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Edgarton Café to become local coffee shop WVNS-TV
RIT clinched its first national championship in program history while finishing the season with an unblemished 14-0 record. The third time was also the charm for the Tigers after falling in the 2013 and 2017 national championship games, including a 16-14 setback to the Sea Gulls four years ago.
Senior attackman Quinn Commandant (Rockwood, Ontario/The Kiski School) was named the tournament Most Outstanding Player after totaling five goals and two assists in the victory.
Salisbury won the opening face-off of the second overtime, but senior LSM Taylor Jensen (New Westminster, British Columbia/New Westminster) caused a turnover to give the Tigers possession with 3:47 on the clock. Setting up the offense, senior attackman Marley Angus (Oakville, Ontario/Holy Trinity) took a shot that went wide of the cage, but the Tigers backed up the shot to retain possession with 2:30 on the clock. On the re-start, senior attackman Dawson Tait (Ottawa, Ontario/Mother Teresa) whipped a pass from behind the Sea Gulls' goal in front of a crowded crease to Barnable, who tipped the ball out of the air into the net for the historic tally.
Postgame | @RITMensLax discusses thrilling 2-OT victory and the feeling of capturing the program's first @NCAADIII Championship. #RIT #d3lax pic.twitter.com/9IAYhhmGNz
— RIT SportsZone (@RIT_SportsZone) May 31, 2021
HOW IT HAPPENED
QUINN COMMANDANT (re: the game-tying goal in regulation):
It was a great play. I turned the ball over there. Dawson and Rosy made a great look and I was just the one knocking it home. It was a big one. It kept us alive.
COACH COON (re: his thoughts about the game):
Well, first of all, that was an incredible game. Just looking through the stats here, it was a dogfight; it was a battle. Kind of knew it was two evenly matched teams coming into today. At least we felt so. We knew we were going to be in a gamel ike that. The guys were resilient all day long. Handled some adversity throughout the second half and made some plays. And I'm so excited for them. They put in a lot of time and effort, especially this year, it's been a challenging year. So just so happy for them. I'm happy for RIT. Everyone who is involved with RIT lacrosse, our alumni, Mr. Spiotti, retiring this year, couldn't think of a better finish for him. We had an interesting week. We had a player lose his mom. And he's back home. He couldn't even make this game. And these guys really rallied around him. It was really special. We also had a birth with our assistant coach had a child, his first child. So what an amazing feeling for everybody involved with RIT lacrosse.
(re: about winning a national championship):
I think one other question I get asked is, do I feel pressure to win one. And that's never been the case. I think we believe in each other. We have that support. Everything was there for the making. We just needed to make plays in a 60-minute game and we were able to do that today. So, wow, it's a great feeling. Surreal. But really fired up for the team out there. We had a bunch of fifth-year guys come back for this. And man, I can't see a better finish for those guys. What a great group of fifth-year seniors, the leadership was wonderful. Guys just made plays.
GAME NOTES
President Biden and Senate Republicans are still trying to reach a deal on infrastructure investment. But big differences remain, and time is short.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Exactly how gridlocked is the United States Congress? President Biden had set Memorial Day as a deadline for agreement on an infrastructure bill, but the president's suggestion has not yet produced a deal.
NPR White House correspondent Scott Detrow is here. Scott, good morning.
SCOTT DETROW, BYLINE: Good morning.
INSKEEP: And happy holiday to you. Will you remind us, what is the fundamental problem here when the president and his party - president has - president's party has the White House and Congress?
DETROW: It's a dynamic we've talked about over and over and over. And it's the fact that Democrats hold control of the Senate with just 50 votes due to the tiebreaking vote that the vice president can cast. But in order to pass really anything substantive, they need 60 votes. They need 10 Republicans to be on board. And given the trench partisan warfare we have seen for years now in Washington, it just does not seem likely in many high-profile areas.
INSKEEP: So it's not really majority rule. It's supermajority rule. How has that shaped the debate over infrastructure?
DETROW: Well, in order to pass a broad bill on the scope that the vice - that President Biden wants to see passed, he needs to convince Republicans to get on board. Biden also has political reasons for trying to pass a bipartisan bill. He wants to cool partisan tensions in the country to look like he's getting things done. He is trying very hard to do this.
Shelley Moore Capito, the lead negotiator for this group of Senate Republicans, is - says these talks are earnest. They are making progress, even though they're very far apart. Capito says she and Biden are going to meet again this week to try to get something done.
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "FOX NEWS SUNDAY")
SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO: He told me on the phone just day before yesterday, let's get this done. And I think that means that he has - his heart is in this. We have had some back-and-forth with the staff, who've sort of pulled back a little bit. But I think we're smoothing out those edges.
DETROW: President Biden has said that he's going to give this a try for a little bit further. But you can hear the White House starting to say this is on the clock. Biden, Pete Buttigieg, the transportation secretary, and others are saying they really see about a week left for these talks before they maybe reverse course and go down the partisan route again.
INSKEEP: Well, I'm trying to figure out just how broken the overall system is. We know that the president would rather the system work in a bipartisan way. That's what he was used to in the Senate and that he's spoken for when campaigning and at other times. We had Senator Chris Coons of Delaware on the program last week. He's considered a close ally of the president. I don't want to say he speaks for the president, but he certainly has that mood of wanting bipartisanship if possible. And in fact, he emphasized that some other things are passing, Scott. Let's listen to that.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR BROADCAST)
CHRIS COONS: I'll remind you, last month we actually passed a $35 billion water and wastewater infrastructure bill. Literally today, the public works committee is marking up an authorizing bill that I think will go through on a bipartisan basis. And this week, we are debating and I think we'll finally pass a $120 billion bill for making our country more competitive with manufacturing and innovation. There is progress on other fronts.
INSKEEP: That's Chris Coons last week. So Scott, is it true that lawmakers are inclined to cooperate when the bill at issue is not the partisan headline item?
