A Florida man wants Disney World to return to their former policy of allowing those with autism to skip the lines, suing them in federal court.After reports of unscrupulous guests hiring disabled people to help them jump upfront, the theme park cancelled the practice in 2014.Currently, only disabled persons who possess a Disability Access Service Card are able to reserve a spot for the rides.The lawsuit, which will go to court in February, wants Disney to treat all disabilities in a similar fashion, rather than decide which are worthy of special treatment. read more

Authorities in Port St. Lucie are currently working to identify human remains that were located on Thursday.The remains were found in a vacant lot on SW Calmar Avenue near SW Daemon Street around 3:45pm.While officials have yet to identify the remains, they did report that they believe the remains could be connected to a 2016 missing person’s case.Officials also reported that foul play is not expected at this time.

A Boynton Beach man is facing a charge of aggravated child abuse, after authorities say he broke a child’s arm for dropping a kitten.Last Friday, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested 30-year-old Brandon Rubin.According to the arrest report, he explained to deputies that the 5-year-old child and his ex-girlfriend’s 4-year-old son were “playing castle” using chairs.The man alleges he heard a loud noise while in another room of the home, and adds that he saw the 5-year-old old on the ground, exclaiming that his arm was hurting.Rubin says he took the child to a pediatrician and then to an emergency room. The boy eventually underwent surgery.The 4-year-old child told investigators that Rubin hurt his friend’s arm after Rubin “hit him really hard,” according to records.The fall, along with subsequent kicks, fractured the child’s arm and left marks “all over his upper body,” sheriff’s office records state.Meanwhile, the 5-year-old stated that Rubin grabbed him by the hand, put him in a headlock, then picked him up and dropped him to the ground, causing him to fall on his face and arm. He then told the boy to say that he fell while “playing castle.”Courtesy: Palm Beach Sheriff’s OfficeRubin’s former girlfriend told investigators that she was in the bedroom that morning, when she heard something hit the ground.She saw Rubin kick the crying 5-year-old. The woman adds that she noticed red marks “all over his upper body,” sheriff’s records state.In addition, Rubin reportedly told the woman that he was upset because the child threw one of Rubin’s two kittens on the ground.For that reason, he picked up the boy and dropped him “because he wanted him (to) see what it was like to be dropped to the ground,” she told authorities.Court records show a history of violent incidents for Brandon Rubin.Another former girlfriend documented numerous incidents of alleged physical abuse, “just in case anything serious happened to the point I disappear or something,” she wrote last year in a petition requesting a protection order against him. He has not faced criminal charges in any of those incidents.Authorities arrested Rubin four years ago, after he reportedly hit another woman, threatened to kill her, and then fired a gun into the ground.The state dropped certain weapons and aggravated assault charges in that case when he ended up pleading guilty to a misdemeanor battery charge.He is being held in the Palm Beach County Jail in lieu of a $50,000 bond. read more

