Inducted by Long Island’s own Billy Joel, Bill Medley and the Righteous Brothers joined the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2003. Now 82, Bill sat down to chat with WHLI’s Rob Rush before he plays a show in nearby New Jersey.
Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision for The Society of Singers/AP Images
By MARGERY A. BECK Associated Press
A 69-year-old truck driver who was seriously injured in a fight that prosecutors say was started by former NFL quarterback and sports analyst Mark Sanchez is suing Sanchez and his employer, Fox Corporation, in Indiana state court.
Lawyers for Perry Tole filed the lawsuit Monday seeking an unspecified amount in actual and punitive damages, as well as attorney’s fees. The lawsuit accuses Sanchez of instigating a fight with Tole Saturday night outside a downtown Indianapolis hotel, leading to “severe permanent disfigurement, loss of function” and other injuries and emotional distress.
Tole also stabbed Sanchez several times in the fight, according to police. A picture of Tole circulating online shows him in a neck brace on a hospital bed, covered in blood with a deep slash to the side of his face.
In an email, Fox Sports declined to comment on the lawsuit. Attorneys representing Sanchez in his criminal case also declined to comment on the lawsuit.
Attorneys representing Tole in the lawsuit, which requested a jury trial, did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
Sanchez is facing a felony battery charge, along with several misdemeanor charges, for what prosecutors said Monday was a fight over parking.
“We are literally talking about people fighting over a parking space and-or a dispute about where people are parking, and it resulted in someone receiving just incredibly significant injures,” Marion County prosecutor Ryan Mears said at a news conference Monday.
A police affidavit says the 38-year-old Sanchez, smelling of alcohol, accosted Tole, who had backed his truck into a hotel’s loading docks in downtown Indianapolis. Tole’s lawsuit said Sanchez entered Tole’s truck without permission, then physically blocked and shoved Tole, who then doused Sanchez with pepper spray.
When Sanchez advanced after being sprayed, Tole pulled a knife to defend himself, authorities said.
Sanchez was hospitalized with stab wounds to his upper right torso, according to a police affidavit.
Sanchez was in Indianapolis for Fox’s coverage of Sunday’s game between the Colts and the Las Vegas Raiders.
Sanchez had a 10-year NFL career before retiring in 2019. He spent four seasons with the New York Jets and also appeared in games with Philadelphia, Dallas and Washington.
He appeared on ABC and ESPN for two years before joining Fox Sports as a game analyst in 2021.
NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge hit a tying homer and drove in four runs during a clutch performance for the ages, and the New York Yankees staved off elimination by rallying from five runs down to defeat the Toronto Blue Jays 9-6 on Tuesday night in Game 3 of their AL Division Series.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. launched a go-ahead homer in the fifth inning and the Yankees took advantage of two Toronto errors to avoid a three-game sweep. They scored eight unanswered runs and pulled to 2-1 in the best-of-five series, with Game 4 on Wednesday night in the Bronx.
“We need another one tomorrow,” manager Aaron Boone said. “We’ll enjoy this for about 10 minutes and get ready for tomorrow.”
Judge went 3 for 4 with an intentional walk and scored three times, also making critical plays with his glove and legs as fans chanted “MVP! MVP!” After struggling at the plate in previous postseasons, he is 7 for 11 in this series (.636) with five RBIs and three walks.
“Tonight was special, but there’s still more work to be done,” the Yankees’ captain said. “Hopefully we have some more cool moments like this the rest of the postseason.”
With the season on the line, New York starter Carlos Rodón gave up six runs and six hits in 2 1/3 innings — but five Yankees relievers bailed him out as they combined for 6 2/3 scoreless innings. Tim Hill got four outs for the win, and David Bednar worked 1 2/3 perfect innings for his second playoff save as New York improved to 3-0 in elimination games this postseason.
It was the Yankees’ largest comeback ever in an elimination game, and tied for its second-biggest in any postseason game.
Toronto hadn’t lost all season when leading by at least four runs.
