Category Archives: Progress

NBCSports.com

Is progress being made toward paying players a percentage of the salary cap? NBCSports.com During the 2016 offseason, we explained that nothing in the labor deal prevents players from getting paid a percentage of the salary cap. This approach would protect great players against significant jumps in the spending limit (and, in turn, the ... and more »

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Is progress being made toward paying players a percentage of the salary cap? - NBCSports.com

Fort Worth Star Telegram

Rangers pitchers Hamels, Griffin make more progress Fort Worth Star Telegram The next step for Cole Hamels in his road back to the Texas Rangers' rotation is to throw live batting practice early in the week at Houston. The left-hander threw his third bullpen session Sunday while the Rangers took on the Washington Nationals. He ... and more »

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Rangers pitchers Hamels, Griffin make more progress - Fort Worth Star Telegram

The Alaska Capitol Building in Juneau on Tuesday. There was little progress on reaching budget agreements this week, three weeks ahead of a potential government shutdown. (Photo by Jeremy Hsieh/KTOO)

Despite a looming deadline, lawmakers made no major progress this week on reaching agreement on a state budget and a plan to balance the budget in future years.

Gov. Bill Walker tried to make progress on Monday by putting out his own compromise proposal. He didnt get very far.

He took the Senates side on how to handle oil and gas taxes and the Permanent Fund, and the Houses side on this years state budget and the need for a broad-based tax.

But no one embraced all of his package of proposals.

Senate President Pete Kelly welcomed it, but he continued to express opposition to the elements that differ from the Senate majoritys positions.

The mostly Democratic House majority was much stronger in rejecting it, although some members signaled a willingness to work with what Walker proposed.

Kelly wants lawmakers to focus on the budget first, he said. The Republican-led Senate majority may be willing to live with just passing the budget putting off a decision on the Permanent Fund until later.

House members dont want to do that but they only want to reduce PFDs if the state also has higher oil taxes and/or a broad-based tax like an income tax. They have saidthats fairer.

Senators have saideveryone agrees on the need for Permanent Fund changes, but they differ on taxes and spending.

House members have been hoping that the Senate would be swayed by public pressure over budget cuts. That hasnt happened yet.

Theres one thing thats certain to put pressure on both chambers the state government shutting down in the eventthat they dont pass a budget.

Theres a conference committee thats making slow progress on the budget. But it hasnt taken on the biggest differences between the chambers such as cuts to education and university funding, and how much to draw from Permanent Fund earnings.

Theconference committee on House Bill 111, which would makechanges to oil and gas taxes, met Friday. The two chambers are still far apart.

Anchorage Democratic Rep. Geran Tarr saidthe House majority wants to change the system so that oil and gas companies effectively pay more in taxes.

Weve said its unsustainable, Tarr said. We need to reduce the burden to the state treasury because its not affordable going forward and we hope to find a compromise on that.

While the Senate version of the bill eliminates the tax credits that are paid out to oil companies, Tarr saidit allows them under a different name.

Anchorage Republican Sen.Cathy Giessel saidwhat the Senate has proposed is significant: Companies would no longer be able to receive tax credits before they enter production.

It will be applicable when youve reached production, versus simply handing out cash for performing certain activities, she said. Thats a big change. The other big change, of course, is were no longer jeopardizing our treasury by handing out this cash.

Giessel saidthe Senate didnt have time to assess the overall effect of the Houses overhaul to oil and gas taxes.

Anchorage Democratic Rep. Les Gara has notedthe projected reduction in oil and gas taxes in the Senate bill as compared with the House bill is equal to the Senates proposed cuts to school and university spending over 10 years.

Republicans reject the comparison, saying that encouraging oil production is necessary for the economy.

Legislators have a week to work out their differences. If they dont, then Walker will likely call another special session. Then there will be two more weeks to prevent a shutdown July 1.

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Major progress eludes Alaska Legislature this week - KTOO - KTOO

The Department of Veterans Affairs is checking off a list of recommendations to improve the wait time for payments to veterans trying to attend school through the G.I. bill, but lawmakers are still unhappy with the progress.

The Post-9/11 GI Bill gives student veterans direct payments for things like housing and books, but tuition is still paid directly to universities. But the complexities of the bill have left some veterans out to dry when it comes to making payments to their schools.

VA Director of the Education Service Veterans Benefits Administration Robert Worley told Congress the VA cut its processing time for claims down to 21 days and to six days for supplemental claims for things like books and housing.