Jordan Smith put the disappointment of not being selected by England for the forthcoming European Team Championships by lifting the Brabazon Trophy in splendid fashion as calm conditions returned to Formby.After a testing week of rain and wind, Smith carded a closing round of 70 for 286, two under par, and a four shot winning margin over playing partner Brian Casey from Ireland, who returned 74.Smith led almost from start to finish and his calm, laid-back approach was just what was needed in a week when the elements did everything it could to make things difficult for everyone.But the victory tasted sweet for the 20 year old from Wiltshire. “I’m over the moon to get my name on the trophy,” he said. I was disappointed not to make the team for the Europeans but I suppose it was a difficult choice,” he said. “But I think not being picked urged me on to prove a point and I’ve played really well this week in difficult conditions.“I suppose I’ve stopped Neil (Raymond) completing the triple but I’m sure he’ll understand. I think he was left out when he won the Brabazon last year.”Smith (copyright Leaderboard Photography) began the final round tied with playing partner Casey on level par but the England man was soon forging ahead with three birdies in the opening five holes.“I made a nervy start, putting my tee shot into the trees but I managed to scramble a par and then got off to a flier with a couple of birdies. I was three under through five holes and settled down.”He dropped shots at the seventh and ninth, the latter when he airmailed the green into knee-high rough. “I had 205 yards and hit a four iron and couldn’t believe it when it finished over the green.“But he reduced the damage to one shot to be out in 36 while another birdie at the long 17th confirmed his success.Casey managed to stay in touch with Smith over the front nine but he came to grief on the homeward stretch, dropping shots at the 12th and 14th before his chance finally eluded his grasp at the 400 yard 15th where he found punishing rough, failed to get out first time, and took a double bogey six.With so many players in with a shout at the start it was difficult to pick a winner. But several made a brave bid, none more so than fellow international Ben Taylor. The Man from Walton Heath produced the best round of the week with a five-birdie 68, which hauled him up to joint third on 291.On the same mark were Nathan Kimsey and, Alfie Plant and Jimmy Mullen, whose 71 included a hole-in-one at the 139-yard 16th where he fired an eight iron that never left the flag. “It was my first ‘ace’ in competition but I’d had one before when I was in Australia,” said the young man from Devon.Raymond, seeking to make history with a third successive victory, finished joint 13th after a closing 74 but was philosophical over losing the title. “I played great this week but didn’t take as many chances as I should have done,” he said.“There was a lot of pressure on me this week but I started the final round birdie, birdie and felt I was going to post a good number, but the putter let me down. But Jordan is a great lad and is a worthy champion.”Smith was certainly the man of the week and deserved his success which is bound to lead to greater things. “I played well in the English Amateur last year before getting beaten by the winner Harry Ellis,” Smith added.“But that started my career with England and I got picked for the Home Internationals.”Who knows where this latest triumph will take Smith but he has added his name to the championship’s impressive Roll of Honour.The Henriques Salver for the best score by a player aged under 20 from Britain and Ireland went to Jimmy Mullen while Ryan Evans won the Scrutton Jug for the lowest aggregate from the Brabazon and Berkshire Trophies. 29 Jun 2013 Smith proves a point with steely Brabazon triumph read more

The European Court of Justice released its judgement today in the Bridport & West Dorset Golf Club case in which the taxpayer challenged the UK’s treatment of green fees charged by not-for-profit members’ clubs.The judgement went in Bridport’s favour and this is the final decision in the Bridport case.The issue in dispute was whether or not green fees charged to visitors should be treated as exempt from VAT. HMRC argued that green fees should be taxed whereas on behalf of the golf club KPMG argued that they should be treated in the same way as annual subscriptions.The ECJ found that all supplies of the facility to play golf provided by non-profit making clubs must be exempt. There can be no exclusion from exemption by reference to green fees being income not arising directly from memberships. It was also held it is not possible to apply a general exclusion which narrows the scope of the exemption as provided on the face of the legislation.KPMG who have taken the case are looking to a central resolution on the processing of the claims. It is expected that HMRC will in due course issue a press release in connection with the case and we recommend that you await further guidance before contacting HMRC.England Golf and the Proprietary sector are considering this decision and the earlier Chipping Sodbury VAT decision. This is with a view to approaching HMRC to look at the most attractive options available having regard to the discretion afforded by European VAT legislation to treat proprietary and not for profit members clubs in such a way that helps maximise participation in golf across both sectors. 19 Dec 2013 HMRC vs. Bridport & West Dorset Golf Club Judgement read more

