STEUBENVILLE -- A school district in eastern Ohio added unarmed security guards to its buildings Tuesday amid increased attention over two high school football players who are facing rape charges.
Mike McVey, the superintendent of Steubenville City Schools, said a guard will remain outside each of the district's four buildings until further notice. McVey told The Associated Press in an interview that the move was made "to improve the safety of our students."
Two 16-year-old boys are set for trial next month in juvenile court in Steubenville, a city of about 18,000, on charges they raped a 16-year-old girl in August.
McVey said the decision to add guards to the school buildings came Monday, before the district was placed on lockdown Tuesday morning because of a possible threat. According to a police report, a student described seeing a Facebook post indicating a potential threat, but the post couldn't be retrieved. The post referenced people not charged in the rape case and directed them to come to a certain location, or "I am going to start killing people," the report said.
• Football
Dates announced: The first semifinal games in the new college football playoff system will be played in the Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1, 2015.
The BCS conference commissioners announced the dates and rotation for all 12 years of the upcoming postseason format after a meeting in Key Biscayne on Monday, the day after the BCS championship game in Miami.
Ratings up: The BCS title game's television rating was up from last season, but the lopsided score kept viewership down.
Alabama's 42-14 rout over Notre Dame drew a 15.1 fast national rating Monday on ESPN, the network said Tuesday. The 26.4 million viewers were up 9 percent from last year's game, another blowout Crimson Tide victory.
Syracuse job filled: Four years ago, Scott Shafer's football sojourn almost seemed at a dead end. He was hired as Syracuse's new head coach Tuesday.
Fired after only one year as defensive coordinator at Michigan under Rich Rodriguez, a victim of one of the worst seasons in Wolverines history, Shafer was down and out after stops at five colleges in a five-year span.
• Baseball
Kazmir joins Tribe: The Indians have signed free agent left-hander Scott Kazmir to a minor league contract.
Kazmir, a three-time All-Star who led the AL in strikeouts in 2007, will have a shot at making the Indians' starting rotation at spring training in Goodyear, Ariz.
The Indians also signed right-hander Jerry Gil and Lefty Edward Paredes to minor league deals with non-roster invitations to camp.
Out for a while: Alex Rodriguez's surgeon says the New York Yankees third baseman probably will be ready to return to the field after the All-Star break.
"It would be great if he returns faster. Possible that it would take longer," Dr. Bryan Kelly of the Hospital for Special Surgery said Tuesday.
Mobile phones coming: Even dugouts and bullpens might not need that old landline soon.
Major League Baseball and T-Mobile announced Tuesday that the cellphone company will provide wireless devices that managers and pitching coaches can use to make the call to get relievers warming up.
• Elsewhere
Easily qualifies: This should come as no surprise: Missy Franklin easily qualified for state in all four events she entered at a high school dual meet on Tuesday.
To think, she almost skipped her senior year of swimming at Regis Jesuit in Aurora. After winning four gold medals in London, the 17-year-old weighed whether to join her teammates after criticism arose over whether her presence took away from other swimmers.
Recordings acquired: The Library of Congress is acquiring an archive of audio recordings that contain thousands of historic sports interviews with star athletes and coaches.
The collection includes chats with Mickey Mantle, Billie Jean King, Willie Mays and Hank Aaron, among others.
Johnson wins: Dustin Johnson ended a windy week with a wild ride Tuesday that carried him to the first win of the PGA Tour season.
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