The use of the Long Term Solution (LTS) IT system has been partly to thank for that. The system processes an average of 5,200 claims a day without human intervention. A 2015 GAO report gave VA recommendations to improve the system and other issues, which VA is acting on.

But House Veterans Affairs Economic Opportunity Subcommittee Chairman Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) says thats not good enough.

Im not satisfied. I think in this case youve got system LTS that was implemented that made some significant headway but they didnt go all the way, Arrington told Federal News Radio after a June 8 hearing. It just doesnt seem like its as strategic and well organized as it should be. So we are not yielding all the benefits that I think we could and should be getting from IT systems. Every organization deals with this, but I think the VA has more challenges in pulling all this together.

Worley said additional functionality is needed for the LTS system to get it working better. Features that could get it working faster include automated certificates of eligibility for original claims, electronically generated letters, expanded automation of supplemental claims, issuance of advanced payments, monthly certification of attendance and improved business analytics for reporting purposes.

Other IT systems dealing with claims and benefits need much more work. The Benefits Delivery Network (BDN), which is a claims processing, payment, tracking and disposition system for education is in need of a total replacement.

Support and maintenance are difficult or impossible to find for 70s-era systems like BDN. Warranties have expired, security best practices that are common on newer systems cannot be used, integration with newer systems is increasingly difficult to support and the knowledge pool for ongoing support and maintenance is becoming nonexistent as experts retire, Worley said in his opening statement to Arringtons committee.

Those IT issues are leaving some decisions pending, which sometimes keeps students from attending class because of outstanding debts.

Compounding the problem is Defense Department assistance in providing electronic records to the VA when requested.

Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Personnel Lernes Hebert told the committee it takes about 10 days for DoD to get VA the information it needs on veterans.

Overall, taking the VA claim average and the DoD delivery time together it would take more than a month students to get a claim if everything runs smoothly.

VA is also struggling with overpayments to schools and beneficiaries. The 2015 GAO report stated the VA made $416 million in overpayments in 2014.

The VA hasnt made overpayments that large since, but the problem still persists. VA has $106 million in outstanding overpayments from 2016. It also has $49.5 million outstanding from 2015, $31 million still uncollected from 2014 and $47 million from 2013 and before.

One major issue is that only $6.9 million of that is in the hands of schools. The rest is spread out to individual students across the nation.

Somebody has got to be held accountable for not being able to manage [the debt] and now its getting away from us. Theres some management issues there, Arrington told Federal News Radio.

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VA making progress on student payments, lawmakers still not satisfied - FederalNewsRadio.com

The process of turning Patrick Mahomes II into an NFL-ready quarterback could be a long one.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Kansas City Chiefs started in a place so basic with rookie quarterback Patrick Mahomes II when he arrived as their first-round draft pick that they had to teach him how to call plays in the huddle.

That was a new experience for Mahomes, who wasnt asked to relay the playcall to teammates in college at Texas Tech. At first, even that didnt go well.

Day 1, when he got here, he was yelling the play out so loud in the huddle that the whole defense could hear him," said Matt Nagy, the Chiefs quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator. They could hear the play call, too.

Now he knows to get in the huddle, be calm and speak only to the people hes supposed to be talking to."

The Chiefs will take progress where they can get it. Thats a victory when it comes to their rookie quarterback, and there have been others.

But the process of turning him into an NFL-ready player is a long one, and the Chiefs and Mahomes are still in the early stages. Mahomes remains the third quarterback into the lineup in practice behind starter Alex Smith and Tyler Bray, and that doesnt figure to change anytime soon.

Mahomes is frequently the last player off the field after practice. He generally stays late to work on his footwork. The Chiefs are trying to cram in as much with Mahomes as they can before the end of offseason practice next week.

Nagy indicated the work with Mahomes is showing, and not just when it comes to calling plays in the huddle. He said the Chiefs are encouraged because theyre not seeing the same mistakes twice from Mahomes.

The first pass of Mahomes first two-minute drill last week resulted in an interception when he was trying to unload the ball out of bounds on a play that was broken. He underestimated the ability of linebacker Reshard Cliett, who tipped the ball into the air and caught it.

Mahomes hasnt made that mistake again.

Hes able to see the play," Nagy said. He can go into the huddle, call the play with confidence, visualize it. He identifies the [middle] linebacker, tries to work with the protections. Were still not yet at the part where he sees the defense and understands where theyre coming from. Its still a little fast, but its coming."

