Clan-Members » Additional athletes may be invited to the USA Softball WNT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Billionaire Chris Hansen, who tried to move the Kings NBA franchise from Sacramento to Seattle, is behind a secretive effort to thwart the citys efforts to build a new downtown arena for the professional basketball team, Californias campaign watchdog disclosed Friday after an investigation. The announcement is an embarrassment for Hansen, who lost his bid after NBA owners voted to keep the team in Californias capital city, and it could undermine support for the local ballot measure Hansen funded that is designed to put to a citywide vote the councils planned $258 million subsidy for a downtown arena. "I made a mistake I regret," Hansen said in a written statement. "While Im sure everyone can appreciate how easy it is to get caught up in the heat of battle, with the benefit of hindsight, this is clearly a decision I regret." Hansen had said he would end his effort to buy the Kings for $625 million after the NBA blocked the sale, and a group of investors led by technology executive Vivek Ranadive bought the team a day later for $535 million. Hansen publicly wished the city well after losing his bid to buy the team. Yet the California Fair Political Practices Commission said that a month later, Hansen gave $80,000 to pay signature gatherers trying to get the measure on next Junes ballot, and the group violated state law by refusing to disclose the donation. The NBA has said that Sacramento must build a modern arena to keep the Kings in town. The teams new owners have set a 2016 target. Hansens money was funneled through the Los Angeles law firm of Loeb & Loeb. Hansen said the firm approached him about making a contribution to the petition effort after he had hired them to gauge citizen opposition during the battle over the sale. Members of Sacramento Taxpayers Opposed to Pork, which filed to put the initiative on the June 2014 ballot, distanced themselves from the money and said they use only volunteers to circulate petitions. Spokesman John Hyde said the money went to a political group that offered to assist STOPs efforts. "No doubt this is a PR nightmare for STOP," Hyde said. "We didnt know where that money came from and we werent the recipient of any of that funding." The signature gatherers are halfway to the 22,000 they need to qualify the measure by December, Hyde said. Gary Winuk, chief of the commissions enforcement division, said Hansen donated $100,000 total. It was not immediately clear what happened to the additional $20,000, though Winuk said it might have been spent on other expenses. He said the investigation is continuing. "These are as sophisticated parties as you can get and they should know better," Winuk said. "Most people just comply when we call them. They just happened to make us take them to court." The donors were intentionally denying the public information that could help them decide whether to sign the petition, he said. The commission filed a lawsuit Thursday to learn the donors identity and revealed during a Friday news conference that it was Hansen. "Unbelievable," said state Senate President pro Tempore Darrel Steinberg, who is from Sacramento and was active in efforts to keep the Kings in town. Kings and NBA officials declined comment, as did Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, a former NBA all-star who led the fight to keep the team. Suspicion about the origins of the money originally had fallen on the Maloof family that previously owned the team because the same law firm had long represented them. The commission was dropping its lawsuit, but Winuk said Hansen and the law firm could face a civil fine of up to $80,000 plus an administrative fine of up to $5,000 for each of at least three campaign-reporting violations. 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The 27-year-old Scrivens will be joining his third NHL club since signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs as a free agent in 2010. The move also reunites with him with head coach Dallas Eakins from their time together with the American Hockey Leagues Toronto Marlies. Sixteen current and former student-athletes from the SEC are among the 43 initial invitees made by the Amateur Softball Association (ASA)/USA Softball to the 2017 USA Softball Womens National Team Selection Camp, which will be held January 1-5, 2017 at Eddie C. Moore Softball Complex in Clearwater, Fla.The invitees will vie for 17 spots on the 2017 USA Softball Womens National Team (WNT) roster. Additional athletes may be invited to the USA Softball WNT Selection Camp at a later date.Representatives from the SEC include: Kelly Barnhill, Florida, Sophomore, Pitcher Bianka Bell, LSU, 2016, Infield Raven Chavanne, Tennessee, 2013, Infield Kasey Cooper, Auburn, Senior, Infield Nicole DeWitt, Florida, Junior, Infield Delanie Gourley, Florida, Senior, Pitcher Meghan Gregg, Tennessee, Junior, Infield Carley Hoover, LSU, Junior, Pitcher Bailey Landry, LSU, Senior, Outfield Amanda Lorenz, Florida, Sophomore, Outfield Haylie McCleney, Alabama, 2016, Outfield Michelle Mooultrie, Florida, 2012, Outfield Aubree Munro, Florida, 2016, Catcher Madison Shipman, Tennessee, 2014, Infield Kelsey Stewart, Florida, 2016, Infield/Outfield Jaclyn Traina, Alabama, 2014, PitcherDuring the selection process, athletes will participate in position drills as well as simulated games and be evaluated by the USA Softball Womens National Team Selection Committee (WNTSC).ddddddddddddAthletes who make the 2017 USA Softball WNT roster will be competing at a Pan American Games/World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) World Championship Qualifier in Florida, where the U.S. will look to qualify for the 2018 WBSC Womens World Championship to be held in Chiba, Japan and the 2019 Pan American Games to be held in Lima, Peru. The complete 2017 schedule for the WNT, including exhibition games, will be announced at a later date. ' ' '