“Kind of just didn’t play our game, really,” manager John Schneider said. “Their bullpen did a really good job, and we just gave them extra outs.”
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit an early two-run homer and Ernie Clement had four hits for the AL East champion Blue Jays, who squandered a golden opportunity to put away the Yankees as Toronto tries to reach its first American League Championship Series since 2016.
Consecutive doubles by Trent Grisham and Judge to start the third began New York’s comeback from a 6-1 deficit. Later in the inning, Judge stayed in a rundown between third base and home plate long enough to allow Cody Bellinger to reach third. That became important when Bellinger scored on Giancarlo Stanton’s sacrifice fly against Toronto starter Shane Bieber, who lasted 2 2/3 innings.
Stanton also had an RBI single in the first after Blue Jays second baseman Isiah Kiner-Falefa committed a fielding error against his former team.
With the Yankees trailing 6-3 in the fourth, third baseman Addison Barger dropped Austin Wells’ wind-blown popup for another costly error with one out. Grisham walked, and right-hander Louis Varland was brought in to face Judge, who turned on an 0-2 fastball clocked at 100 mph off the inside corner and somehow kept it fair, launching a three-run drive that clanged high off the left-field foul pole.
“He made a really good pitch look really bad,” Varland said.
Judge tossed his bat aside and gestured to teammates on the bench as the sellout crowd of 47,399 burst into a frenzy.
“It’s an amazing swing,” Boone said. “That’s shades of Edgar Martínez right there, taking that high-and-tight one and keeping it fair down the line. Manny Ramirez used to do that really well, too. But just a great swing on a pretty nasty pitch, obviously.”
The right fielder then made a diving catch with a runner at second in the fifth, drawing more “MVP” chants.
Chisholm gave the Yankees their first lead of the series with a solo homer off Varland in the bottom half. Amed Rosario doubled and scored on Wells’ two-out single to make it 8-6, and Ben Rice added a sacrifice fly in the sixth that scored Judge after he was intentionally walked with one out and nobody on base.
Call it the ultimate sign of respect. Or perhaps, fear.
Guerrero went full-out Superman while diving across home plate to score on Clement’s single in the third, and Anthony Santander’s two-run single capped a four-run inning that made it 6-1.
Up next
Rookie right-hander Cam Schlittler starts Wednesday night for New York, coming off a dominant performance in a winner-take-all Wild Card Series game against rival Boston last Thursday at Yankee Stadium.
Toronto will go with a bullpen game, using Varland as an opener and potentially left-hander Eric Lauer as the bulk reliever.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s administration warned on Tuesday of no guaranteed back pay for federal workers during a government shutdown, reversing what has been long-standing policy for some 750,000 furloughed employees, according to a memo being circulated by the White House.
Trump signed into law after the longest government shutdown in 2019 legislation to ensure federal workers receive back pay during any federal funding lapse. But in the new memo, his Office of Management and Budget says back pay must be provided by Congress, if it chooses to do so, as part of any bill to fund the government.
The move by the Republican administration was widely seen as a strong-arm tactic — a way to pressure lawmakers to reopen the government, now in the seventh day of a shutdown.
“There are some people that don’t deserve to be taken care of, and we’ll take care of them in a different way,” Trump said during an event at the White House.
He said back pay “depends on who we’re talking about.” Asked a second time about backpay for furloughed federal workers given that the requirement is spelled out in law, Trump said: “I follow the law, and what the law says is correct.”
Refusing retroactive pay to the workers, some of whom must remain on the job as essential employees, would be a stark departure from norms and practices and almost certainly would be met with legal action.
While federal workers — as well as service members of the military — have often missed paychecks during past shutdowns, they are almost always reimbursed once the government reopens.
“That should turn up the urgency and the necessity of the Democrats doing the right thing here,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said at a press conference at the Capitol.
Johnson, a lawyer, said he hadn’t fully read the memo but “there are some legal analysts who are saying” that it may not be necessary or appropriate to repay the federal workers.
But Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington blasted the Trump administration as defying the law.
