Nationally
Iditarod nears halfway point
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Dee Dee Jonrowe was the sole musher to reach the Ophir checkpoint Tuesday night as the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race finished its fourth day.
Jonrowe reached the checkpoint, 444 miles into the 1,100-mile race to Nome, at about 6:40 p.m.
Mushers Jeff King and five-time champion Rick Swenson made it to Takotna before Jonrowe, but appear to be taking their mandatory 30-hour layovers there.
One other musher - Rick Swenson's ex-wife Kathy Swenson - reached McGrath, the point before Takotna. She was alone there and appeared to be taking her layover, although race officials said they couldn't confirm that.
Defending champion Martin Buser and four-time winner Susan Butcher were among 24 mushers electing to take their mandatory 30-hour layover at Nikolai, 335 miles into the race.
NFL settlement looked at
MINNEAPOLIS - A letter from a federal judge to attorneys indicates that the proposed settlement between the NFL and its players may be approved or rejected as a whole.
A court clerk said Judge David Doty wrote a letter to the attorneys informing them of that he had turned down a request by Washington linebacker Wilber Marshall to have the franchise player category dropped from the agreement. The Washington Post reported that Doty's letter said he had sympathy for individual players such as Marshall, but was focused on all players in the league.
Jets sign Marshall to new pact
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. - The New York Jets signed free-agent defensive end Leonard Marshall, who had 801/2 sacks in 10 seasons with the New York Giants, to a three-year contract for $4.5 million. On Monday, the Jets signed free-agent safety Ronnie Lott to a two-year deal for an estimated $3.5 million.
1st black NBA All-Star player dies
OAKLAND, Calif. - Don Barksdale, the first black player selected to the NBA All-Star game, died of cancer at his home Monday at the age of 69. The former UCLA star became the third black player to sign an NBA contract when he joined the Baltimore Bullets in 1951 at the age of 28. He averaged 11.0 points and 8.0 rebounds in his four-year career with Baltimore and Boston.
Richmond coach Tarrant retires
RICHMOND, Va. - Dick Tarrant, who led Richmond to a 239-126 record and five NCAA tournament appearances in 12 seasons, announced his retirement. The 62-year-old Tarrant, who played for Vince Lombardi at Fordham, was a high school coach and ran a scouting service in New Jersey before coming to Richmond as an assistant in 1978.
Harrick gets 3-year extension
LOS ANGELES - Jim Harrick, 114-44 in five seasons at UCLA, received a three-year contract extension through the 1996-97 season. Harrick was in the fourth year of a five-year deal paying him almost $400,000 a year.
North Stars get closer to Dallas
DALLAS - Negotiators for the city and the Minnesota North Stars produced the draft of a written agreement to move the team to Dallas, with municipal officials expected to review the proposal.
The City Council was scheduled to be briefed today on the first written plan since negotiations for the team's move began more than a week ago, said a spokeswoman for North Stars owner Norm Green.
Canadiens coach hospitalized
MONTREAL - Montreal Canadiens coach Jacques Demers was hospitalized with chest pains and will miss two games while kept under observation. Demers, 48, was preparing for practice at the Forum when he first felt the pains.
Tampa arena deal falls through
TAMPA, Fla. - After more than two years of waiting, the Tampa Bay Lightning's deal for a $114 million arena fell through Monday when a a lease between the team and Tampa Coliseum Inc., expired. At the same time, the company sued for more time, accusing the Lightning of withholding financial information about the team that is vital to getting financing to build the arena.
Sanders' contract renewed
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Deion Sanders set a record for the highest renewal in baseball history when the Atlanta Braves renewed him last week at $1 million. The deal covers the first four months of the season, but doesn't guarantee that Sanders, also a defensive back for the Atlanta Falcons, will stay with the Braves after July 31.
Larry Holmes wins by TKO
BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. - Former heavyweight champion Larry Holmes opened a cut above Rocky Pepeli's left eye, forcing the scheduled 10-round bout to be stopped at the beginning of the fifth round. Holmes, 43, improved to 56-4. Pepeli, 28, dropped to 16-7-1.
Locally
Taylorsville coach retiring
Dan Leatherwood, the only basketball coach Taylorsville has had during its 12-year history, has announced his retirement.
During the past 12 years, Leatherwood's teams have won 136 games and have qualified for the state tournament eight straight years. The Warriors' top finish was in 1990 when they finished second to Bingham.
"Coach Leatherwood's leadership in the basketball program will definitely be missed," said Taylorsville principal Mike Cannon.
Leatherwood will continue to teach health and physical education and coach the golf team at Taylorsville.