DETROW: Well, I think that the fate of that last bill that he was talking about is kind of a counteroffer here. It's a broad measure that does have a lot of bipartisan support to invest in research, technology, part of trying to counter China. It got tied up. The Senate left last week without passing that bill because it became suddenly very partisan, not necessarily because of that bill in question but because, that day, the Senate was also holding a vote on whether or not to create an independent commission, bipartisan commission to investigate the deadly attack on the Capitol on January 6. That measure failed. Republican senators blocked it. And a lot of the more progressive wing of Coons' caucus is saying, if we can't get bipartisan agreement on something like that, how can we get it on anything substantive?
INSKEEP: NPR's Scott Detrow. Thanks.
DETROW: Sure thing.
Copyright © 2021 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by Verb8tm, Inc., an NPR contractor, and produced using a proprietary transcription process developed with NPR. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
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A Da Kitchen specialty, panko-crusted, deep-fried Spam musubi, is fresh out of the fryer Wednesday. Da Kitchen’s most popular dishes have made a comeback in the kitchen of Piko Cafe, which serves breakfast and lunch from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. seven days a week and makes way for Da Kitchen dinner service from 4 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday in a small space next door to Longs Drugs in Kihei. The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo
In the months after Da Kitchen closed down, owner Les Tomita kept getting asked in the aisles of Costco and Longs when he was going to bring back the restaurant’s beloved chicken katsu and kalbi plates.
“I’m not the front guy, but I know people. We’ve been doing it for 20 years,” Tomita said. “(People asked) ‘When are you going to reopen?’ . . . So you kind of look around, you poke your nose here and somebody says, ‘You know, we got this space. Want to look at it?’
“It just kind of snowballed.”
That’s how Tomita and a few choice favorites from his old restaurant made it into the kitchen of Piko Cafe in Kihei, where employees roasting coffee and flipping ube pancakes in the morning make way for workers cooking deep fried Spam musubi in the evenings.
While it’s not quite the second coming of Da Kitchen — Tomita describes it as “an extension” of Piko’s local-style menu — it’s unmistakably the dishes and flavors of the former location.
LES TOMITA
“A guy came into Piko and they said, ‘Is this Da Kitchen’s food?’ And we go, ‘Yes, we’re implementing some items,'” Tomita said. “He ordered the katsu and the kalbi. He opened his plate when it came out and he said, ‘Oh, this is Da Kitchen food.’ That’s the best kind of story I can tell you.”
Da Kitchen, which closed its Kihei and Kahului locations in July due to the financial impacts of COVID-19, began operating out of Piko Cafe’s 1,000-square-foot space in mid-May, according to Piko owner Richard Uyechi. Tucked into the corner of a Kihei shopping center next to Longs, Piko offers breakfast and lunch from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. seven days a week, while Da Kitchen does dinner from 4 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, with plans to add Mondays hours starting the second week in June, Tomita said. It’s a small operation with about five employees for breakfast and lunch and four for the evening shift. Uyechi covers two-thirds of the rent, while Tomita pays the other third.
Both owners say they’re still feeling out the partnership, but so far, it makes sense. Tomita and Uyechi are both local boys from Oahu — “I grew up in Waimanalo, he grew up in a richer neighborhood, I would say,” Uyechi said — with backgrounds in the restaurant industry and complementary passions. The 60-year-old Tomita, who hails from Waialae Nui, prefers “the physical part, the cooking,” while Uyechi, 58, is the businessman.
“We have common ground where we understand what each of us does,” Uyechi said. “That makes it pretty good actually. But me, I’m more of a sales and marketing kind of guy. I thought oh, would be good, I can push Da Kitchen because they’re popular.”
The first day Da Kitchen began cooking, about 10 customers showed up, some of whom just happened to stumble upon the menu outside advertising Da Kitchen dishes. People started telling Tomita that news was spreading on social media and that one post on Facebook about the restaurant had gotten 236 likes.
Prep cook Bryan Fermin makes Spam musubi Wednesday in the kitchen of Piko Cafe, which is sharing its space with a revived version of Da Kitchen, which had to close in July due to the financial impacts of COVID-19. The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo
For Tomita, the main metric of success isn’t likes or shares, but rather the parking lot.
“I’m not a Facebook guy,” he said. “I’m an old school paper-and-pencil guy. . . . I’m watching the parking lot, and they are walking from their car directly to Piko. The first week it was just strolling and running into us. This past week they are walking straight into Piko at night.”
On Friday night, the operation served about 100 people, he estimated.
Piko had been busy even during the pandemic, but Uyechi said he’s glad to give Da Kitchen a chance to make its way back while taking a breather from the restaurant grind.
“I didn’t want to do dinners because I’m done working 12 hours,” said Uyechi, who used to come in around 6 or 7 in the morning and stay until 8 or 9 p.m. “I need a break too.”
Da Kitchen owner Les Tomita talks about his reopening plan Wednesday outside Piko Cafe in Kihei. The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo
As a teenager, Uyechi worked at the KC Drive Inn on Oahu and eventually went into fine-dining. He came to Maui nearly 25 years ago and has held jobs ranging from renting out cars to managing Royal Kona Coffee and working for Paradise Beverages.
In January 2017, the Uyechi family opened Piko Cafe.
“Actually the first reason why I got into this was that my son wanted to do it,” Uyechi said. “I told him, ‘You know how hard it is running a restaurant?’ Told him after you’re all tired, you still gotta clean the kitchen. He said, ‘No worry dad, I going help you.’ Now he’s in Arizona. He’s a pilot.”
Uyechi recalled how his son always said “if the food is good, the people will come,” and the customers have, despite the pandemic. Piko Cafe never had to close, relying on takeout orders and federal aid such as the Paycheck Protection Program and the U.S. Small Business Administration’s low-interest loans.