“Another baseless attempt to try and scare & intimidate workers by an administration run by crooks and cowards,” said Murray, who is the ranking lawmaker on the Senate Appropriations Committee. “The letter of the law is as plain as can be — federal workers, including furloughed workers, are entitled to their backpay following a shutdown.”
And Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican, said, “My assumption is that the furloughed workers will get paid.”
In the memo draft prepared for Trump’s Office of Management and Budget director Russ Vought, first reported by Axios, the office’s general counsel Mark R. Paoletta lays out a legal rationale for no back pay for federal workers.
The memo explains that while the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019 says workers shall be paid after federal funding is restored, it argues the action is not self-executing. Instead, the memo says, repaying the federal workers would have to be part of subsequent legislation, presumably in the bill to reopen the government.
The OMB analysis draws on language familiar to budget experts by suggesting that the 2019 bill created an authorization to pay the federal workers but not the actual appropriation.
Congress, it says, is able to decide whether it wants to pay the workers or not.
For now, Congress remains at a standstill, with neither side — nor the White House — appearing willing to budge. Democrats are fighting for health care funds to prevent a lapse in federal subsidies that threaten to send insurance rates skyrocketing. Republicans say the issue can be dealt with later.
The State University of New York (SUNY) has announced its Free Application Week, taking place October 20 – November 3, 2025.
During this two-week period, students can apply to up to five SUNY campuses without paying any application fees — an opportunity designed to make higher education more accessible and affordable.
To qualify for the fee waiver, applicants must select “Yes” to the fee waiver question when prompted on either the ApplySUNY portal or the Common App.
SUNY encourages all prospective students to take advantage of this limited-time offer to explore the wide range of academic programs available across its campuses statewide.
A Nassau County police officer accused of stealing $200,000 from a fellow officer battling illness has been fired, the department announced this week.
Investigators say 38-year-old Leonard Cagno, of Oakdale, diverted the funds from the sick colleague and allegedly spent the money on a new vehicle, gambling, dining, and an OnlyFans account.
Cagno was arrested on September 17 and charged with second-degree grand larceny by the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. He pleaded not guilty during his arraignment.
NEW YORK (AP) — The Bellinger babies are among the few Yankees fans not stressed about New York’s 0-2 deficit to Toronto in their AL Division Series.
Caiden is 3 years old and sister Cy is 2.
“They were at the game yesterday, and they said that it was very loud,” dad Cody recalled Monday. “That’s about all they were aware of.”
New York was blown out twice in Toronto, 10-1 and 13-7, as the Blue Jays scored the most runs of any team in its first two postseason games.
Teams taking a 2-0 lead in a best-of-five postseason series have won 80 of 90 times, including 54 sweeps. New York has accomplished the comeback twice, in 2001 led by Derek Jeter and his backhand flip to the plate in Game 3 against Oakland, and in 2016 vs. Cleveland. Among teams ahead 2-0 in the current 2-2-1 format, 31 of 34 have advanced.
“We approach it like we have really all season, but even more specifically, the last six, eight weeks where we feel like we’ve been playing with a lot on the line every single day,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “We’ll go into our hitters’ meeting, and it’s about win today, period, and not getting ahead of that and even keeping it smaller than that. It’s about going up and trying to win every pitch. Keep it small. Keep it simple.”
Left-hander Carlos Rodón (18-9) starts for the Yankees and 2020 AL Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber for the Blue Jays. Rodón allowed three runs over six-plus innings for a no-decision in a Game 2 Wild Card Series win over Boston last week, wasting 2-0 and 3-2 leads. He was removed after throwing eight straight balls starting the seventh.
While Rodón was 10th in the AL with 203 strikeouts, Blue Jays batters whiffed 1,099 times, just three above the major league-low total of Kansas City.
“They force action. They put the ball in play,” Rodón said. “There’s times where you need a strikeout, and just the miss isn’t there.”
Bieber returned Aug. 22 following Tommy John surgery in April 2024 and the 30-year-old right-hander went 4-2 with a 3.57 ERA in seven starts, the last on Sept. 26. In the limited sample size, right-handers hit .297 against him and lefties .156.
