February 8, 2026 8:55 am
CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — American ski racer Breezy Johnson won the Olympic downhill Sunday with a hard-charging run on a day marred by teammate Lindsey Vonn’s crash. Johnson was the sixth racer and found speed with a risk-taking trip along the iconic Olympia delle Tofana course on a sunny day in Cortina. She was in the leader’s box when Vonn, the No. 13 racer, cut a corner too close and was spun around before crashing. The race was put on hold for more than 20 minutes. The 30-year-old Johnson joins Vonn as the only American women to win the Olympic downhill. Johnson finished in 1 minute, 36.10 seconds to hold off Emma Aicher of Germany by just .04 seconds. Italy’s Sofia Goggia, the 2018 Olympic downhill winner and 2022 silver medalist, finished with the bronze.
CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — Lindsey Vonn’s pursuit of a second Olympic downhill gold medal is over. The 41-year-old American, skiing with a badly injured left knee, crashed early in Sunday’s race in Italy. She was taken off the course by helicopter after receiving medical attention. Vonn lost control early in the race and was heard screaming as she was surrounded by medical personnel. Vonn returned to elite ski racing last season after a long break and was a race favorite. The crash may end her storied career. Teammate Breezy Johnson won the gold.
February 7, 2026 7:00 am
Friday’s blustery weather extended the McGuffey boys basketball season by an extra day. Saturday afternoon, the Highlanders hopes to add at least another week to their season were dashed when they couldn’t protect a halftime lead, losing to Wash High. McGuffey finishes one game out of the playoff race.
Peters Township girls and Ringgold boys played their ways into the WPIAL playoffs with Friday night wins. The Indians survived an 11-minute scoring drought, then rallied past Bethel Park, holding the Blackhawks scoreless for the final six minutes. The defending champions take a five-game winning streak into the 5A playoffs. Ringgold pulled away from Trinity in the second half, clinching a 5A boys playoff berth.
Canon-McMillan’s girls had no trouble with Connellsville, wrapping up the outright 6A Section 2 championship. Jeff-Morgan boys took a double digit lead at Chartiers-Houston, then needed a coast-to-coast basket in the final 15 second to grab a share of the 2A Section 3 championship. Avella lost to Beaver County Christian, missing out on a chance to share the 1A Section 1 championship. Following is a complete In/Alive/Out playoff listing, Saturday’s schedule and the weekend’s section scoreboard:
WPIAL Playoffs
Here’s a look at the playoff status for the 19 schools from the Washington/Greene County area. (* clinched at least a share of the section title)
Girls (10 Washington County, 2 Greene County)
IN–Bentworth (2A), Beth-Center (2A), Burgettstown (2A), California (2A), Canon-McMillan* (6A), Chartiers-Houston* (2A), Fort Cherry* (2A), McGuffey (3A), Peters Township (5A), Trinity (5A), Waynesburg (3A), West Greene (1A)
OUT–Avella (1A), Charleroi (3A), Ringgold (4A), Wash High (3A), Carmichaels (2A), Jeff-Morgan (2A), Mapletown (1A)
Boys (9 Washington County, 3 Greene County)
IN–Avella (1A), Bentworth (2A), Beth-Center (2A), Charleroi (3A), Chartiers-Houston* (2A), Fort Cherry (2A), Peters Township (5A), Ringgold (5A), Wash High (3A), Jeff-Morgan (2A), Waynesburg (3A), West Greene (2A)
OUT–Burgettstown (2A), California (2A), Canon-McMillan (6A), McGuffey (3A), Trinity (5A), Carmichaels (2A), Mapletown (2A)
Saturday
3A Wash High 44, McGuffey 37 Watch/Listen
Girls 1A Geibel Catholic 67, Avella 13
Boys 2A Burgettstown 79, Mapletown 18
Girls
6A Canon-McMillan 58, Connellsville 29
5A Peters Township 31, Bethel Park 25 Watch/Listen
Boys
6A Canon-McMillan 66, Connellsville 38
5A Peters Township 84, Bethel Park 54
5A Ringgold 72, Trinity 60
3A Wash High at McGuffey, postponed to Saturday
3A Charleroi 82, Ligonier Valley 76
3A Mt. Pleasant 71, Waynesburg 57
2A Bentworth 50, Frazier 24
2A Riverview 67, California 35
2A Jeff-Morgan 38, Chartiers-Houston 36 Watch/Listen
1A Beaver County Christian 46, Avella 39
February 7, 2026 3:58 am
MILAN — The unprecedented four-site, dual-cauldron Milan Cortina Winter Games have officially been declared open at the conclusion of a ceremony replete with references to Italian icons and culture. This is the most spread-out Olympics in history, with competition venues dotting an area roughly the size of the state of New Jersey. The main hub Friday is in Milan at San Siro soccer stadium. Allowing athletes to participate in the Parade of Nations at the mountain locales created what perhaps was an unintended consequence: Zero competitors from any of the first five countries actually showed up at the main stadium.