“I just kept going, and I noticed a lot of new faces started coming, and we steadily got busier during that time,” he said.
Tomita said he and Uyechi are “not prideful guys,” so they’ll go with whatever business model customers most want moving forward. He praises Piko’s food, which includes a wide selection of coffees and specialty drinks as well as breakfast items like banana pancakes and plate lunches like chopped steak and mochiko chicken. Nearly a dozen Da Kitchen favorites are on the dinner menu, such as chicken katsu, kalbi, fish tempura and a combo plate of chicken katsu, teri beef, teri chicken and breaded mahi. Customers are already asking for dishes like teri salmon and shrimp scampi, and Tomita has to remind them that “we taking baby steps,” but will have the classics eventually, including the full page of loco moco variations that Da Kitchen used to make.
He said the smaller operation — from a 2,200-square-foot space in Kahului with 25 employees on shift to a 1,000-square-foot venue with about a dozen workers — opens up the potential for franchising.
For now, Tomita’s just glad to be back.
“I want to just thank the community for just supporting us in these first couple of weeks,” he said. “It’s been fantastic, just the outpouring.”
Piko Cafe is located at 1215 S. Kihei Rd., Unit E. For more information, visit www.pikocafe.com or call (808) 793-2671.
* Colleen Uechi can be reached at cuechi@mauinews.com.
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A chunk of space trash has left a hole in the International Space Station’s robotic arm but NASA and Canadian mission managers say the arm’s functions won’t be impacted; however, this is far from the last debris encounter for the orbiting laboratory.
The ISS orbits about 200 miles above the planet, in low-Earth orbit, a very popular area for small satellite launches and lots of space debris. More than 23,000 pieces of, essentially, trash from defunct satellites, rocket parts and other objects are being tracked by NASA at all times in the event of a possible collision with spacecraft or the American football-field length space station — where typically about seven astronauts are living and working. There are also other objects including dust particles or smaller pieces of satellite debris that are too small to be tracked.
Even with those precautions — mission managers can make the call to move the ISS to avoid such collisions — impacts to the ISS and its extremities do happen. The space station has also been impacted by tiny micrometeorites before.
[PODCAST: Who takes out the space trash? Space debris is growing, here’s what’s being done about it]
On May 12, during a routine inspection of the Canadian Space Agency-made robotic arm, known as Canadarm2, a hole was observed in a small section of the arm boom and thermal blanket.
CSA and NASA engineers worked together to assess the damage and have determined the arm’s performance remains unaffected, according to an update from the CSA. The robotic arm is key to the ISS because it is used to grapple spacecraft and assist astronauts during spacewalks, several of which are coming up.
Operations for the Canadarm2 will continue as planned. The CSA did not disclose if the hole will be patched or repaired.
This week SpaceX will launch its Cargo Dragon spacecraft to the ISS carrying 7,300 pounds of science, supplies and hardware, including a massive set of new solar panels to power the ISS for years to come.
Liftoff is scheduled for 1:29 p.m. Thursday from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A.
Use the form below to sign up for the ClickOrlando.com space newsletter, sent every Wednesday afternoon.
Arrayed across a plateau on an island in the high Norwegian Arctic, the 100 geodesic domes of the Svalbard Satellite Station look like abstract mushrooms sprouting from the snowy landscape.
From outside, there seems to be little going on. But each dome shelters a dish antenna, that whirs to life throughout the day and night, precisely aiming at satellites as they rise above the horizon and staying locked onto them as they arc across the sky. In the minutes before the satellite dips below the opposite horizon, software commands may be sent up and data is almost certainly sent down.
SvalSat, as the station is known, is a crucial, behind-the-scenes workhorse supporting scientific research. Located just outside the town of Longyearbyen in the Svalbard Archipelago, it is 800 miles from the North Pole, making it the northernmost satellite station in the world.
It is also one of the largest. The 100 antennas at the station, some as large as 42 feet in diameter, track more than 3,500 passes each day by several hundred satellites, including many Earth-observing ones that are essential for studying the impacts of climate change.
Among them are the two active satellites for Landsat, the joint program of NASA and the United States Geological Survey that provides images of shrinking glaciers, changing forests, eroding coastlines and other symptoms of global warming.
SvalSat tracks many other satellites as well, including those of the European Space Agency’s Sentinel program, which is similar to Landsat, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Suomi NPP spacecraft, which measures sea-surface temperatures, how much solar energy is being reflected by the Earth, and many other variables related to climate.
These and other Earth-observing satellites are in polar orbits, circling from pole to pole roughly every hour and a half. Some of the orbits are sun-synchronous, meaning that the satellite passes over each point on the surface at the same time relative to the sun. This is especially useful for imaging satellites because the angle at which the sun is illuminating the Earth is consistent for every image.
Satellites link to more than one ground station around the world to provide coverage throughout their orbits. But SvalSat’s high-latitude location gives it an advantage over others, said Maja-Stina Ekstedt, the station’s director.
Because of Earth’s rotation, a station at the Equator, say, which might have been aligned with a satellite’s orbit when the satellite was crossing the pole, would have rotated far to the west, out of sight of the spacecraft, by the time it passed overhead.
Being at such a high latitude, however, SvalSat would have rotated relatively little, remaining within range. The station can connect with a polar-orbiting satellite on each of the 15 or so passes it typically makes every day.
“That’s the unique thing about Svalbard,” Ms. Ekstedt said. “We can download data, and send commands to it, every time it passes.”
As a result, the station downloads a lot of data, which is carried under the sea to the Norwegian mainland by fiber-optic cables.
SvalSat has a control room for managing the antennas, some of which handle passes by different satellites just minutes apart, and for sending and receiving signals. A control room in Tromso, a Norwegian port 500 miles to the south that is home to the company that runs SvalSat, Kongsberg Satellite Services, can operate the station as well. (The company runs about 100 ground stations around the world, including another high-latitude one, Troll, on the Antarctic coast that is smaller and can’t transmit data at high speed.)