He pitched a postseason game at Yankee Stadium once before, a no-decision for Cleveland in the 2022 AL Division Series when he allowed two runs over 5 2/3 innings, on Giancarlo Stanton’s two-run, first-inning homer into the right-field short porch.
“It’s a fun place, a fun environment, if you embrace it,” Bieber said. “Thankfully I’ve had that experience prior to Tuesday. I think it’s all about just keeping perspective. What an incredible opportunity it is for me personally and then this team, as well.”
Seeking to reach the AL Championship Series for the first time since 2016, Toronto will be wearing white-panel caps, a style used regularly from the team’s inception in 1977 through 1993, when the Blue Jays won their second straight World Series title. The retro model had been used occasionally with the modern bird logo since 2015, including during a Major League Baseball Hall of Fame weekend promotion from July 25-27, when the Blue Jays took two of three at Detroit during a four-game series.
At the suggestion of reliever Jeff Hoffman, the Blue Jays switched to the retro caps on Sept. 25 after losing six of seven and dropping into a tie with the Yankees for the AL East lead. Toronto beat Boston 6-1 with the white-bill caps and has worn them every game since, except for a Friday contest with Nike Connect uniforms. The Blue Jays are 5-0 in the retro caps since the switch.
“I didn’t pack another hat,” manager John Schneider said.
NEW YORK (AP) — A New York judge on Monday upheld a Long Island county’s law banning transgender women from playing on female sports teams at county-run parks and recreational facilities.
In a decision in a suit brought by a roller derby league, Judge Bruce Cozzens wrote that Nassau County’s ban is designed “to protect women and girls” and that transgender athletes can still play in coed sports leagues at the county’s facilities.
“The Court agrees that this Local Law is narrowly tailored to achieve the objectives and does not categorically exclude transgender individuals from athletic participation,” he wrote. “The law regulates access to women and girls categories in the County run facilities for organized athletic events.”
Cozzens had previously denied a request to temporarily pause the enforcement of the ban while a lawsuit played out.
The roller derby league, the Long Island Roller Rebels, had sued over the law, arguing it violated state anti-discrimination laws. The New York Civil Liberties Union, which filed the lawsuit on the league’s behalf, released a statement saying it would challenge Monday’s decision.
“Today’s decision sends a chilling message that trans people don’t belong in Nassau County, but the fight doesn’t end here,” said Gabriella Larios, staff attorney at the NYCLU, adding, “We are confident that New York courts will ultimately see the ban for what it is -– unlawful and discriminatory.”
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, a Republican, had first imposed a ban through an executive order last year but it was struck down after a lawsuit from the roller derby league and the NYCLU. The county’s Republican-controlled Legislature then passed a law containing the ban, setting off the latest round of litigation.
A 30-year-old Shirley man, Alfredo Ushpa Ortiz, was arrested Wednesday evening, October 1, 2025, following a road rage incident in Baldwin that escalated into violence.
According to police, around 5:55 p.m. near Sunrise Highway and Milburn Avenue, Ortiz became involved in a verbal dispute with an 18-year-old driver. The confrontation allegedly turned physical when Ortiz rammed his vehicle into the rear of the victim’s sedan, then pounded on the car before fleeing the scene.
Officers later located Ortiz and arrested him without incident. He was charged with two counts of third-degree criminal mischief.
During processing, police discovered Ortiz had an active ICE Warrant of Removal. After being released on an appearance ticket for the local charges, he was transferred to federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody.
By BRUCE SCHREINER Associated Press
Attorneys for Sean “Diddy” Combs are planning to appeal after the Grammy-winning artist and music executive was sentenced Friday to more than four years in prison for transporting people across state lines for sexual encounters. The case shattered his carefully cultivated reputation as an affable celebrity entrepreneur, A-list party host and reality TV star.
It culminated a public reckoning for the 55-year-old hip-hop star, who made a plea for leniency and wept as his lawyers played a video portraying his family life, career and philanthropy.