England Golf will field a team of champions in a bid to regain the European Nations Cup at La Reserva in Spain on 18th – 25th February. Double European Amateur champion Ashley Chesters (Hawkstone Park, Shropshire & Herefordshire), last year’s South American Amateur champion Paul Howard (Southport & Ainsdale, Lancashire), English champion Nick Marsh (Huddersfield, Yorkshire), and English Stroke Play champion Ben Stow (Rushmore, Wiltshire), will form the side aiming to complete a sixth victory in the early-season event. Chesters, 25, not only became the first English player to win the European Amateur title since 2004 when he triumphed at El Prat in Spain in 2013 but became the first player from any nation to win it twice when he successfully defended the title in St Andrews last summer. That success helped steer the England international to top spot in the Titleist/FootJoy England Golf 2014 Order of Merit following his joint second place in the Brabazon Trophy, third in the Hampshire Salver and fifth in the Welsh Open Stroke Play. He also won all four of his matches against France having made his England debut in 2012. Howard, 24, (image © Leaderboard Photography) won the South American title in Colombia last January and, like Chesters, enjoyed a successful 2014 on the fairways. He tied second in the Hampshire Salver, joint third in the St Andrews Links Trophy, equal seventh in the Lytham Trophy and the Welsh Open Stroke Play and reached the Amateur Championship quarter finals. It saw him finish third behind Chesters on the Order of Merit. Marsh, 20, won the 2014 English title at Saunton in August and it put the icing on a successful season in which he finished second on the Order of Merit. His other successes included runner-up in the Portuguese Amateur and the Scottish Open Stroke Play while he was a regular in the England team after making his debut in the 2013 Home Internationals. Stow, 23, currently at college in Kentucky, won the Brabazon Trophy at sunny Seaton Carew last June having also tasted victory on the US college circuit as well as sixth place in the Jones Cup. A full international for the past four years, he won the individual prize in the European Men’s Challenge Trophy in Iceland in 2012 and helped England to third place in last year’s European Men’s Team Championships in Finland. The European Nations Championship is contested over 72 holes of stroke play, with the best three cards each day counting towards the team event. An individual competition runs simultaneously with the Nations Championship. 8 Jan 2015 Champions line up for England in Euro Nations Cup read more

As Euro 2016 hits fever pitch, the Golf Foundation is hosting its own StreetGolf Championship with a football flavour.Youngsters from community golf programmes across 16 Premier League and Championship football clubs will be wearing their favourite teams’ football strips to compete for the coveted title of National StreetGolf Champions.The event will take place at the 3 Hammers Golf Complex near Wolverhampton on Wednesday 15th June 2016.Thanks to a partnership with Premier League 4 Sport (PL4S), Sport England and Get into Golf, the Golf Foundation, the sport’s leading charity for young people, has developed StreetGolf as an exciting new initiative for teenagers which introduces them to golf in their own community before providing the opportunity to play at the local golf club with help from the resident and junior-friendly PGA Professional coach.The Golf Foundation’s national StreetGolf Club Championship Final is expected to be a vibrant and exciting event at the excellent facility at 3 Hammers Golf Complex.The finalists will have been introduced to golf through StreetGolf activities at a variety of local facilities including events at the actual football grounds of Crystal Palace and Derby County.  At the national final, they will take the next step and play adapted formats on the par-3 golf course such as ‘Super Sixes’ and ‘Flag Golf’, all designed to ensure that the young people have a great experience playing in a big competition on a real golf course.Teams present will be from the following football club projects: Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers, Cardiff City, Crystal Palace, Derby County, Everton, Hull City, Middlesbrough, Nottingham Forest, Southampton, Stoke City, and Sunderland.  The team from Cardiff City FC will be defending their title that they won at the inaugural StreetGolf Final in 2015, adding to the Anglo/Welsh rivalry that we will see in the football in France at Euro 2016.Golf Foundation National Development Manager Martin Crowder says: “The aim has been to connect all the benefits of playing golf, including the ‘Skills for Life’ learning associated with the game, with the wider audience in major footballing communities, using the ‘Power of Football’ thanks to PL4S.“Under its headline HSBC Golf Roots programme, the Golf Foundation, supporting England Golf and Golf Development Wales, aims to provide all the youngsters involved with a pathway into golf clubs and potential membership, helping boys and girls to enjoy a golf club environment for the first time.”Picture: One of last year’s finalists 9 Jun 2016 ‘More Vardy than Vardon’ power of football helps young people Get into Golf! read more