Ms. Ekstedt manages a staff of about 40 who operate the antennas and repair and maintain equipment. While the domes are transparent to radio waves, snow can degrade the signals. So, in a location that averages about 170 days with snow a year, clearing the outside of the domes is a frequent task.
The weather can affect access to the station itself, as well. Although it’s only about six miles to the center of Longyearbyen, the station is at the end of a long steep road.
“Just to drive here it can be quite interesting,” Ms. Ekstedt said. “Every day during winter we watch the weather very closely due to challenging driving conditions and avalanche danger.” If heavy snow builds up on the road, all but those operating the satellites may evacuate from the site before the road becomes completely impassable. Occasionally workers have to be airlifted by helicopter.
Ms. Ekstedt and her family have lived in Longyearbyen for a decade. Although it has a population of only 2,500, there are a lot of cultural activities and practically limitless opportunities for outdoor recreation. “We’re a bit spoiled up here,” she said.
And they are working at a place that plays an important role supporting science. “It’s really amazing to understand what you are part of,” Ms. Ekstedt said, “when you know what all these images and data are used for in the world.”
Anna Filipova is a photojournalist based in the Arctic specializing in scientific topics who has covered the polar regions for 10 years. This work was supported with a grant from the Eyebeam Center for the Future of Journalism.
Covid-19 vaccinations are on the rise. Mask mandates are being stripped away. Businesses are reopening.
What should you do to get on track with your money during the economic recovery?
The U.S. economy is showing signs of life as the country reopens and returns to a new normal following the coronavirus pandemic. Weekly jobless claims dipped to a new pandemic low of 406,000, and the economy added 266,00 jobs in April, a positive gain, though below expectations.
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"What we've seen is some really bright spots, some very encouraging news. It gives me hope, and I am bullish for the future," San Francisco Federal Reserve President Mary Daly told CNBC during a recent "Closing Bell" interview. She also said that the Fed hasn't seen enough progress yet to change policy.
Many households are still dealing with the impact of the pandemic and will be for many years, even as the economy recovers. And, even those who weren't hit as hard by Covid may need to reassess their finances, as lockdowns have shifted priorities and spending habits — as things return to normal, inflation has risen, which can be concerning for consumers not ready to spend more for goods and services.
What's more, money experts say after being caught off guard by the coronavirus pandemic, many Americans may now be more mindful about being prepared for the next possible economic downturn.
Here's what experts recommend people focus on as the economy reopens and recovers.
The pandemic was a complete surprise and showed many Americans just how unprepared they were to withstand an emergency. Now, as the U.S. rebuilds the economy and more people are going back to work, bolstering emergency savings should be top of mind.
"The best financial practices pertain through bad times and good," said Mark Hamrick, senior economic analyst at Bankrate. "We'd strongly counsel to make emergency savings a priority."
A rule of thumb followed by many financial experts is that people should have three to six months of living expenses in an emergency savings fund. But 13 months into a pandemic that's left millions unemployed, people may be rethinking their savings goals.
If you took on $25,000 of debt, you can't manage your finances like you don't have $25,000 of debt to pay off.Tania BrownCFP and coach at SaverLife
"That should make people think a second time about using the rule of thumb, and actually think of their own specific situation," said Dana Menard, a certified financial planner and founder and CEO of Twin Cities Wealth Strategies in Maple Grove, Minnesota.
Depending on their career, industry, family and specific needs, some people may want to save more — or even less — in an emergency savings fund to prepare for the next event.
"Three months is just the starting point," said Tania Brown, CFP and coach at SaverLife, a nonprofit focused on saving.
Another high-priority financial goal that experts recommend is paying down debt, especially for those who might have taken on more to keep themselves afloat during the pandemic.
"If you took on $25,000 of debt, you can't manage your finances like you don't have $25,000 of debt to pay off," Brown said. That means that people should come up with a game plan for paying off debt with one of many strategies, such as paying off high-interest debt first or focusing on the debt that's easiest to get rid of quickest.
Now is a good time to plan for debt management, according to Brown. In the last few months, with a third round of stimulus checks and tax refunds going out, families especially could have thousands of extra dollars to deploy.
Of course, some people may want to pay down their debt before they build up emergency savings or work towards both goals simultaneously.
If people can afford to work towards multiple financial goals at once, they should, said Menard, adding that not everyone has that ability.
Last year was unusual, and for many that resulted in drastic changes to their set budget. Whether people lost work and had to find other sources of income or found that they had extra money from canceled trips, budgets may need updating.
This is also important as people begin to reenter the world as it opens post-pandemic. They should be extra careful not to let their excitement lead to overspending, Brown said.
Really factor in what that inflation is going to be – what you think that you had budgeted before might not be enoughMarisa BradburyInvestment advisor at Sigma Investment Counselors
It's also a good idea to check to see if the cost of certain goods and services are the same or have changed due to the pandemic.
"Be mindful of inflation creeping in — things might cost more," said Marisa Bradbury, CFP, CPA and investment advisor at Sigma Investment Counselors in Lake Mary, Florida. "Really factor in what that inflation is going to be — what you think that you had budgeted before might not be enough."
If you do have money to allocate to fun things such as entertainment, shopping or travel, Bradbury recommends checking back in with your budget and setting aside a specific amount to guard against overspending. This is especially important for those in retirement living on a fixed income, Bradley said.
As the U.S. moves on from the pandemic, people should also reassess their long-term financial goals. The past year set millions of Americans back in many ways, and for some that meant pushing off milestones such as buying a house or car.
"If they were hammered by 2020, they may have to push out retirement for a couple of years; that's OK," Brown said. "They may have to get some of those financial fundamentals taken care of first."
Even as the economy recovers, however, getting back to pre-pandemic finances won't happen overnight, according to Brown. And, people should be aware of that and adjust their expectations accordingly.
