By Bill Rudick brudick55@gmail.com WESTTOWN>>Gabby Beltran reached base in all four plate appearances, and Elle Burns allowed just two earned runs as Avon Grove (7-4 overall, 3-2 Ches-Mont) topped Rustin by a score of 4-3 Wednesday afternoon on the Golden Knights’ (9-3, 5-1) home field in a Ches-Mont crossover game. Avon grove’s Riley Wiercinski with the grab (BILL RUDICK for MediaNews Group) “We learn and make our adjustments,” said Avon Grove coach Dennis Ryan. “We have a few close ones lately that just didn’t go our way, but we rebounded and played a solid game in just about every asp ..read more

DOWNINGTOWN >> Coming into Wednesday afternoon’s game against Bishop Shanahan, the Unionville baseball team had a three-game lead in the Ches-Mont League American Division and were sitting at number three in the District 1 5A playoff rankings. They played up to their lofty reputation as Luca Urdaneta scattered four hits, walked none and struck out eight as the Longhorns came away with a 3-2 win. “My slider and my changeup were real good today,” Urdaneta said. “They both had tight spins on them and I was able to get ahead of the hitters. It really helps when you get ahead of the hitters ..read more

By JACQUES BILLEAUD and JOSH KELETY (Associated Press) PHOENIX (AP) — Eleven Republicans who submitted a document to Congress falsely declaring that Donald Trump beat Joe Biden in Arizona in the 2020 presidential election were charged Wednesday with conspiracy, fraud and forgery, marking the fourth state to bring charges against “fake electors.” The defendants include the former chair of the Arizona Republican Party, a 2022 U.S. Senate candidate and two sitting state legislators. The grand jury indictment also describes an unindicted co-conspirator who is clearly Trump. The 11 people who had b ..read more

On Wednesday night, state police acknowledged the pursuit Wednesday that ended with a fatal crash in Upper Chichester Township that killed occupants of the suspect vehicle The crash occurred shortly after 1:30 p.m. as troopers were pursuing a car whose driver fled during a traffic stop. In a press release, troopers called that vehicle suspicious, and that there were seven occupants. troopers said, “The operator of the vehicle failed to yield to the member’s emergency lights and siren, and a vehicle pursuit ensued. The pursuit ended on Conchester Highway at the Chichester Avenue overpass when t ..read more

Joseph Wilkinson | New York Daily News Hamas released Wednesday a propaganda/proof of life video of American-Israeli hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin. The 24-year-old was one of the hundreds of people taken hostage in Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel. He’s one of 133 hostages remaining in Gaza, though dozens of them are believed to be dead. In the heavily edited video, which is also clearly scripted, Goldberg-Polin criticizes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government. “Think of us detainees in underground hell, without water, food or sun, without the treatment I (have needed ..read more

The Eagles addressed so many needs in free agency that they don’t have to reach far in the three-day NFL draft that begins with the first round Thursday in Detroit (8 p.m., ABC, ESPN, NFL Network). Actively signing running back Saquon Barkley, safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, pass rusher Bryce Huff and linebacker Devin White basically enabled the Eagles to roll with their draft board. If a highly rated offensive lineman like right tackle Tyler Guyton (Oklahoma) falls, or a defensive tackle like Byron Murphy (Texas), a tight end such as Brock Bowers (Georgia), a wide receiver like Brian Thomas ..read more

CAMDEN, N.J. — De’Anthony Melton, who has battled a back injury that has limited him to 38 Sixers games and yo-yoed him in the lineup, practiced Wednesday. Coach Nick Nurse declared him a game-time decision and is optimistic he can play in Game 3 against the Knicks Thursday night at Wells Fargo Center. Melton all but said he wouldn’t declare himself ready if he wasn’t able to contribute. “Once that last time I went down, obviously doubt creeps into your mind,” Melton said. “But I try to stay optimistic about it. Just taking it day by day and being real diligent about it, (that) there’s a chanc ..read more

CAMDEN, N.J. — The challenge for 76ers point guard Tyrese Maxey Monday night wasn’t to put out of his mind the disheartening final seconds of a 104-101 Game 2 loss to the New York Knicks. It was to get his mom to do that. Maxey is accustomed to having to talk his dad down. But when he and the Sixers returned from Madison Square Garden, site of several confirmed refereeing errors in the final seconds that helped the Knicks turn a 101-96 deficit into a 2-0 series lead, Maxey had found his peace with the final sequence. His mom, on the other hand … “I was the one calming my mom down,” Maxey said ..read more

By MARK SCOLFORO (Associated Press) HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania election results include a loss Tuesday in the Democratic primary by a Philadelphia state representative one day after prosecutors announced that they had erroneously issued a warrant mistakenly accusing him of violating a protective order. Rep. Kevin Boyle, seeking an eighth term, was one of at least two incumbent state lawmakers defeated on Tuesday, losing to Sean Dougherty, whose father is state Supreme Court Justice Kevin Dougherty. The warrant that was withdrawn came up in the context of a years-long child custody and divorce d ..read more

By RICK CALLAHAN and KATHLEEN FOODY (Associated Press) CHICAGO (AP) — The “rat hole” is gone. A Chicago sidewalk landmark some residents affectionately called the “rat hole” was removed Wednesday after city officials determined the section bearing the imprint of an animal was damaged and needed to be replaced, officials said. The imprint has been a quirk of a residential block in Chicago’s North side neighborhood of Roscoe Village for years, but it found fresh fame in January after a Chicago comedian shared a photo on the social media platform X. The attention, however, quickly grew old for ne ..read more