these points is
valid and should be taken into account
by the judges in the women’s event. But
this is the Olympics, and these are the
Russians, and this is figure skating. I’m
not optimistic.

Beating Finland provides blueprint for USA

Kevin Allen
USA TODAY
GANGNEUNG, South Korea – U.S.
goalie Maddie Rooney was 7 months old
when the Americans captured the first
Olympic women’s hockey gold medal in
1998. She thinks she was “in the crib
watching that game.”
Every U.S. player knows the story of
that historic triumph, and every player
knows no American woman has worn
an Olympic hockey gold since then.
“That has always been our dream —
to follow the 1998 team,” Rooney said.
“They have been our leaders and great
role models. It would mean everything
for us.”
The 2018 U.S. team continued its
quest to break Canada’s Olympic domi-
nance by defeating Finland 5-0 Monday
to set up a gold medal meeting Thurs-
day. Canada defeated the Olympic Ath-
letes from Russia 5-0 in the second
semifinal.
“You literally train four years for this
one game,” U.S. forward Monique La-
moureux-Morando said. “We are a
tightknit group. This is what we worked
for — the chance to play for this gold
medal.”
What U.S. coach Robb Stauber might
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ted two goals.
The Americans have outshot all of
their opponents, including Canada, but
they had not been scoring at the rate
they should.
Stauber had spent four practices
working on finding ways to score with
defenders packed in front of the net.
“Tips. Screens. Deflections,” Stauber
said. “You are going to have to get some
ugly ones.”
Gigi Marvin, Hilary Knight and Joce-
lyne Lamoureux-Davidson also scored
for the USA. It was Knight’s first goal of
the tournament, another positive sign
for the Americans.
“We are clicking,” Knight said. “We
are humming. It wasn’t just one line — it
was all four.”
The five goals came against Finland’s
Noora Raty, considered by some to be
the world’s best goalie.
“Very excited by what I saw tonight,” U.S. forward Dani Cameranesi celebrates one of her two goals against Finland.
Stauber said. ANDREW NELLES/USA TODAY SPORTS
The Americans played their best
game of the tournament, though Staub-
er thinks his team could have been a lit- But this American team has shown heartache of losing an Olympic final.
tle cleaner. unrelenting resolve on and off the ice. “It’s like having a bad relationship
“But we had gold medal preparation,” Before starting their Olympic journey, and having it go sour,” she said. “It’s al-
Stauber said. the American women won a hard- ways going to be there, a main part of
The Americans will need the same fought battle against USA Hockey over your fabric. But it has motivated me tre-
level of preparation and performance to increased financial compensation. mendously.”

have enjoyed most about the win beat Canada. The teams are as evenly It might have helped prepare them She says she has learned from her
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against Finland is that it provides a matched as two competitors can be. for this battle, although no one is think- failures, mostly about who she is and
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blueprint for how the USA needs to play Their games are routinely decided by ing about those negotiations now. what she wants. It’s also taught her
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to beat Canada. The Americans went one goal. The Americans have won sev- What does matter is that there are 10 about her team and what it needs to do
aggressively to the net and scored three en of the past eight world champion- Olympic veterans on the American team to be successful.
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power-play goals. ships, but the Canadians won the past who know the pain of losing a gold med- “What we are looking to do in the gold
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“It shows we were in the position to four meetings of the pre-Olympic tour al game. medal game,” Knight said, “is to do
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score,” said Dani Cameranesi, who net- and won 2-1 in the preliminary round. Knight has twice experienced the something extraordinary.”