The lessons will come even faster for Mahomes at training camp when it begins next month. The Chiefs will be able to practice in pads for the first time and move at a much faster pace than in the offseason.

Right now, were doing a lot of stuff," Nagy said. He knew nothing about the offense at first. He went from basic plays, but it was very fast for him. Now he knows the offense, but were doing a lot. At training camp, well get back to that part where things are basic again and hes going to know the offense and the things hes supposed to do, so we can let his talent go a little bit."

Mahomes said last week that he didnt feel he was far from being ready to play in a game. Asked what the expectations would be today for Mahomes if he had to quarterback the Chiefs for real, Nagy said, Youd still see some mistakes. Thats only fair to expect. Wed have to pull back. We know wed have to be patient with the plays wed call.

But hes really grown a lot from the first day of rookie camp until now. Were really encouraged by his progress."

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Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes calling plays in the huddle, making steady progress - ESPN (blog)

DURHAM, N.C.Slowly but surely, the defensive concerns about Chance Sisco as a catcher are starting to melt away.

Sisco went 2-for-5 to help Triple-A Norfolk to a 5-1 win over Durham (Rays) on Thursday night. More importantly, the Orioles No. 1 prospect blocked multiple pitches in the dirt, guided starting pitcher Chris Lee through six sharp innings, and even made a highlight-reel catch on a popup in foul territory when he tumbled over the barrier into the stands and held on for the out.

Hes a really good defender behind the plate. Hes doing exactly what he needs to do, Norfolk manager Ron Johnson said. He was outstanding with Chris Lee tonight. He was outstanding in the ninth inning (with one out and the bases loaded). And hes been this way. For me its really evolved in the last couple of weeks. Hes right where he needs to be.

Sisco, 22, has long been hailed for his advanced bat-to-ball skills. The 2013 second-round pick entered Thursday with a career .316/.395/.427 batting line, including winning the low Class A South Atlantic League batting title in his first full season and hitting .320 at Double-A last year.

Where Sisco has long been questioned is on the defensive side. He only began catching his senior year of high school and the learning curve has been steep, starting with the basics and building off that foundation slowly.

Now in his fourth full season as a professional, Sisco is allowing fewer passed balls and committing fewer errors on a per game basis than ever before.

The progression has been coming along really well, Sisco said. The last two years Ive gotten a lot better, grown tremendous strides. It was tough obviously transferring to catching, but I stuck with it and just kept grinding it out and am starting to see some results.

Where Sisco is still doing major fine-tuning is with his throwing. He allowed a stolen base against Durham, and opponents are now 42-for-49 stealing on Sisco this season.

Thats really the only thing with him, and its going to come along, Johnson said. I think its a little mental. I really do. Physically hes capable of throwing the ball. Ive seen him, when he does it right, he can deliver in the mid 1.9s. Hes got plenty of arm strength and hes quick . . . Hes going to be fine with it.

As for the bat, Sisco has shaken off a slow start and is hitting .305/.344/.441 over his past 16 games. He pulled two fastballs into right field for singles on Thursday, and is continuing to show the elite contact ability that made him one of the games top prospects.

Siscos defense behind the plate is what will be constantly scrutinized as he moves forward. If Thursday was any indication, he is making progress towards erasing the doubts that exist.

From year to year its kind of been a progression where one certain thing has gotten a little bit better each year, Sisco said. Im happy with how its going so far, but there is always something to be working on. My main focus right now would be throwing. Im not going to say its the last step to the process, but its one of the last few things that I think if I can put together I can be really good back there. Im happy to be here right now and Im happy to be working on it.

NEWS AND NOTES

Durham righthander Jose De Leon, the Rays No. 2 prospect, left after three innings with a right lat strain. BAs Josh Norris has the full story.

Lee, the Orioles No. 11 prospect, allowed one run in six innings for his first win since May 8. Lee sat 91-95 mph with his fastball and was able to both sink it and run it in on the hands of rigthanders. He mixed in an 85-87 mph slider and 82-82 mph changeup that both got swings and misses.

Durham shortstop Willy Adames, the Rays No. 1 prospect, went 4-for-5 with three singles. He is hitting .324 (24-for-74) in his past 20 games.

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Chance Sisco Makes Progress Behind The Plate - Baseball America

The Nationals have recently found a reliable combination for the back end of their bullpen in Matt Albers and Koda Glover.But they could use more depth, and help appears on the way. From the left side, Sammy Solis threw a 40-pitch bullpen session at the clubs facility in West Palm Beach, Fla. on Tuesday. And from the right side, Joe Blanton was slated to begin a rehab assignment with Class AA Harrisburg on Thursday, according to Manager Dusty Baker.