February 7, 2026 4:37 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A jury has found former major league outfielder Yasiel Puig guilty of obstruction of justice and lying to federal officials investigating an illegal gambling operation, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Friday. The verdict came after a multiweek trial that featured testimony from Major League Baseball officials and Donny Kadokawa, a Hawaii baseball coach that Puig placed bets through. Puig now faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
February 7, 2026 4:39 am
OOLTEWAH, Tenn. (AP) — Former New York Jets player Darron Lee has been arrested in Tennessee and charged with first-degree murder. Authorities identified him as the suspect in the death of his girlfriend and took him into custody on Thursday. The Hamilton County sheriff’s office reported the incident. The victim’s identity has not been released. Lee, a former Ohio State linebacker, was the Jets’ 20th overall pick in 2016. He played 58 games with the Jets, Kansas City, and Buffalo from 2016 to 2020. Lee also faces charges of tampering with evidence, with additional charges possible as the investigation continues.
February 5, 2026 2:19 am
A handful of playoff berths and section championships are still up for grabs heading into the final nights of the basketball regular season. The Wash High girls lost at Keystone Oaks, ending the Little Prexies’ playoff hopes. Ringgold girls suffered the same fate, losing at Mt. Pleasant and being eliminated. Peters Township girls host Bethel Park Friday in a winner qualifies/loser is out game. We’ll have that game on WJPA-FM (95.3) and online. Also on Friday, McGuffey boys host Wash High, the Highlanders needing to win to join the Little Prexies in the playoffs. Ringgold’s boys host Trinity, the Rams qualifying with a win or a Baldwin loss.
On the Section championship front, Canon-McMillan girls win the outright 6A Section 2 title with a win Friday. Fort Cherry and Chartiers-Houston girls have each clinched outright section titles. Chartiers-Houston boys host Jefferson-Morgan. The Bucs win the 2A Section 3 title outright with a win. The Rockets grab a share of the championship with a win. We’ll have the Rockets & Bucs game on WJPA-AM (1450) and online. Here’s the Thursday section scoreboard:
Girls
5A Trinity 38, Uniontown 29
4A Mt. Pleasant 42, Ringgold 29
3A Keystone Oaks 48, Wash High 38 Watch/Listen Here
3A Seton-La Salle 56, McGuffey 32
3A Waynesburg 46, Charleroi 31
2A Fort Cherry 75, South Side 19
2A Burgettstown 50, Carlynton 34
2A Chartiers-Houston 63, Bentworth 36
2A California 45, Beth-Center 20
2A Jeff-Morgan 56, Carmichaels 33
1A West Greene 57, Avella 33
1A Bishop Canevin 47. Mapletown 20
Boys
2A Beth-Center 58, West Greene 47
2A Fort Cherry 84, Carmichaels 30
February 6, 2026 4:27 am
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Avery Hayes scored twice in his NHL debut, Arturs Silovs made 26 saves and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Buffalo Sabres 5-2 on Thursday night in the final game for both teams before the Olympic break. Called up from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League with the Penguins hit by a series of injuries, Hayes tied at 1 at 9:18 of the period on his first shot on goal. He raced to beat defenseman Jacob Bryson to the puck and put a wrister past goalie Alex Lyon. Hayes made it 2-1 with 1:13 left in the period, taking Anthony Mantha’s short, backward pass and knocking it in. Fellow rookie Ben Kindel also scored twice. Tage Thompson scored his 30th goal of the season for Buffalo.
February 6, 2026 4:28 am
A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press that pitcher José Urquidy and the Pittsburgh Pirates have agreed to a $1.5 million, one-year contract. A 30-year-old right-hander, Urquidy adds depth to the Pirates staff and gives the team roster flexibility because he can be optioned to the minor leagues. He had Tommy John surgery on June 5, 2024, while with Houston, signed a $1 million, one-year deal with Detroit last March and returned to the major leagues on Sept. 14. He made two big league relief appearances last year and had a 7.71 ERA over 2 1/3 innings.
February 6, 2026 4:38 am
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Matthew Stafford edged Drake Maye for the AP NFL Most Valuable Player award on Thursday night in the closest race since Peyton Manning and Steve McNair were co-winners in 2003. Stafford received 24 of 50 first-place votes while Maye got 23. But Maye has a chance to go home this week with a Vince Lombardi Trophy. He leads the New England Patriots against the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl on Sunday.
February 5, 2026 2:05 am
The WPIAL basketball regular season wraps up on Saturday with the League’s steering committee set to release playoff brackets Monday afternoon. Most teams have one game remaining with a few playoff spots still to be decided. Here’s a look at the playoff status for the 19 schools from the Washington/Greene County area. (* clinched at least a share of the section title)
Girls
IN–Bentworth (2A), Beth-Center (2A), Burgettstown (2A), California (2A), Canon-McMillan* (6A), Chartiers-Houston* (2A), Fort Cherry* (2A), McGuffey (3A), Trinity (5A), Waynesburg (3A), West Greene (1A)
ALIVE–Peters Township (5A), Ringgold (4A), Wash High (3A)
OUT–Avella (1A), Charleroi (3A), Carmichaels (2A), Jeff-Morgan (2A), Mapletown (1A)
Boys
IN–Avella (1A), Bentworth (2A), Beth-Center (2A), Charleroi (3A), Chartiers-Houston* (2A), Fort Cherry (2A), Peters Township (5A), Wash High (3A), Jeff-Morgan (2A), Waynesburg (3A), West Greene (2A),
ALIVE–McGuffey (3A), Ringgold (5A)
OUT–Burgettstown (2A), California (2A), Canon-McMillan (6A), Trinity (5A), Carmichaels (2A), Mapletown (2A)