U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian also fined Combs $500,000, the maximum allowed.
Combs was convicted in July of flying his girlfriends and male sex workers around the country to engage in drug-fueled sexual encounters over many years and in multiple places.
The sordid, nearly two-month trial in a federal court in Manhattan featured harrowing testimony from women who said Combs beat, threatened, sexually assaulted and blackmailed them.
He was acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering charges that could have put him behind bars for life.
Here’s what to know about the case.
How much time will Combs serve
Combs was sentenced to four years and two months in prison.
He has already served a year in jail, meaning he could get out in about three years.
Prosecutors sought a sentence of more than 11 years. Combs’ lawyers wanted him freed immediately and said the time behind bars has already forced his remorse and sobriety. On the eve of his sentencing, Combs wrote the judge proclaiming himself to be a new man after realizing he was “broken to my core.”
Combs’ lawyers said they will appeal.
There is no chance of parole in the federal system.
Prosecutor Christy Slavik said that sparing Combs serious prison time would excuse years of violence.
Key witnesses against Combs urged the judge to reject leniency for the hip-hop mogul, saying they feared for their safety if he was freed.
Where is Combs doing time
Combs was sent to a Brooklyn federal lockup a year ago after his lawyers unsuccessfully fought to keep him out of jail following his arrest.
The lockup is used mainly for post-arrest detention for people awaiting trial in federal courts in Manhattan or Brooklyn. Other inmates are there to serve short sentences following convictions.
The facility has been plagued by problems since opening in the 1990s. In recent years, its conditions have been so stark that some judges have refused to send people there.
Combs’ lawyers were denied a request to let him await trial under house arrest at his mansion on an island in Miami Beach, Florida.
It wasn’t immediately clear where he will serve the remainder of his sentence.
There is a federal lockup for men near Combs’ home. It’s a low-security federal correctional institution at Miami with an adjacent minimum security satellite camp. The inmate population there totals 1,000, including 174 at the camp and 826 at the correctional institution, according to its website.
Testimony at trial
During trial testimony, former girlfriend and R&B singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura told jurors that Combs ordered her to have “disgusting” sex with strangers hundreds of times during their decade-long relationship. Jurors saw video of him dragging and beating her in a Los Angeles hotel hallway after one such multiday “freak-off.”
Another woman, identified as “Jane,” testified she was pressured into sex with male workers during drug-fueled “hotel nights” while Combs watched and sometimes filmed.
The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly.
Combs’ lawyers argued at trial that the government was trying to criminalize consensual, if unconventional, sexual tastes.
Federal law that was violated
Combs was sentenced for violating the federal Mann Act, an anti-prostitution law with a century-old history. The Mann Act makes it illegal to transport someone across state lines for the purpose of prostitution or other illegal sex acts.
The law was amended in the 1980s and today it is primarily used for prosecuting interstate prostitution crimes or people accused of taking underage children across state lines for sexual purposes.
Defense attorney Jason Driscoll argued Friday the law was misapplied.
“Diddy’s” long descent
Combs’ reputational free fall began when Ventura, the criminal trial’s key witness, sued him in 2023, alleging years of sexual and physical abuse. They settled within hours for $20 million — an amount she disclosed publicly for the first time during the trial. Dozens of other people have since made similar legal claims.
The revelation of the federal sex trafficking investigation on the day of a bicoastal raid of Combs’ houses took the allegations to another level of seriousness and public knowledge.
How the case played in popular culture
The revelation that feds had seized 1,000 bottles of baby oil and other lubricant as part of the raid entered the popular culture immediately.
The case turned Combs into a punchline as much as a villain. Talk shows, “Saturday Night Live” and social media posters milked it for jokes about “freak-offs” and the voluminous amounts of baby oil he had for the sex marathons.
Fellow celebrities were called out for past Diddy associations — though no others were implicated in the criminal allegations.
NEW YORK (AP) — Bad Bunny kicked off the 51st season of “Saturday Night Live” with a few timely jokes about his next high-profile gig: the Super Bowl.