Solis has been on the disabled list since April 19 with nerve damage in his elbow. The left-hander posted an 8.31 ERA in six games before he was shelved. Baker said Solis is still in Florida. As for his next step, the manager wouldnt divulge any details.

His next step is his next step, he said.

Blanton was placed on the disabled list May 17 with shoulder inflammation after his worst stretch since becoming a full-time reliever two years ago. He has a 9.49 ERA and has allowed six home runs in 12 1/3 innings.

Hes getting better, Baker said.

Bakers prognosis for Jayson Werth wasnt as positive. Werth hurt his left big toe when he fouled a pitch off it Sunday against the Oakland Athletics. X-rays were negative, but the left fielderneeded crutches and was put on the disabled list Monday.

Its not going to be quick, Baker said. If anybodys ever hurt their toe, it heals slower. You have worse circulation there, and it looks ugly. Were not planning on Jayson the next few days. Hes just trying to get the swelling out, and thats the toughest thing to do. Keeping it up, elevated, stay off of it, but try to do some leg work and some arm work in order not to get out of shape when you hurt your feet, because everything you do to stay in shape is on your feet. Were going to do whatever we can to keep him in shape so its not starting all over when he gets back.

Werth probably wouldnt have played in Thursdays make-up game the Orioles anyway, not after such a quick turnaround off a nine-game West Coast trip, which concluded Wednesday in Los Angeles. Baker likes to give players days off in these situations, and he stuck to his philosophy Thursday by not including Ryan Zimmerman, Daniel Murphy and Anthony Rendon in his starting lineup.

Chris Heisey wouldve been useful for the manager, but the outfielder said he still hasnt resumed any baseball activities since aggravating his right biceps injury during a two-game rehab assignment last week. He said his plan is to make sure he is 100 percent before pushing it again. Heisey ruptured his biceps April 23 and was placed on the disabled list the next day, but doctors told him he could play as long as he could manage the pain. The rehabassignment, however, left his arm black-and-blue and left him thinking he might have rushed it.

ORIOLES Seth Smith LF Jonathan Schoop 2B Mark Trumbo 1B Chris Davis 3B Trey Mancini LF Joey Rickard CF Caleb Joseph C J.J. Hardy SS Alec Asher RHP

NATIONALS Trea Turner SS Wilmer Difo 2B Bryce Harper RF Adam Lind 1B Matt Wieters C Stephen Drew 3B Michael A. Taylor CF Brian Goodwin LF Joe Ross RHP

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Sammy Solis, Joe Blanton making progress for Nationals - Washington Post

This year is the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down anti-miscegenation laws. A look at survey data shows were more accepting these days of mixed marriages ... but not entirely so.

Interracial marriage is far more common than it once was in the United States, but its still as complex as the country itself.

The growth in such marriages is a sign of progress, while the details tell more than a single story about who we are as a nation today.

Lots of attention has been paid to the phenomenon as we approach the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Courts June 12, 1967, ruling in the case Richard and Mildred Loving brought against the state of Virginia. The ruling struck down anti-miscegenation laws that still existed at that time in several states.

Ive been looking again at some of the numbers and thinking about what they mean.

According to the most recent PEW Research Center report, based on 2015 data, 17 percent of newlyweds that year were in interracial or interethnic marriages. Only 3 percent of newlyweds in 1967 were in mixed marriages.

Both numbers strike me as unnaturally low because humans are inclined to mix it up. When people from different ethnic groups come together, they share genes. It takes some kind of pressure to prevent that laws, for instance, or threats of violence.

These days it might be neighborhood segregation, social pressure or class gaps that restrict mate choices.

Richard Loving was classified as white and Mildred was classified as colored (her parents were both mixed, Indian and black). Virginia prohibited marriages between white people and people of other races. The Lovings were taken from their home and jailed in July 1958.

The Supreme Court in its ruling touched on the reason for such laws, declaring that anti-miscegenation laws existed to enforce white supremacy and were unconstitutional. Thats important context.

The countrys entire racial-classification system and the myths that support it grew out of the desire of one group to justify its domination of others. The marriage laws were struck down, but marriage, like most institutions, is still distorted by the ideology behind the laws, one that defines and ranks people by their assigned race.

