Cities Turn to Sports Stadiums to Snap Out of Downtown Doom Loop
A growing number of U.S. cities are embracing an alternative approach to revitalizing sleepy downtowns: Strike a deal with a local sports team to usher in a giant real-estate project.
The creation of whole neighborhoods anchored by new sports stadiums or entertainment arenas is emerging as a real-estate asset class all its own. Stadiums serve as the foundation, surrounded by hotels, shopping centers, office towers, residential buildings and entertainment venues.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
11 minutes ago
- Yahoo
What's in the latest version of Trump's big bill now before the Senate
WASHINGTON (AP) — At some 940-pages, the legislation is a sprawling collection of tax breaks, spending cuts and other Republican priorities, including new money for national defense and deportations. Now it's up to Congress to decide whether President Donald Trump's signature's domestic policy package will become law. Trump told Republicans, who hold majority power in the House and Senate, to skip their holiday vacations and deliver the bill by the Fourth of July. Senators were working through the weekend to pass the bill and send it back to the House for a final vote. Democrats are united against it. Here's the latest on what's in the bill. There could be changes as lawmakers negotiate. Tax cuts are the priority Republicans say the bill is crucial because without it, there would be a massive tax increase, totaling some $3.8 trillion, after December when tax breaks from Trump's first term expire. Those existing tax rates and brackets would become permanent under the bill. It temporarily would add new ones that Trump campaigned on: no taxes on tips, overtime pay or some automotive loans, along with a bigger $6,000 deduction in the Senate draft for older adults who earn no more than $75,000 a year. It would boost the $2,000 child tax credit to $2,200 under the Senate proposal, or $2,500 in the House's version. Families at lower income levels would not see the full amount, if any. A cap on state and local deductions, called SALT, would quadruple to $40,000 for five years. It's a provision important to New York and other high tax states, though the House wanted it to last for 10 years. There are scores of business-related tax cuts. The wealthiest households would see a $12,000 increase from the legislation, which would cost the poorest people $1,600 a year, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office analysis of the House's version. Middle-income taxpayers would see a tax break of $500 to $1,500, the CBO said. Money for deportations, a border wall and the Golden Dome The bill would provide some $350 billion for Trump's border and national security agenda, including $46 billion for the U.S.-Mexico border wall and $45 billion for 100,000 migrant detention facility beds, as he aims to full his promise of the largest mass deportation operation in U.S. history. Money would go for hiring 10,000 new Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, with $10,000 signing bonuses and a surge of Border Patrol officers, as well. The goal is to deport some 1 million people per year. The homeland security secretary would have a new $10 billion fund for grants for states that help with federal immigration enforcement and deportation actions. The attorney general would have $3.5 billion for a similar fund, known as Bridging Immigration-related Deficits Experienced Nationwide, or BIDEN, referring to former Democratic President Joe Biden. To help pay for it all, immigrants would face various new fees, including when seeking asylum protections. For the Pentagon, the bill would provide billions for ship building, munitions systems, and quality of life measures for servicemen and women, as well as $25 billion for the development of the Golden Dome missile defense system. The Defense Department would have $1 billion for border security. How to pay for it? Cuts to Medicaid and other programs To help partly offset the lost tax revenue and new spending, Republicans are seeking to cut back some long-running government programs: Medicaid, food stamps, green energy incentives and others. It's essentially unraveling the accomplishments of the past two Democratic presidents, Biden and Barack Obama. Republicans argue they are trying to rightsize the safety net programs for the population they were initially designed to serve, mainly pregnant women and children, and root out what they describe as waste, fraud and abuse. The package includes new 80-hour-a-month work requirements for many adults receiving Medicaid and food stamps, including older people up to age 65. Parents of children 14 and older would have to meet the program's work requirements. There's also a proposed new $35 co-payment that can be charged to patients using Medicaid services. Some 80 million people rely on Medicaid, which expanded under Obama's Affordable Care Act, and 40 million use the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program. Most already work, according to analysts. All told, the CBO estimates that under