News

Washington State News

FAU hires Baylor assistant John Jakus as head coach
(Photo credit: Chris Jones-USA TODAY Sports) After working a dozen years for two of the most successful programs in the nation, John Jakus is getting a shot to lead his own program. Florida Atlantic announced Wednesday that it hired Jakus as its head basketball coach. Terms of the deal weren't revealed, but Jakus received a five-year contract, according to multiple media reports. Jakus, 48, takes over the Owls after spe

NYT Politics

As Space Threats Mount, U.S. Lags in Protecting GPS Services
Author: Selam Gebrekidan, John Liu and Chris Buckley
GPS has become essential for modern life, but its satellites and signals are vulnerable to attack. China is years ahead in developing alternatives.
Friends, Allies and Even Former Rivals Eulogize Joseph Lieberman
Author: Chris Cameron
Al Gore, his running mate in the 2000 election, called him “a truly gifted leader, whose affable personality and strong will made him a force to be reckoned with.”
John Eastman Should Lose Law License, Judge Finds
Author: Alan Feuer
The decision was only the latest effort by bar officials to seek accountability against a group of lawyers who sought to help President Donald J. Trump stay in office despite his election loss.

The Chronicle - Centralia

Centralia's offense continues to roll in win over Black Hills

It’s been an up-and-down start of the season for the Centralia Tigers, who prior to Wednesday, had alternated wins and losses over their first six games.

While the consistency in the win-loss record hasn’t been there, the consistency on offense has been. The Tigers scored at least seven runs in five of their first six games, and on Wednesday against Black Hills, the offense showed up in a big way again.

Chloe Bomoni and Hollynn Wakefield both hit home runs, and the Tigers scored 10 or more for the fourth-straight game in a 10-5 victory.

For Centralia coach David Orr, the recipe for success at the plate has been simple.

“I think it’s just confidence,” Orr said, before adding that they still have room to become even better. “I think that once these girls figure out how good they can really be, things will really start clicking … I’m really proud of them.”

While the Tigers (4-3, 2-1 2A EvCo) were able to take control early, they did squander a chance to immediately hang a crooked number in the first inning.

After loading the bases with no one out, a fielder’s choice brought home a run and put runners on first and second with one out. What followed was a wacky 4-3-2-5 double play that gave the Wolves (2-3, 0-3 2A EvCo) a bolt of energy and limited the damage to just one run.

Slowly, Centralia added, first with Bomoni’s two-run home run in the second, her first of the season, then with a Payton Baumel RBI single in the third.

Orr was happy to see Bomoni have success, saying that she is beginning to benefit from all the hard work she has put in.

“She’s there early. She’s there late,” Orr said. “She’s a grinder. And today, she made a difference.”

Black Hills didn’t go down without a fight, however. Emma Arko got the Wolves on the board in the third with an RBI single, and Madi Mounts hit an RBI double before coming around to score to make it a 4-3 ballgame in the top of the fifth.

The Tiger offense went back to work, first scoring twice in the second before a four-run sixth was capped by Wakefield’s three-run blast.

Wakefield was stellar again for Centralia in the circle, maintaining her composure throughout while the Wolves tried to string together a rally.

Black Hills put the pressure on her again in the seventh, scoring twice and putting two runners in scoring position with just one out. Wakefield again promptly killed the rally before it truly got going, striking out the next two hitters to end the game.

“She’s a workhorse,” Orr said, noting that her ability to battle through congestion on the basepaths is second to none. “She can take a little walk, come back in that circle and get her command right back.”

Orr also joked that since plucking her out of center field and putting her in the circle last season, she’s been a natural.

“She acted like she’d been there all year,” Orr said with a laugh. “That’s where she should be, and that’s where we’re gonna keep her.”

Wakefield finished with 12 strikeouts, allowing six hits and five runs (two earned), and she went 1 for 2 at the plate with her home run. 

Bomoni finished 2 for 3 with her home run, while Baumel went 3 for 4 and Gracie Schofield went 2 for 3 with an RBI and three runs scored. 

On the other side, it’s Black Hills’ third-straight loss, all of them coming against league opponents after a 2-0 start.

Black Hills coach Mike Vessey said that the Wolves need to find a way to string together hits at a more consistent pace, and that the first part of the seventh against Centralia could be the blueprint moving forward.

“We are a very young team, and we are going through some growing pains right now,” Vessey said. “We did show some fight in the seventh inning … We will keep working hard and see where we can go.”

Napavine baseball rained out, games against Wahkiakum pushed back

Mother Nature was about the only thing that stopped the Napavine High School baseball team on Wednesday afternoon.

Seven runs in the first two innings put the Tigers comfortably ahead of Wahkiakum before heavy rain and hail dropped and halted the contest in the bottom of the fourth inning. It was postponed soon after and the game will be resumed on Thursday at Wahkiakum.

The plan is to finish the remainder of Wednesday’s game then play the second meeting between the two C2BL schools afterwards. If rain impacts Thursday, it will be pushed to Friday. And if more hazardous weather approaches on Friday, the games will be played after spring break.

Tigers starter Ashton Demarest fired seven straight strikeouts in a stretch, firing pitches up in the zone and down low to get the Mules to chase. Napavine took advantage of walks to take an early 3-0 lead and roped base hits in the second to add to the cushion.

Columbian Newspaper

Skyview High grad Alex Schumacher helps lead Seattle U. to CBI championship
Author: The Associated Press

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Cameron Tyson scored 30 points and made seven 3-pointers, Skyview High grad Alex Schumacher scored 16 of his 22 points in the second half, and third-seeded Seattle U. closed on an 11-0 run to beat top-seed High Point 77-67 on Wednesday night for the CBI championship.

Read more...

Could fatal collapse of Interstate 5 Bridge happen?
Author: Scott Hewitt

Huge cargo ships do not pass underneath the Interstate 5 Bridge, so a crash and collapse on the scale of what happened Tuesday to the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore isn’t likely here.

Read more...

Lou Whittaker, among the most famous American mountaineers, has died at age 95
Author: Associated Press

SEATTLE — Lou Whittaker, a legendary American mountaineer who helped lead ascents of Mount Everest, K2 and Denali, and who taught generations of climbers during his more than 250 trips up Mount Rainier, the tallest peak in Washington state, has died at age 95.

Read more...

Talks resume to bring Israeli officials to the U.S.
Author: Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Talks have restarted aimed at bringing top Israeli officials to Washington to discuss potential military operations in Gaza, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled a planned visit this week because he was angry about the U.S. vote on a U.N. cease-fire resolution, the White House said Wednesday.

Read more...

Pages