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Four from MVUA chosen by PONY

POLAND — Four members of the Mahoning Valley Umpires Association have been selected to work at the 2008 PONY League World Series in Washington, Pa.

Ken Mills and crew chief Jeff Vrabel Sr., both of Poland, will make their fourth appearances. Dave Smolko of Youngstown returns for his third World Series and Matt Srnec, also of Poland, has been assigned to his first full PONY World Series. Srnec worked the championship in 2007.

The MVUA umps have been assigned to the first six games and will umpire Aug. 9, 10 and 11. Games are at 5:30 and 8 p.m. daily.

The games are at Lew Hays Field. PONY League is for 13-and 14-year-olds.

Hubbard’s Rotz scholarship recipient

HUBBARD — Hubbard High School’s Margaret Rotz is one of five recent high school graduates to have been selected by the United States Bowling Congress to receive its 2008 Earl Anthony Memorial Scholarship award.

Rotz, 18, was a four-year member of the Eagles’ bowling team. She will attend Trumbull Business College with intentions of working in human resources.

“The teamwork skills I acquired through my years in bowling influenced my future goals, which are helping, encouraging and working with others.”

The prestigious $5,000 scholarships recognize youth bowlers’ community service and academic achievement.

Timko double placer

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Sixteen-year-old “Boo” Timko fired 77-71-75 — 223 at the Penn State University Blue Course and rounds of 77-71-72 — 220 at Westbrook Country Club to finish 11th and 8th, respectively, in the 16- to 19-year-old division of the Callaway PGA Junior Golf Series.

Each national event attracted 79 golfers from across the country.

8-on-8 flag league

YOUNGSTOWN — The Youngstown 8-on-8 Flag Football League is organizing for this season which will begin Sept. 7.

The league champion will receive a paid entry fee to the United States Flag and Touch Football Tournament in Orlando, Fla., provided there are 10 teams in the league.

Teams should call Rich Slaina at (330) 717-0784.

nation

Panthers’ Smith fights with teammate

SPARTANBURG, S.C. — It was just another sunny Friday practice for the Carolina Panthers until fists began flying on the sideline.

Star receiver Steve Smith’s temper erupted, sending cornerback Ken Lucas to the locker room with an ice pack on his left eye and disrupting what had been a mostly blissful training camp.

For Smith, it was a sudden, unexpected return — even if for a moment — to the explosive behavior that marred the early days of his NFL career.

Back in 2002, he punched teammate Anthony Bright in the face in a team meeting room, earning a one-game suspension and a civil lawsuit that was eventually settled out of court.

Officials allege Olympic ticket fraud

LOS ANGELES — Hundreds of consumers worldwide are believed to have been conned out of money, credit card information and passport numbers by two online companies that promised to sell them tickets to the Beijing Olympics, officials say.

The International Olympic Committee and the U.S. Olympic Committee won a restraining order July 23 in federal court in Phoenix that shut down one of the Web sites, www.beijing-tickets2008.com. On Monday, the USOC and IOC plan to ask a federal judge in San Francisco for an order that would shut down www.beijingticketing.com, which remained active Friday.

Coverage has a price

NEW YORK —NBC has spent months touting its unprecedented 3,600 hours of Olympics-related programming, but it appears viewers who get their broadband Internet service through Cablevision will be limited to 1,400 of those hours.

That is because NBC is charging carriers a premium for its 2,200 hours of live video from the Olympics — as well as for two channels dedicated exclusively to soccer .

nd basketball — but Cablevision has declined to sign up.

The company said in a statement, “Cablevision is offering customers NBC’s comprehensive coverage of the Olympics, from the opening to closing ceremonies, carried across their suite of networks including NBC, CNBC, MSNBC, Oxygen, USA and Telemundo, plus additional programming on NBC HD and Universal HD.”