NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The corporate owner of a New Orleans horse racing track appeared before Louisiana’s Racing Commission on Monday to address a surge in horse deaths there. Mike Ziegler, executive director of racing for Kentucky-based Churchill Downs Inc., presented a list of potential reforms for the commission to consider, including restrictions on certain […]

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Horses running in the Kentucky Derby will break from a new custom-made 20-stall starting gate for the 146th edition in May. Churchill Downs said Monday the new contiguous gate will eliminate the wide gap between post position No. 14 in the standard gate and No. 15 in the auxiliary gate. The […]

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Longtime jockey Richard Gamez died Sunday after falling from his horse and getting trampled by another horse during a race in Tucson. Gamez was leading in the fifth race at Rillito Park Racetrack when his horse stumbled and he was thrown from the saddle, according to the Rillito Park Foundation. Gamez, […]

Change does not come easily to the Kentucky Derby. Fans sip mint juleps, don fancy hats and dress clothes and sing to the melancholy strains of “My Old Kentucky Home” as the thoroughbreds step onto the track on the first Saturday in May. It has always made the Derby as much a piece of Americana […]

The opening day of racing this year at Emerald Downs is scheduled for April 18, but no one knows when or if the track will open for racing.

Horse racing is quickly learning it is not totally immune to the effects the coronavirus pandemic has had on other sports, and now it’s grappling with the risks of continuing operations. The Louisiana Derby for now is still set for Saturday, the world’s richest day of races is scheduled to go on in late March […]

Phil Ziegler, president of Emerald Downs, is confident there will be horse racing this season at the Auburn racetrack -- it's just a matter of when.

BALTIMORE (AP) — The Preakness will remain a fixture at timeworn Pimlico Race Course, which will receive a much-needed facelift following the passing of a bill to redevelop Maryland tracks. Gov. Larry Hogan on Thursday permitted a bill to become law that would enable the Maryland Stadium Authority to issue up to $375 million in […]

From the godfather of crime fiction to a fresh new voice in the genre, here are three gripping new cases for you to solve from the comfort of your reading chair.

This is a stressful, frightening and unprecedented time in American history. Nonfiction books can inform us about past disasters in American history, and help guide us as we navigate the coronavirus pandemic.

The plot in Kristen Millares Young’s new novel centers around a history of storytelling in Neah Bay, with a quiet, powerful narrative that shakes readers like an earthquake.

Sara Porkalob, Seattle-based playwright, director, activist and more, is off to Broadway — but before she goes, she shared what she’s been reading and rereading lately.

Here are a few arts-and-entertainment-y online diversions for the week, from near and far, including Seattle Opera on KING-FM and New York City Ballet.

May is here! As we welcome a new month under the stay-home order, here are even more suggestions for things you can do at home.

BESTSELLERS From Publishers Weekly Hardcover fiction 1. Walk the Wire, David Baldacci 2. If It Bleeds, Stephen King 3. Masked Prey, John Sandford 4. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, Charlie Mackesy Most Read Stories Seattle will permanently close 20 miles of residential streets to most vehicle traffic Coronavirus daily news updates, […]

In the lovely new Netflix documentary “Becoming,” set around Michelle Obama’s book tour for her memoir, the former first lady makes a comment about the massive venues she’s speaking to. “What I experience in these big arenas is the power of gathering,” she says. “The shared experiences.” Not everything in film has me reflecting on […]

NEW YORK (AP) — “The Midnight Sun” will finally appear. Stephenie Meyer’s long-awaited prequel to her “Twilight” series is coming out Aug. 4, the author announced on her website (www.stepheniemeyer.com) Monday. “The Midnight Sun” is narrated from vampire Edward Cullen’s perspective. Meyer had kept her fans in suspense all weekend with a countdown clock on […]

LONDON (AP) — Freed from the constraints of life as full-time royals — and enmeshed in a feud with Britain’s tabloid press — Prince Harry and his wife Meghan plan to tell their story in a book penned by sympathetic journalists. Harper Collins U.K. announced Monday that it will publish “Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan […]

With a narrative that follows a 14-year-old seeking liberation from a cult church, Chelsea Bieker gets under readers’ skin with heart-filled prose in her sparkling debut “Godshot,” out now via Catapult.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Celebrities including Daniel Radcliffe, David Beckham and Dakota Fanning will take part in chapter-by-chapter readings of J.K. Rowling’s first “Harry Potter” book. Rowling’s Wizarding World announced Tuesday on Twitter that all 17 chapters of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” will be read in a series of free videos and audio […]

As we move beyond two months of stay-home orders and life under the cloud of pandemic, everyone deserves a carefree laugh. These audiobooks offer guffaws and elicit smiles by the dozen.