First things first, let’s discuss why there is even a quarterback controversy at all. Let’s reexamine the root of irresponsible behavior over the years by “Big” Ben Roethlisberger that has precipitated not one but two ill-advised decisions that have directly affected his playing status and the wholeness of his team. The off the field actions by No. 7 revolved around and continue to be centered on the concept of self, self, self.Realistically, there should be no despair in “Mudville” because the “loot” fairy flew in from the Steelers lair with the ink on a contract worth well over 100 million “clams” to Big Ben. There should have been included somewhere in the fine print little things like, no riding on motorcycles helmetless and hanging out with strange females without a chaperone or at least a witness or two.Remember when Big Ben was involved in a near fatal motorcycle accident on June12, 2006 that left him with a broken jaw and other injuries? When the Steelers kicked off the season in September, Big Ben was still not fully recovered and was not under center. Charlie Batch promptly dispatched the Miami Dolphins in primetime on a Thursday night which featured new NBC football analyst, ex-Steelers running back Jerome Bettis high stepping onto the football field in street clothes.Roethlisberger began to lobby for his reinsertion into the starting lineup and eventually convinced someone, ex-head coach Bill Cowher, the team doctor or a combination of the two that his visual perception was okay and he was ready to play. Well, well, well, he then went into the “black hole” of the Oakland Raiders and promptly threw two picks that were returned for TDs in a very nasty but tasty 20-13 win for the hapless Silver and Black. The loss possibly kept Pittsburgh out of the playoffs.Hit fast forward to 2010; one alleged sexual assault case dismissed, another still pending. If it were not for the personal improprieties of Roethlisberger there would be no quarterback controversy. QBs Charlie Batch and Dennis Dixon would still be taking turns holding the clipboard on the sidelines and current No. 2, Byron Leftwich, would be auditioning as a sidearm knuckleball pitchers for the Dodgers, (don’t get hyped Leftwich fans, just kidding). Consequences of one’s behavior should not penalize a team or even an entire city.Pittsburgh began the 2010 preseason by defeating the Detroit Lions, by a rain laden, soggy bottom score of 23-7. “Cuss” words from an official came down just as hard as the storm that dumped sheets of water on the Steelers faithful and delayed the game for over an hour. From the beginning the “Benwatch” was on. Mike Tomlin started Byron Leftwich, the quarterback who, in all probability, will begin the regular season sitting in the first chair. Leftwich completed a less than stellar 6 of 10 passes for 43 yards. He had a couple of “questionable” misses. He was relieved by Dennis Dixon who appeared to be razor sharp completing 6 of 7 passes for 128 yards and a score. Dixon also utilized his legs with 6 rushes for 31 yards. In what may have been his last or next to his last hurrah for Pittsburgh, Charlie Batch came in with 4:12 remaining in the game to finish off the Lions.This year will most likely go down as more than just a season that spotlighted the roles that backup players attempted to fulfill or failed to fulfill.The 2010 season will also profile the hasty decision by the Steelers to trade one of their bonafide playmakers and rising NFL star Santonio Holmes to the New York Jets. The Holmes deal was supposedly based on behavior that was below Steelers “character” standards and detrimental to the team. Whose behavior has been more detrimental than that of Roethlisberger? There will be a “domino effect in 2010. Holmes may have been the scapegoat of all the “Big Ben distractions because Pittsburgh dealt Holmes to an AFC opponent for almost peanuts. The Jets will visit the friendly confines of Heinz Field Dec. 9. On that day, the Steelers Nation had better hope and pray that their terrible” towels won’t have to be utilized as crying towels. Pittsburgh also has two storied but rapidly aging linebackers, James Farrior and Larry Foote, competing for a starting spot but in reality those two players should be competing just to make the final roster. The NFL is not “tinseltown.” No team can go “back to the future” because when any team attempts to do that, “Stormy Mondays” will always be the result of “shaky Sunday’s.”(Aubrey Bruce can be reached at: abruce@new­pittsburghcourier.com or 412-583-6741.) There is a buzz zipping through Steelers Nation faster than the scalpel of a plastic surgeon in Hollywood. What is all of the chatter about you ask? Duh, it’s all about the quarterback controversy bubbling up in the town of a zillion Iron City “brewski’s” as well as other player personnel issues. read more

