A few years ago, the Buffalo Bills threatened to leave New York State unless a new stadium deal was secured. This kind of relocation bluff is common in the NFL, with only the Green Bay Packers standing out as a team with a municipally owned facility and a market too small to seriously consider relocation. Despite the ever-present threat of the Bills moving to a more lucrative market, Democrat Governor Kathy Hochul ultimately signed a deal providing $600 million in state funding for a new $2.1 billion stadium for the Bills, with Erie County contributing an additional $250 million. This was after team owner Terry Pegula threatened to move the franchise to Austin, Texas, where he would privately finance a stadium.
Disney has decided to remove a transgender storyline from its upcoming animated series Win or Lose. The series, which revolves around the Pickles, a co-ed middle school softball team, centers on their journey toward a championship game over the course of one week. Each episode highlights the life and perspective of a different character, including players, parents, coaches, and umpires.
Defense attorneys for former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and codefendant Michael McClain are set to begin presenting their case Wednesday in a corruption trial that has captured significant attention. The trial, which involves 23 counts of bribery, racketeering, and official misconduct, centers around the alleged "Madigan Enterprise" scheme in which utilities like ComEd and AT&T Illinois allegedly provided no-work jobs and contracts to individuals loyal to Madigan in exchange for favorable legislation in Springfield.
California lost 156,300 jobs in the first half of 2024, according to the latest federal quarterly payroll data, contradicting Governor Gavin Newsom’s optimistic claims about job growth in the state. While Newsom’s office had highlighted preliminary job survey data, which often overestimates employment numbers, the finalized payroll data shows a starkly different picture. In January, California’s payroll data counted 18,037,900 jobs, but by June, that number had dropped to 17,881,600, reflecting a significant job loss.
The Pinellas County Commission has approved a $312.5 million bond issue to finance its part of a new $1.3 billion stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays. The 5-2 vote, which was delayed twice, allows the county to move forward with selling the bonds, contingent on the Rays meeting their obligations under the deal. The approval follows the St. Petersburg City Council’s earlier vote to approve its $287.5 million share of the project on December 6.
Attorney General Merrick Garland is under scrutiny from Congress as Republican lawmakers ramp up investigations into his Department of Justice (DOJ) over an alleged coverup tied to the Crescent Dunes solar energy project in Nevada. The project, which received hundreds of millions in federal grants during the Obama administration, has been plagued by technical failures, financial troubles, and environmental concerns. Now, questions are being raised about the DOJ’s involvement in a qui tam lawsuit that was abruptly dismissed after initially being supported by the government.
Members of Congress are “still in the dark” about the growing number of drone sightings across the Garden State and surrounding areas, according to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who is demanding answers from the government. Greene expressed concern over the unidentified drones flying over the Northeast, stating that the American public deserves transparency. Despite numerous requests for a classified briefing, she revealed that members of Congress remain uninformed. She criticized the Biden administration for downplaying the issue, claiming officials are offering vague explanations, such as attributing the sightings to airplanes, helicopters, or stars. “No one is buying it,” Greene declared, urging the government to “come clean.”
