A minor-league baseball team affiliated with Florida's Tampa Bay Rays has caught government flak for a promotion called Ball-less Baseball honoring women. The Hudson Valley (N.Y.) Renegades promotion, set for Tuesday, is to have women only in Dutchess Stadium until the fifth inning as a celebration of femininity and independence, the New York-Penn League team said. Men would remain outside, entertained with a parking-lot tailgating party, with the game televised on big-screen televisions, the team's promo said. Dutchess County Senior Assistant County Attorney Keith Byron wrote to the team, saying the event's name was in poor taste. He also said female-only access might violate state human rights law and the U.S.

A New York judge fined hip-hop artist Akon and ordered him to perform 65 hours of community service for throwing a teen fan off a stage during a concert. Akon pleaded guilty this week to second-degree harassment as part of a plea deal in the incident, which took place during the KFEST concert at Dutchess Stadium in June 2007.