"What worked in 2019 or even 2020 may not work now," she said.
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It's Memorial Day, which means one extra little thing for MLB fans: You're now officially free to look at the MLB standings.
The old adage among baseball fans is that you should avoid checking the standings until Memorial Day. Allowing two months of the season to play out first gives time for small sample-size blips for enough games to add meaning to what we see in every division. And while where your team sits in the standings today may not serve as a guarantee to where it will finish the season, there is some truth to the concept: According to Elias Sports Bureau, 59% of teams (84 of 143) that were in sole possession of first place on the morning of June 1 have gone on to win their division in the wild-card era (since 1995 and excluding 2020).
With that in mind, we asked ESPN MLB experts Bradford Doolittle, Buster Olney and David Schoenfield to take a good look at the standings right now to help us make sense of where things stand in the 2021 MLB season so far.
Olney: The NL East -- the division that generally was thought to be the best and most competitive -- is an absolute mess. It looks like a NASCAR race after a 25-car pileup in Lap 15, and it appears a significant chunk of time will be required for the teams to sort through their respective issues, through injuries, through problem-solving regarding lineup and roster holes.
Doolittle: The division could hardly be more clustered. You can't help but notice that it's the Marlins who have generally held the best run differential in the division even though Starling Marte has been out for weeks and Sixto Sanchez has missed the entire campaign. Losing Brian Anderson hurts, but Miami still appears to be on a trajectory of getting healthier, while the supposed top four in the NL East do not.
Schoenfield: Yeah, the NL East stands out, especially now that the Dodgers are starting to roll again after going through that 4-14 stretch. At one point a few days ago the Mets had 16 players on the injured list. They've been running a lineup that might not fare well in Triple-A, especially given Francisco Lindor's early struggles at the plate. The rest of the division should be kicking themselves that they didn't create a little separation from the Mets under these circumstances -- except, of course, they've all had some significant injuries as well. Could we be headed to our first sub-.500 division champion? (Not including the 1994 AL West, when all four teams were under .500 when the strike ended the season in August.)
Doolittle: I'll give two related teams: I think Cleveland and Minnesota will eventually flip spots in the AL Central. Cleveland has too many holes in its lineup, and the rotation hasn't been that great, either. Too much of the weight there is carried by Jose Ramirez and the bullpen. Also: So far, Cleveland has played one of MLB's easiest schedules. Meanwhile, the Twins have way too much talent and depth to have played as poorly as they have over the last few weeks. They are already snapping back into form.
Schoenfield: I agree with Brad. I think the Twins can still mimic the 2019 Nationals, a team that was 19-31 before turning things out, winning a wild card and then running the table in the postseason. They need to figure out the closer situation, maybe trading for Seattle's Kendall Graveman or the Rangers' Ian Kennedy. I also wonder a bit about the Brewers. They're hovering around .500 even though Brandon Woodruff, Corbin Burnes and Freddy Peralta entered the weekend with a combined 2.03 ERA. You have to expect SOME regression there from that outstanding trio. I just don't know if they have enough offense, even if Christian Yelich overcomes his back problems and starts slugging again. The pitching is too good for a complete free fall, but the Cardinals and Cubs may start pulling away.
Olney: This is like plucking low-hanging fruit, but the Dodgers will continue to gather momentum, with Cody Bellinger and others returning from the injured list, and with whomever L.A. adds leading up to the trade deadline.
Olney: It's got to be the Angels, right? Shohei Ohtani has been the most valuable player in the sport this year with the value he's providing. Before Mike Trout got hurt, he was having the best season of his career. Yet the Angels still are apparently not close to contending. The starting pitching around Ohtani has been shockingly bad.
Doolittle: Since I've already touched on the Twins, I'll go with the Angels. You figure that one of these seasons they'd at least run into a luck of good pitching, but maybe not. It's a shame, because a postseason that featured Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani would be really fun to see.
Schoenfield: The Twins and Angels are the answer here. You can throw in the entire NL East if you want, but I'll mention the Royals. After starting 14-7, there was hope that this team could challenge the AL Central, but they quickly squandered that hot start with an 11-game losing streak. The thing is, this isn't really a young team. Using Baseball-Reference's average age, which is weighted for playing time, the Royals have the fourth-oldest lineup in the majors. They are younger on the pitching side -- 10th -- but the young rotation hasn't stepped up as of yet. In a sense, this is a team that is built to win now with 30-somethings Salvador Perez, Carlos Santana and Whit Merrifield carrying the offense, but right now the Royals look like a .500 team at best.
Doolittle: My projection system didn't love the Giants, yet when I commented on them in the preseason, I was always careful to mention that they were a likely candidate to outplay the forecasts. It's just a really well run club with a smart manager and a core of players who have been a part of a lot of winning. Can they keep hanging with the Padres and Dodgers? That's a hard road, but so far, the Giants have been on a great ride.
Olney: The Red Sox. Chaim Bloom spent last year building the infrastructure within the organization's talent, and between that progress and the return of Alex Cora as manager, Boston has stepped back into the AL East race. Now the question will be how much ownership will bet on the team's playoff chances and is willing to spend before the trade deadline.
Schoenfield: I might go with the Mets here, actually. Let's see: Lindor struggling, Dom Smith struggling, James McCann struggling -- and those are the three hitters who have been healthy. Jacob deGrom missed a few starts. Carlos Carrasco hasn't pitched yet, and Taijuan Walker was pitching great before landing on the IL. David Peterson and Joey Lucchesi are a combined 2-7. Cameron Maybin went 0-for-26, and Michael Conforto has two home runs. And yet, they're in first place. Did we mention the NL East is bad?