A 1990 survey of Americans asked people who were not black whether they would be opposed to a close relative marrying someone who was black. Sixty-three percent said they would be opposed, but that percentage has declined over the years. And the demographics have changed, too.

For years, the survey didnt ask whether people of other races might have an objection to a relative marrying a white person. It also didnt ask about objections to any group other than black people.

In 2000, the survey began asking people of several races and ethnicities whether they would be opposed to a close relative marrying someone of one of several other groups.

Objections to all combinations of marriages have dropped significantly since then. By 2016, opposition to a relative marrying a black person was at 14 percent, 9 percent for marrying either a Hispanic or Asian person, and 4 percent for a relative marrying a white person.

Thats a good snapshot of where different groups stand socially in relation to one another. But there are all kinds of asterisks.

Black men are much more likely than black women to marry a person from another group. Its just the opposite for Asian Americans.

Hispanic men and women are equally likely to marry outside.

Hispanic/white marriages are by far the most common type of intergroup marriage (42 percent of all intergroup marriages), followed by Asian/white marriages (15 percent of the total).

Within both groups, recent immigrants were the least likely to marry outside the group.

A majority of American-Indian newlyweds marry people from other groups, 58 percent in PEWs 2013 survey.

There was also a difference in 2015 based on education level, with higher education generally, but not always, correlating to higher rates of intergroup marriage.

White newlyweds in cities were more likely to be intermarried than those in rural areas. That divide reminded me of the political split between cities, which vote blue, and less populated areas that vote red.

Not surprisingly, the PEW study found significant differences in acceptance of intermarriages based on political affiliation.

Forty-nine percent of Democrats and independents who lean toward Democrats say increasing of intermarriage is a good thing. Only 28 percent of Republicans and independents who lean toward that party say that it is a good thing.

Those numbers say something different from the falling numbers for objections to various parings. Together, they seem to say there is more tolerance, but not exactly a warm embrace of intermarriage.

Intermarriage isnt a goal, but an indicator of where we are socially. If our goals are reducing bias and baked-in inequality, then we do still have more to do.

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Racial ideas persist, despite progress on interracial marriage - The Seattle Times

EW.com

Claws star Niecy Nash calls for '#More' progress in entertainment industry EW.com Niecy Nash (Selma, Scream Queens) is returning to TV with the premiere of her TNT comedy-drama, Claws, in which she stars as a money laundering salon owner. The two-time Emmy nominee sat down for EW and PEOPLE's Beyond Beautiful series to talk ... and more »

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Claws star Niecy Nash calls for '#More' progress in entertainment industry - EW.com

I keep reading that in the foreseeable future our jobs will be taken over by machines.

And I believe it. But to what end?

I pondered this the other day as I was getting gasoline for my car. I was pumping the gas myself, naturally. I wouldn't even know where or if there were any full-service stations nearby.

If all your parts are working properly, pumping your own gasoline is a cinch. But, if you have physical or mobility problems pumping gas can be an ordeal.

An ordeal that once didn't exist.

All service stations were full service at one time. Then in 1947 the first self-service station opened in Los Angeles. The idea caught on. Machines, aided by the customer, did the work. Thus, gas station attendants went the way of the dinosaurs. Laid off attendants meant more profits.

Now, self-service gasoline stations are the rule, except in Oregon and New Jersey.

It is against the law to pump your own gas in these two state. The laws that prohibit the public from pumping gas claim there is danger of fire and explosion. Pumping gas should be left to the pros.

I remember those pros. There was a Texaco station on the corner in my old neighborhood. Johnny, the owner, and one helper were the attendants. When your car tolled over the hose that made a dinging sound, Johnny would emerge from the repair bay wiping grease from his hands. He would pump the gas, check the oil, give your tires the once-over and clean your windows.

Then you were on your way and your hands didn't smell like gasoline.

Full-service stations also had the advantage that the attendants also were mechanics. If your car was coughing, wheezing or had a flat you could just pull into the nearest gas station for help.

Today, pull into a self-service station with a problem and the attendant can sell you a lottery ticket but can't do much else for you or your car.

In what could be seen as a metaphor for the end of full-service gasoline stations, Johnny was found one morning in the repair bay of his station, dead from a heart attack.

Too bad that Johnny and his brand of service are gone except in Oregon and New Jersey.

But, that's progress.

Or, maybe, just change.

Paul Sassone is a freelance columnist.

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Column: Is it progress, or just change? - Chicago Tribune