Seattle Public Library librarians have some recommendations to help you get started filling out your bingo card.

Moira’s Seattle Times Book Club will meet online on May 13 to discuss “The House of Broken Angels.” Author Luis Alberto Urrea will speak online in a Seattle Arts & Lectures presentation on May 20.

Reading has taken on a different meaning for a lot of us these days; it’s how we leave our homes while staying rooted in our armchairs, how we travel, how we meet new people and spend time in intimate connection with others.

Once again, Seattle Public Library and Seattle Arts & Lectures have partnered to present that seasonal bonanza of reading known as Summer Book Bingo — and, as in all good bingo games, you can win prizes.

Between Mother's Day and the expected sunny weather, there's lots to celebrate this weekend! Whether you'll be enjoying nature or continuing to stay inside, here are some things you can do while maintaining social distancing.

With social distancing efforts (or just distance) keeping many families apart for Mother's Day, our features staffers share how they'll be celebrating their moms this weekend. Happy Mother's Day!

After covering the 2016 presidential election, comedian and journalist Sopan Deb explored his immigrant past by traveling to India ...

Mark Few called Corey Kispert Gonzaga’s ‘player of the game’ in their win against Baylor. Here's why the former King's High star is winning over his coach and teammates, and how he's fueling another tournament run for the Bulldogs.

The Zags are looking like a Final Four team, and a win Saturday will make that a reality.

The Zags lead the country by scoring 88.8 points per game. The Red Raiders have one of the best defenses in the country. Something has to give Saturday.

The No. 1 seed Bulldogs took a two-point lead over third-seeded Texas Tech into halftime of their NCAA tournament West Region final. But with 16 turnovers, Gonzaga couldn't hold on and fell just short of its second Final Four in school history.

Texas Tech’s Tariq Owens made a huge block late in the game that symbolized this NCAA tournament's Elite Eight game.

Baylor, the No. 1 overall seed, and defending national champion Notre Dame won Final Four semifinal games Friday and will meet for the title Sunday in Tampa, Fla.

Former Timberline High School basketball star Sasha Weber has settled a lawsuit filed against the Roy chief of police. She says it was to move on with her life; the chief's attorneys say her claims were baseless and the settlement amounts to a "nuisance" payment.

The third-ranked Zags roll past San Diego 94-59 to clinch their eighth straight regular-season title on a night Adam Morrison's No. 3 is raised to the rafters.

As we face a unique health-care crisis with the proliferation of the coronavirus, the ramifications for sports are just one piece in a giant, complicated puzzle. But I can’t remember an event in my lifetime with the potential to have a greater impact on the world of athletics.

Washington State's win was the final game of the Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Tournament, after the conference decided to cancel the remainder of the 2020 event due to concerns about the coronavirus illness.

The spread of the novel coronavirus has brought the sports world to a halt. Here's a breakdown of the cancellations and postponements at the local and national level.

Sports has always been the escape during times of crisis and collective stress. But now the very act of conducting sports threatens to add exponentially to perpetuating the coronavirus pandemic and growing the stress.

How will the shuttering of the NCAA Tournament impact the multi-million payouts to the schools and conferences? We don’t have a clear answer yet.

After the cancellation of the spring and winter championships tournaments stemming from concerns over the novel coronavirus pandemic, the NCAA will grant an extra year of eligibility to athletes who participate in spring sports, the organization announced Friday.

Ten years ago Wednesday, the 11th-seeded Huskies played in the NCAA tournament's Sweet 16, a stage they have not returned to since. The run was fueled by Quincy Pondexter, who looks back on the season as the greatest year of his life.

The Pac-12 is facing a revenue hit of at least $1 million per school from the cancellation of its men’s basketball tournament and March Madness, although the full extent of the damage won’t be known for weeks.

Before the NCAA tournament started, the website fivethirtyeight.com gave Washington a 0.2 percent chance of making it to the national semifinals.

The quality of the games, which include a handful of former big-league players, isn’t great. But it’s real, live baseball being broadcast by ESPN. Beyond the joy of watching baseball, these games provide a glimpse of what Mariners games and other MLB matchups might look like if/when they return.