Olney: The Angels absolutely should be sellers, given how many players have free agency looming -- and they should be thinking right now about a looming contract quandary. It's very difficult for big-market teams to carry three $30 million-a-year deals. Mike Trout will be an Angel for life, of course, and Anthony Rendon is also making huge dollars. With Shohei Ohtani now a couple of years from free agency, it's possible he could be a $30 million-a-year player -- and if he continues to play this well, with this much attention, the Angels are going to want to keep him. So the team should be thinking about proactively looking for opportunities to move as much of Rendon's contract as possible to put it in a better position to retain Ohtani.
Doolittle: The Rockies had better be lining up the suitors for Trevor Story, because that team isn't going anywhere. They are winning at a .143 clip on the road and have darn near been doubled up in run differential away from home. It's time to tear this thing down to the studs and have another go at it with a fresh front office.
Schoenfield: It will be interesting to see what Farhan Zaidi ultimately decides to do with the Giants. Even if they fall six or seven games behind the Dodgers and Padres, the second wild-card could still be in play. Kevin Gausman, a pending free agent, would be one of the most attractive pitchers on the market if he's made available -- but he's also a pitcher capable of winning that wild-card game.
Jerry Dipoto, on the other hand, has an easier decision. The Mariners aren't good, can't hit and are still building up. Kendall Graveman hasn't allowed a run and would be a late-game option for contenders. Mitch Haniger is having an outstanding season, and while he's under team control for another season, Jarred Kelenic is in the majors, and Julio Rodriguez could arrive next season. Given the need for offense across the league, Haniger should bring back a nice prospect or two in return (but could also help the team next year).
Doolittle: The Rays will top the league with 96 wins. Everyone else has injuries or roster holes to steer around, while Tampa Bay is already humming along with all sorts of replacement parts at the ready if any one cog breaks down.
Olney: The Rays, 98 victories.
Schoenfield: The Rays are a damn miracle, aren't they? They just find a way. But I'm going with the White Sox with ... 95 wins. An easier division than the AL East, a strong rotation and bullpen that should prevent any extended losing stretches and a good lineup even without Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert. Plus, they've only played the Tigers three times so far, so that's 16 more games against them.
Doolittle: The Dodgers will win 104 games, two more than the Padres. The presence of the latter accounts for the win total of the former. These teams will push each other all season to avoid the wild-card game, and it'll be glorious.
Olney: The Dodgers are due for a long winning streak, and they'll finish with 102 wins.
Schoenfield: They won't get to my 110 preseason prediction, but I'll also go with the Dodgers at 102. Finishing one game ahead of the 101-win Padres.
Olney: The Orioles, who will be beaten up the rest of this season by four AL East organizations that are actually trying to win.
Doolittle: The Orioles have the early lead, and they've proved over the past few years that there is no useful veteran that they aren't willing to unload if it'll net them a few more ticks under the "L" column.
Schoenfield: This will be one of the most intriguing storylines the final two months because super-prospect Elijah Green is the jewel of the 2022 draft, a high school outfielder who could end up as the top amateur draft prospect since Bryce Harper.
This looks like a heated four-team race between the Orioles, Tigers, Pirates and Rockies. The Orioles have the "advantage" of playing in a division with four other good teams. The Rockies still have 13 games against the Padres and 12 against the Dodgers and will probably trade Story right after the All-Star Game (which, remember, is now in Denver this year). The Pirates are terrible. The Tigers at least have a little pitching. I'll go with the Orioles as well, although John Means may single-handedly keep them the worst record.
LOGAN – In a preview of its upcoming season of intimate productions, the Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre is now set to present “The Café Plays: Bluebirds and Lambs in an Idle Isle.”
The original play by former Utah State University theatre professor Lynda Linford will be performed June 2 to 5 at the Utah Theatre in downtown Logan. Curtain time for those performances will be 7:30 p.m. each evening.
“The Café Plays” is a collection of cozy, nostalgic tales taken from the histories of three of Utah’s oldest eateries – the now defunct Lamb’s Grill in Salt Lake City, the Idle Isle Café in Brigham City and Logan’s own Bluebird Restaurant.
The three-act play was written by Linford based on anecdotes and recollections of patrons and employees of those restaurants that she began gathering in 2005.
This production of “The Café Plays” will mark a couple of significant milestones, according to Annette MacFarlane, the UFOMT’s development director.
It will be the first live production staged in the Utah Theatre since August of 2019. That involuntary hiatus resulted from the cancellation of the 2020 season of UFOMT due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Utah Theatre production will also be the first time that all three acts of “The Café Plays” have been staged in a single performance.
“The Café Plays” will be the first of six small-scale productions that UFOMT will stage at the Utah Theatre this summer.
The 2021 UFOMT season will open July 7 with “The Fantasticks,” the longest-running musical of all time. Over the next three days, the opera company will stage premieres of the cherished musical “I Do! I Do!” which chronicles the ups and downs of a 50-year marriage; “Souvenir,” a musical celebrating the improbable singing career of a tone-deaf New York socialite; “33 Variations,” a musical journey that explores the creation of Ludwig von Beethoven’s “Diabelli Variations;” and “Sentimental Journey – Ol’ Blue Eyes,” a trip down memory lane celebrating the immortal music of Frank Sinatra.
Tickets for performances of “The Café Plays” can be obtained from the Box Office in the Dansante Building (59 South, 100 West in Logan), online at www.theutahtheatre.org and at the door of the Utah Theatre at 18 W. Center Street.
iOS 14.6 gives the iPhone some cool new features.
James Martin/CNETApple's iOS 14.6 update arrived earlier in May, about a month after the iPhone-maker's big iOS 14.5 update landed at the end of April. iOS 14.6 appears to be a far smaller update than 14.5 -- which included the ability to unlock your iPhone with Face ID while wearing a mask, stop apps from tracking you for advertising purposes and choose from four Siri voices. The new iOS 14.6 includes another way to locate lost AirTags trackers and high-fidelity Apple Music support, as well as bug fixes.
