Defenseman Charlie McAvoy and forward Brad Marchand were both absent from practice on Friday, and while both players will travel for the team on their upcoming road trip to Buffalo, neither is likely to play in Saturday’s game against the Sabres.,Chara and McAvoy are the Bruins’ top two defenders and have already combined to miss 40-man games this season due to injury.,In fact, the Bruins have not played a single game this season with all four of them in the lineup together.,They have only had three of the aforementioned in the lineup together in 17 games this season.,After losing back-to-back games the Bruins find themselves in the first Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference, three points back of the Buffalo team they are playing on Saturday for the third playoff spot in the Atlantic Division, and four points ahead of the non-playoff teams.

Two years to the day after McVay became the youngest head coach in modern NFL history, he will attempt to earn his first playoff victory Saturday night when the Rams (13-3) host the Dallas Cowboys (11-6) for a trip to the NFC championship game.,LaFleur was on McVay's staff with the Rams last year, while Kingsbury is a good friend and like-minded offensive innovator.,Two of McVay's current assistant coaches — Rams quarterbacks coach Zac Taylor and passing game coordinator Shane Waldron — also landed recent interviews for head coaching jobs.,LaFleur was a longtime quarterbacks coach until McVay hired him as his offensive coordinator in 2017.,Kingsbury is coming off three consecutive losing seasons as the head coach at Texas Tech, but he improbably landed right next to McVay in the NFC West as the Arizona Cardinals' head coach.

The Los Angeles Unified Board of Education passed a controversial proposal Tuesday that eases background check requirements for some parent volunteers in anticipation of the need for help in the event of a strike.,Those volunteers will not need to pass a full federal background check, but will still be checked against a national database of sex offenders.

Tucson attorney Ali Farhang recently phoned Oakland Raiders president Marc Badain, introduced himself and pitched a plan for the Raiders to play their 2019 home schedule at Arizona Stadium.,The man who created the Arizona Bowl and has become part-owner of the indoor football league’s Tucson Sugar Skulls, is not shy about an attempt to execute a grandiose Act III, putting the National Football League in Tucson — if only for a season.,+1 

Before settling in Las Vegas, the NFL’s Raiders would be smart to call Tucson home in 2019, Ali Farhang believes.,Or, perhaps, the Raiders could be creative, schedule a preseason game or two at Arizona Stadium, and play the ’19 regular-season schedule — eight home games — in a variety of Western cities.,In the hallway to his office is a subway sign that reads: read more

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Latest on the funeral service for Purdue University superfan and cancer activist Tyler Trent (all times local):

Hundreds of dignitaries, sports figures and other people have attended the funeral for Purdue University superfan and cancer activist Tyler Trent.,In a sanctuary of an Indianapolis church featuring many items of sports memorabilia collected by Trent, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb read a message Tuesday evening from Vice President Mike Pence and his wife, Karen.,Purdue quarterback David Blough said Trent would want the evening "to be all about Jesus.",A former Purdue University student who inspired many as he battled cancer while cheering on Purdue's football team will be laid to rest.,Tuesday's funeral service for Tyler Trent will be livestreamed from College Park Church in Indianapolis. read more

In the first update of Associated Press prep basketball polls in roughly a month, eight area clubs have been chosen among the top 10 of their respective classes.,Released Tuesday afternoon, the rankings include three local boys' groups and five area girls' squads.,Both the Cissna Park boys and the Schlarman girls remained atop their Class 1A platforms, despite not sitting with perfect records.,And the Class 2A girls' poll contains a whopping three local outfits.,Here's a closer look at all eight polls from the second voting round of the 2018-19 season:

Fairfield Police said a substitute teacher at Creekside Middle School in Fairfield was arrested after reportedly masturbating in front of students.,(Fairfield Police)

FAIRFIELD, Ohio (WKRC) - Fairfield Police said a substitute teacher at Creekside Middle School was arrested after reportedly masturbating in front of students.,The school released the following statement Tuesday afternoon: read more

Here is a look at the top stories for Tuesday in Patch towns in Hartford and Tolland counties.,Click on the headlines to see the stories in full.

Colin McEnroe joins Hearst Connecticut as columnist

Popular radio show host, political analyst and humor writer Colin McEnroe will write a regular column for Hearst’s Connecticut newspapers, the company announced Tuesday.,McEnroe is moving his weekly column to the New Haven Register, Connecticut Post, Stamford Advocate and other Hearst newspapers in the state on Jan. 20 after a 35-year run in the Hartford Courant.,He joins a lineup of Hearst Connecticut Media voices that include state government/business columnist Dan Haar and sports columnist Jeff Jacobs, who left the Courant for Hearst in 2017 and early 2018.,Matt DeRienzo, vice president of news and digital content for Hearst Connecticut Media, said that McEnroe joining Hearst is an important announcement in a series of moves that will offer subscribers a premium lineup of distinctive Connecticut voices, more aggressive enterprise and investigative reporting, comprehensive guides to niche statewide topics, and the local news most vital to their communities.,Hearst Connecticut Media includes eight daily newspapers, the New Haven Register, Connecticut Post, Stamford Advocate, Greenwich Time, Norwalk Hour, Danbury News-Times, Torrington Register Citizen and the Middletown Press; Connecticut Magazine, 16 weekly newspapers, and a statewide high school sports site, GameTimeCT.com. read more

President Donald Trump will address the nation Tuesday night about what he calls the humanitarian and national security crisis at the border.,Local political analysts tell KAKE News this is one of the few ways the president has to move the fight over the border wall in any direction as the stalemate enters week three.,Probably his best way to move this matter is to go public and to try to raise the profile of this issue and convince people that he's right and the Democrats in Congress are wrong," said Dr. Neal Allen, political scientist at Wichita State University.,Dr. Allen also says the majority of Americans still oppose the idea of a wall along the southern border as a financial priority for the country.,When you have had emergency power building in the past, it tends to be things like a military base that's put up during war time," said Dr. Allen.