LOCAL

LOCAL
Forest Oaks meeting
SOUTHINGTON -- The Forest Oaks Golf League organizational meeting of captains will be held at the Forest Oaks clubhouse on Feb. 22 at noon.
Teams are urged to have a representative present. For details call (330) 717-2512 or (330) 898-2852.
Hole-in-one
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Greg Gustafson, 53, of Columbiana, shot his first-ever first hole-in-one Monday at the Lexington Country Club.
He aced the 159-yard, No. 4 with a 6-iron.
Gustafson was playing with his son Brian and Mike Delisio, both of Columbiana.
Special Olympics
The Special Olympics Ohio State Winter Games were held at Brandywine Ski Resort and Cuyahoga Valley National Park recently. Six athletes represented Trumbull County MRDD.
Robin Carr of Kinsman and Cynthia Drotleff of Cortland both won gold in the 100-meter nordic skiing event and silver in the 500 meters. Paul Colla of Mineral Ridge won bronze in the 100 and was fourth in the 500, while Sean Roberts of Niles was fourth in the 100 and sixth in the 500, and Chris Rupinsky of Warren was fourth in the 100.
In alpine skiing, David Clark of Warren was fourth in both the giant slalom and advanced downhill.
In team relay unified skiing nordic (1K), team one of Paul Colla, Sean Roberts, Bonnie Oller and George Rupinsky won the gold, and team two of Cindy Drotleff, Robin Carr, Jackie Carr and Wanda Drotleff won silver.
In unified skiing alpine giant slalom, David Clark and Pat finished in fourth place.
Wanda Drotleff was nordic coach and Pat Clark was alpine coach.
Correction
POLAND -- Poland High basketball player Jessica Toth made three 3-pointers in Saturday's game against Alliance. A story in Sunday's edition credited another player for the baskets.
NATION
NBA trade
ATLANTA -- The Portland Trail Blazers sent Rasheed Wallace and reserve Wesley Person to the Hawks for Shareef Abdur-Rahim and two other players.
Miami recruit arrested
MIAMI -- An arrest warrant was issued for Miami's top recruit, accusing him of violating his probation while on a recruiting visit to Florida last month.
Willie Williams, 19, has been charged with misdemeanor battery by state officials in Gainesville after a woman said he hugged her without permission.
NHL moves
* MIAMI -- Rick Dudley left his job as the Florida Panthers' coach to focus on his duties as general manager. Assistant coach John Torchetti will coach the team the rest of the season.
* NEWARK, N.J. -- The owners of the New Jersey Devils agreed to relocate the team to a new arena in Newark that is slated to be completed before the start of the 2007 season, according to a letter sent to Mayor Sharpe James.
* GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Philadelphia Flyers acquired three-time All-Star goalie Sean Burke and two forwards from the Phoenix Coyotes for promising young center Mike Comrie.
* PHILADELPHIA -- The St. Louis Blues acquired defenseman Eric Weinrich from the Philadelphia Flyers to help fill the void caused by season-ending injuries to two key defensemen.
In exchange, the Flyers will get a fifth-round pick in the 2004 draft.
Mariners sign Villone
SEATTLE -- Ron Villone agreed to a $1 million, one-year contract, rejoining the team that drafted him in the first round in 1992. He made his major league debut with Seattle in 1995.
Judge OKs lawsuit
CINCINNATI -- A federal judge ruled that a taxpayer can pursue a lawsuit alleging that the NFL has illegally used its clout to "extort" new stadiums from cities.
U.S. District Judge S. Arthur Spiegel rejected the league's arguments that there was no legal standing for the case, which is based on how the Cincinnati Bengals got their new stadium.
Lawyers for taxpayer Carrie Davis now can try to get financial records and other private information from the league as they prepare for trial, something the NFL has strongly resisted in previous antitrust cases.
Bills hire Wyche
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Sam Wyche is returning to the NFL as the quarterbacks coach for the Buffalo Bills.
Wyche spent 1984-91 as head coach of the Bengals, a stretch in which he twice led Cincinnati to the playoffs and took the team to the Super Bowl after the 1988 season. He coached the Buccaneers from 1992-95 before entering television broadcasting.
Jockey dies
FLORENCE, Ky. -- Michael Rowland, a jockey with nearly 4,000 victories, died from injuries sustained in a spill at Turfway Park last week. He was 41.
Rowland died at University Hospital in Cincinnati, hospital spokeswoman Pat Samson said.
The fall occurred Wednesday when Rowland was unseated after his mount, World Trade, broke a front leg and collapsed on the first turn of a $13,900 claiming race. The horse collided with two other horses, injuring the other two riders.
WORLD
Stevenson loses
PARIS -- Seventh-seeded Silvia Farina Elia of Italy beat an erratic Alexandra Stevenson 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-2 in the first round of the Gaz de France.
Fifth-seeded Francesca Schiavone of Italy defeated Emilie Loit of France 6-2, 4-6, 6-3. Spain's Maria Sanchez Lorenzo downed Greece's Eleni Danilidou 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 and next plays top-seeded Kim Clijsters.
Vindicator staff/wire reports