Here's what we know about iOS 14.6 so far. Plus, we're expecting Apple to unveil iOS 15 at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June. We've collected all of the rumors about the upcoming iOS 15 here.
Read more: iOS 14.6's best new iPhone features
You can download iOS 14.6 now, even on older iPhones.
Patrick Holland/CNETYou should get a prompt telling you that iOS 14.6 is now available and asking if you'd like to download it. Or you can do the following:
1. Open the Settings app.
2. Select General.
3. Tap Software Update.
Your device will connect to Apple's servers and prompt you to download and install the update. Follow the prompts to complete the installation. When your device reboots, it will be running iOS 14.6. (Check out our full instructions on preparing your phone and downloading iOS 14 here.)
iOS 14.6 is compatible with all the same devices as iOS 14. Generally, these include the iPhone 6S all the way up through the iPhone 12, along with the iPhone SE and the seventh-gen iPod Touch. For the full list of devices compatible with iOS 14, click here.
You can download iOS 14.6 on the iPhone 6S through the iPhone 12, pictured here.
Sarah Tew/CNETThe latest operating software update is smaller, and is focused on under-the-hood changes. Here's what we've seen in the public beta version of the software.
If you've bought one of Apple's new AirTag tracker devices (here's how to set up your AirTags), you may know that if you lose the item the AirTag is attached to, you can put the tag in Lost Mode and get a notification when it's within range of the Find My network. If someone else finds your AirTag, they can use an iPhone or other NFC-capable device to view your contact number and get in touch with you. The latest version of the iOS 14.6 beta adds the ability to enter a contact email instead of a phone number.
iOS 14.6 also marks the launch of Apple Card Family. This addition lets you share your Apple Card with up to five people (aged 13 years or older) in your Family Sharing group. Apple Card Family lets families track expenses, manage spending with the option to add limits and controls, as well as build credit.
The beta versions of iOS 14.6 included a tool that lets app developers and public beta testers upgrade to an iOS release candidate without removing their developer or beta profile. Before iOS 14.5 went live to the public, developers could choose between upgrading their device to the iOS 14.5 release candidate or to the beta version of iOS 14.6. Under the Software Update menu in Settings, there's a new Also Available section where you can find this option.
On May 17, Apple said that in June, it would add support for high-quality, lossless and spatial audio to Apple Music through Dolby Atmos at no additional cost. High-fidelity streaming could help Apple Music compete with Spotify, which in February said it was adding a high-fidelity tier sometime in 2021.
For more, check out how to download iOS 14.5, and some of the best hidden iPhone features we've found in iOS 14. And before you make any OS updates, make sure your iPhone and iPad are ready to do so.
Some are growing tired of checking their mailbox for the most recent economic impact payment.
Angela Lang/CNETLast week, the IRS sent out 1.8 million more stimulus payments, some by mail and others by direct deposit. That means nearly 167 million payments have gone out under the American Rescue Plan since it became law in March. But what if your check is still late? It could be there are issues with your payment, such as wrong direct deposit details or a delay in mail delivery. There might be other issues if you're a recipient of SSI, SSDI or veterans benefits.
Or perhaps you received a letter from the IRS saying that your $1,400 payment was sent but the check never arrived. Then what? One thing is for sure: The IRS doesn't want you to call with questions about a missing stimulus check. We'll explain what you can do instead, including requesting a recovery rebate credit on your 2020 tax return if you filed a tax extension, or asking for a payment trace.
We can also share information on a potential fourth stimulus check, student debt forgiveness and the deal with states canceling unemployment benefits. Plus, here's how you can get more money from the child tax credit if you have kids (even if you have a baby born in 2021) and how to calculate your total. This story was recently updated.
For the third stimulus check: It's worth visiting the IRS' online portal designed to track the status of your 2021 payment. Generally, it should tell you when your check will be processed and how you'll receive it: for example, as a paper check in the mail. If the Get My Payment tool doesn't give you information you can understand or says your check is on the way and you haven't received it, you may need to eventually request a payment trace or file for a recovery rebate credit.
For the first or second payment: If you can't find the letter sent by the IRS, you'll need to create an online profile with the IRS to see your status. For any problems, you may need to issue a payment trace or file for a recovery rebate credit, even if you don't normally submit a tax return. (May 17 was the last day to file your taxes without an extension.) Here's more information about finding the amount of your first and second payments.
If the Get My Payment tool gave you a payment date but you still haven't received your money, the IRS may need more information. Check the Get My Payment tool again and if it reports "Need More Information," this could indicate that your check has been returned because the post office was unable to deliver it, an IRS representative told CNET. Here are more details on how the tracker tool works and what the messages mean.
It's normal for the Get My Payment tool to give you a message that says "Payment Status Not Available" until the payment is scheduled to be issued, according to the IRS. This message doesn't mean you're not eligible or that you won't receive a payment -- you'll likely just have to wait.
Watch this: Stimulus check 3: How much money you'll get
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The IRS tracking tool for the third stimulus check doesn't allow you to add direct deposit information this time unless the IRS can't deliver your payment. So if you have a problem, what do you do? Your check may have bounced back to the IRS if the agency tried to send your payment to a now-closed bank account or to a temporary prepaid debit card a tax preparer set up for you. If your payment was returned to the IRS, the agency will mail your check to the current address it has on file for you. If that check is returned, then the IRS will let you enter your banking information in the Get My Payment tool, the IRS said.
First, we suggest you call your bank or tax preparer -- it never hurts to cover all your bases to confirm that an attempt was made to deposit money into a closed account or debit card.
Unfortunately, you'll need to wait and monitor the Get My Payment tracker to keep tabs on your check delivery. We also recommend signing up for a free service to track your check to your mailbox.