“I think everybody is happy about it — even Fox News,” the music superstar quipped in his monologue, referring to opposition in some quarters to his being named headliner of the Super Bowl halftime show.
He segued into a few sentences in Spanish, expressing Latino pride and joy over the achievement, after which he noted: “If you didn’t understand what I just said, you have four months to learn!” Bad Bunny will be making history by performing entirely in Spanish, a landmark moment for Latino culture.
Launching a season that introduces some new faces in the cast, the show’s cold open featured a sketch mocking Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s presentation to generals earlier this week.
“Weekend Update” host Colin Jost played Hegseth, highlighting the defense secretary’s remarks in which he said it’s “tiring to look out at combat formations or really any formation and see fat troops” and said it was unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals at the Pentagon.
“No fatties, no facial hair, no body hair,” Jost’s Hegseth said. “Just hot, shredded hairless men who are definitely not gay. … “Because this is serious, we are facing the greatest threat to freedom and democracy the world has ever known. And we all know what that threat is.”
“Late night TV!” replied James Austin Johnson as President Donald Trump, bursting in.
“‘SNL’ 51 off to a rough start,” Johnson’s Trump added. “Seventeen new cast members and they got the ‘Update’ guy doing the open.”
After a fanfare-filled 50th season celebrating the past, “Saturday Night Live” is looking to the future with a cast that includes five new featured players. Several cast members have departed the show.
Bad Bunny is having what can only be described as an enormous week: in addition to hosting “SNL,” he’s coming off a historic residency in Puerto Rico, and on Sunday came the Super Bowl news.
His moment in the spotlight hasn’t come without some political discourse. The Puerto Rican artist has said one of the reasons his residency bypassed the continental U.S. was a concern that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials could target immigrants for deportation outside his shows.
Asked Friday by a podcaster whether ICE officials would be conducting enforcement at the Super Bowl, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said they would, because DHS “is responsible for keeping it safe.” She didn’t specify whether the officials would be conducting immigration enforcement or other law enforcement duties that are typical at the event.
The issue made for a key joke in the “Weekend Update” segment. “A Trump adviser said ICE agents will attend the Super Bowl after Bad Bunny was announced as the halftime performer,” noted co-host Michael Che, then quipping: “You know, to catch all those farmworkers who can afford Super Bowl tickets.”
In his second “SNL” hosting gig, Bad Bunny was joined by musical guest Doja Cat, making her debut in that role.
He was featured in many of the show’s comedy segments, including a spinoff of the popular sketches in which George Washington attempts to educate soldiers about his new country’s language and customs. Here, Bad Bunny played a Spanish ruler in 900 A.D. explaining how the language would have both masculine and feminine nouns — with Benicio Del Toro making a surprise appearance.
Bad Bunny will be followed as hosts in subsequent weeks by Amy Poehler and Sabrina Carpenter. All three were highlights of the 50th season celebrations, with Bad Bunny performing at the “SNL50: The Homecoming Concert ” and also serving as the final musical guest last season.
SNL alumna Poehler, in her second solo hosting gig, will front the Oct. 11 episode alongside first-time musical guest Role Model. Her episode will air 50 years to the day of the very first episode of “Saturday Night Live,” on Oct. 11, 1975.
Carpenter, who was a major attraction of the anniversary celebrations, is pulling double duty as host and musical guest on Oct. 18.
The revamped cast comes on the heels of several high-profile departures, including Ego Nwodim and Devon Walker. Ben Marshall, already an “SNL” writer, becomes a featured player, along with newcomers Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, Kam Patterson and Veronika Slowikowska.
Nwodim, Walker, Emil Wakim and Michael Longfellow all confirmed last month on their social media accounts that they are leaving the show.
The show picked up 12 Emmys last month for its 50th season and anniversary programming, including an award for outstanding variety special.
“I won this award for the first time 50 years ago, in 1975,” Michaels said, accepting the Emmy, adding that he didn’t dream of doing the same show for the next 50 years.