When LeBron James and company rolled into Philips Arena this season to play the Atlanta Hawks I was shocked by what I saw. I was shocked by just how well the Heat played together, but I was even more shocked that the crowd was almost unanimously behind them. Atlanta sports fans’ historically fickle support for their teams aside, it was truly head scratching just how ubiquitously fans had come to accept and embrace this once loathsome team.I asked Dwyane Wade about the sea change of fans in visiting arenas from the first year the Heat’s Big 3 – Wade, James and Chris Bosh – had gotten together.“Pssh!” Wade laughed. “Total opposite. We’d get booed from start to finish [in 2011-12]. Now we’ve changed the mindset. We just play the way the fans like it.”The Heat’s style of play hasn’t changed, but if you check Twitter, Facebook or any other social networking platform, the fan’s taste for it certainly has.Many people will tell you that they’ve hated the Heat all along, and in some cases that’s true. But for the most part it appears that the hate pendulum has already swung back against them. Last night “Spurs in 6” was a trending topic and folks, from everyday Joes to verified Twitter profiles who had been swearing their undying allegiance to the Indiana Pacers, were announcing plans to go out and purchase all the San Antonio Spurs gear they could get their hands on the next day.Some of my favorite tweets from last night:“I’m coming int @NewEraLA tomorrow to get a Spurs hat. Im taking my Bulls & Pacers hats to Goodwill in the AM. These playoffs are killing me” – Michael Rapaport (@MichaelRapaport)“The #Spurs built their big three, the #Heat bought theirs. Now we’ll see which way is truly better. #NBA” – Manuel Avila Jr ‏(@ManuelAvilaJr)“I hope the Spurs beat the Heat just to make Erik Spoelstra’s paper route extra uncomfortable.” – Jeb Lund (@Mobute)“Ben!! No! RT @Ben_Patton: The Pacers may have lost the series but they won my respect. Now cheering for Heat to take the Spurs!” – Eva Longoria (@EvaLongoria)Interesting that Eva Longoria is still a Spurs fan…But the best tweet of the night and the one that best encapsulated the spirit of the evening had to be:“Suddenly, rooting for the Spurs” – Things White People Like (@Things4WhitePpl).But why? Or more specifically, how? How has the tide of popular opinion swung so quickly and so violently against the Heat? Or have the trolls just been silent all season, waiting until the finals to announce their unrepentant disdain?The Heat haven’t been helped by celebrity endorsements from Floyd “Money” Mayweather, Ochocinco and this gentleman, but this isn’t a new phenomenon.I’ve held a theory for a while that Americans hate greatness; more accurately, Americans hate dominance. In most things, but particularly in sports, we hate the idea that someone or some entity is unbeatable or that there is a force incapable of being toppled. We like to think that, like us in our everyday, mundane existence, even superstar athletes are fellable and that everyone has a chance.Still, I’m a bit puzzled by how quickly everyone has turned on Miami after only one championship. I mean, they’re still playing the same brand of fun basketball they were during the season. And they’re only going for two, not three, not four, not five, not six… by  Dion Rabouin Dion Rabouin is digital editor of the Atlanta Daily World. He can be reached by email at DigitalEditor@AtlantaDailyWorld.com. You can also follow him on Twitter @DionRabouin. read more

Submitted by Thurston County ChamberWhatever the weather, we’re going to run, walk, and stroll in the puddles in honor of workplace wellness at the third annual 5k/10k Puddle Jump on Saturday, November 3rd. Starting at 9am on the Chehalis-Western Trail at the 67th Avenue Trailhead (Horizons Elementary), awards are distributed to the top three in each age category for each distance.  Every participant receives a medal.  All registered children under 18 years old also receive a trophy.Strollers, wheelchairs, and families welcome; Fido too!  Doggie Day Care available during check-in; no dogs inside the school.  $5 discount for students and active duty military and dependents with id.Be sure to check out the Runners Expo before and after the event and stick around for the FREE participant raffle during the awards ceremony; must be present to win.Additional information can be found online at www.ThurstonChamber.com  or by calling the Chamber at 360.357.3362. Facebook2Tweet0Pin0 read more