If you owe child support or other debts, your first check was seized to cover those debts. The third check is subject to being taken by private debt collectors, but not the state or federal government. The same goes for the second payment, too, if you're claiming missing money in a recovery rebate credit. You may receive a notice from the Bureau of the Fiscal Service or your bank if either of these scenarios happens.
In the case of the third check, we recommend calling your bank to confirm the garnishment request from creditors and ask for details about how long you have to file a request with a local court to stop the garnishment. If you think money has already been mistakenly seized from the first two checks, you can file a recovery rebate credit as part of your 2020 tax return -- but only if you filed a tax extension.
You can track down your stimulus payment without picking up the phone.
Sarah Tew/CNETAbout 15 days after the IRS sends out your check, you should receive a letter from the agency confirming the payment. When the first round of stimulus checks went out last year, that letter included two hotline phone numbers because thousands of agents were available to help. But with the second and third rounds of checks, the IRS changed its tune, and these phone numbers may be disconnected.
Here are common scenarios that might indicate you need to look into your stimulus payment:
You should also confirm you're qualified to get the stimulus payment, since not everyone who received a previous check is qualified this time. If you think it's time to take action, read for more options.
You can request an IRS payment trace if you received the confirmation letter from the IRS that your payment was sent (also called Notice 1444), or if the Get My Payment tool shows that your payment was issued but you have not received it within certain time frames. This is the case for all three checks. Check out our guide to requesting an IRS Payment Trace here.
Don't miss out on claiming your missing stimulus money.
Sarah Tew/CNETIf you're certain you meet the qualifications to receive the first or second stimulus check, what to do next depends on your situation.
If you never got your money or a confirmation letter from the IRS that your payment was sent, you needed to file for the money on your tax return this year. We've got full instructions for how to file for your recovery rebate credit here, but basically, you'll use the 2020 Form 1040 or Form 1040-SR to claim a catch-up payment. However, the last day to file your taxes has passed, so this will only work for those who filed a tax extension.
The tax return instructions include a worksheet to figure out the amount of any recovery rebate credit for which you're eligible, according to the IRS. If you're part of a group that doesn't usually file taxes (such as older adults, retirees, SSDI or SSI recipients and individuals with adjusted gross incomes of less than $12,200), you'll still need to file this year. (We have instructions for nonfilers who need to claim stimulus money on their taxes here.) You should also save your IRS letter -- Notice 1444 Your Economic Impact Payment -- with your 2020 tax records, as you'll need it to file the claim.
You can also file for a Recovery Rebate Credit if you didn't receive the correct amount of money for your child dependents in your first or second check. The same goes for parents of 2020 babies (and next year, parents of 2021 babies will similarly be able to file).
You can estimate how much money the IRS owes your household for the third stimulus check. Just make sure to triple-check that you meet the qualifications, including the income limits.
Because of the overlap with tax season 2020, many people may receive some, but not all, of their allotted amount. If your income changed in 2020, in some cases, the IRS may owe you more money than you received if the income figure used to calculate your payment from your tax returns in 2018 or 2019 is less in 2020. Likewise, if you now have a new dependent, such as a new baby, you may be owed more money.
The IRS is automatically sending "plus-up payments" to make up the difference. If you don't get one, you may need to claim the missing money another way later in 2021 or even in 2022, since tax season is officially over now.
As was the case with the first and second check, if you filed a 2018, 2019 or 2020 tax return or receive government benefits, the IRS should automatically send your third check without you having to do anything.
If, however, you're a nonfiler, a US citizen or permanent resident, had a gross income in 2019 under $12,200 -- or $24,400 as a married couple -- and didn't file a return for 2018 or 2019, you may need to give the IRS a bit of information before it can process your payment. Since the IRS' Non-Filers tool is now closed, you may need to file for that money on a 2021 tax return (in 2022) in the form of a recovery rebate credit, described above.
Here's more information about who should file an amended tax form and who shouldn't.
Receiving your stimulus check money isn't always easy.
Sarah Tew/CNETAt least 5 million people will receive their third stimulus check on a prepaid debit card called the Economic Impact Payment Card, instead of a paper check. For the third payment, the EIP card arrives in a white envelope sent from "Economic Impact Payment Card." The letter will have a US Department of the Treasury seal.
The card has the Visa name on the front and the issuing bank, MetaBank®, N.A., on the back. Information included with the EIP Card explains that this is your Economic Impact Payment. If you receive an EIP Card, visit EIPcard.com for more information.
If you've misplaced or thrown away your card, the EIP card service has an FAQ on what to do if your card is lost or stolen. You can also call 800-240-8100 to request a replacement. It's free, according to a spokesperson for the Treasury Department. To request a new card, press option 2 when prompted.
However, the EIP card website says, "Your Card will be deactivated to prevent anyone from using it and a new replacement Card will be ordered. Fees may apply." We recommend calling the above number for a lost or stolen card and speaking to a representative. If you may have lost or thrown away a paper check, read the mail fraud section below.
Though it's uncommon, you may believe you've been scammed out of your payment or had it stolen. The Federal Trade Commission has a website where you can report a stolen stimulus check. If you're worried about theft, you can sign up for a free USPS service that will send you a picture of every piece of mail coming your way -- including your stimulus payment.
The IRS began sending out stimulus checks for Social Security beneficiaries, including those who are part of the SSI and SSDI programs, on April 7. It began sending payments to people who receive veteran benefits and don't typically file taxes on April 14. If you're part of one of these groups and haven't gotten your check yet, it may be on the way soon.
The Social Security Administration has also advised people not to contact the SSA about problems. It's possible you may need to use one of the strategies above, depending on what the trouble is.
Here are some additional things you can try to resolve your stimulus check problems, including if you think your money has been garnished. Here's everything you should know about the third stimulus check, the expanded child tax credit for 2021 and other ways the most recent stimulus package can benefit you.
takanadalagi.blogspot.com Two new sibling bars are opening in far south Austin sometime this year. There’s cafe and cocktail bar Drifters S...
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