the House-passed bill, at least 10.9 million more people would go without health coverage and 3 million more would not qualify for food stamps. The Senate proposes a $25 billion Rural Hospital Transformation Fund to help offset those reductions. It's a new addition, intended to win over holdout GOP senators and a coalition of House Republicans warning that the proposed Medicaid provider tax cuts would hurt rural hospitals. Both the House and Senate bills propose a dramatic rollback of the Biden-era green energy tax breaks for electric vehicles. They also would phase out or terminate various the production and investment tax credits companies use to stand up wind, solar and other renewable energy projects. In total, cuts to Medicaid, food stamps and green energy programs would be expected to produce at least $1.5 trillion in savings. Trump savings accounts and so, so much more A number of extra provisions reflect other GOP priorities. The House and Senate both have a new children's savings program, called Trump Accounts, with a potential $1,000 deposit from the Treasury. The Senate provided $40 million to establish Trump's long-sought 'National Garden of American Heroes.' There's a new excise tax on university endowments, restrictions on the development of artificial intelligence and blocks on transgender surgeries. A $200 tax on gun silencers and short-barreled rifles and shotguns was eliminated. One provision bars money to family planning providers, namely Planned Parenthood, while $88 million is earmarked for a pandemic response accountability committee. Billions go for the Artemis moon mission and for exploration to Mars. What's the final cost? Altogether, keeping the existing tax breaks and adding the new ones is expected to cost $3.8 trillion over the decade, the CBO says in its analysis of the House bill. An analysis of the Senate draft is pending. The CBO estimates the House-passed package would add $2.4 trillion to the nation's deficits over the decade. Or not, depending on how one does the math. Senate Republicans are proposing a unique strategy of not counting the existing tax breaks as a new cost because those breaks are already 'current policy.' Senators say the Senate Budget Committee chairman has the authority to set the baseline for the preferred approach. Under the Senate GOP view, the cost of tax provisions would be $441 billion, according to the congressional Joint Committee on Taxation. Democrats and others say this is 'magic math' that obscures the costs of the GOP tax breaks. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget puts the Senate tally at $4.2 trillion over the decade.
Yahoo
11 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Austin Living: New smiles, familiar tradition
Jun. 28—With gratitude for the past, new owners of The Tendermaid take tradition into the future For nearly three decades, a person could count on two things when they entered The Tendermaid: a great loose-meat burger and a Sara Nauman smile. But there are changes coming and while people will still be able to count on the burgers that have become iconic in their own right, visitors to The Tendermaid will have to get used to a pair of new smiles — those of Zach and Betsy Morem. In April of this year, the couple became the new owners of the cozy, diner-styled burger joint, taking the business over from Nauman, who has run the business for 28 years. "When I moved back to Austin and started a family here, we kind of had a mutual goal that we wanted to help the community. Invest in the community," Zach said. "If we're going to be here, why not." "Continuing the legacy," Betsy added. Nauman bought the business with her then husband, Gary White, who had always nurtured a dream to buy The Tendermaid, in the late 1990s. Gary passed away in August of 2019, and Nauman, who is now married to Brad Nauman, continued to carry on with the establishment until this year when she began entertaining the idea of selling it. "Just so many changes in my life since then," Nauman said, referring to the time after Gary's passing. "In February I remarried and then in January (the Morems) approached me. April we sold The Tendermaid. I couldn't think of a better family to carry on this precious, cherished Austin tradition." It's a rich tradition that dates back to 1938, when Jerry and Mildred Thatcher moved to Austin from Iowa. As the story goes, the couple stood on various street corners in Austin until they came to what is today the intersection of Fourth Avenue Second Street NE, the busiest intersection in town at that point. While the building looks different than it did in 1938, the location has never strayed, and in all of those 87 years The Tendermaid has been creating traditions and memories — traditions and memories that Zach has experienced as well. "I think a lot of people from Austin have a very similar story, which I have noticed since the change of ownership — the nostalgia factor," he said. "People coming in and saying 'I remember when I came here with my parents or grandparents.' I was a similar story of coming here with my grandfather and being able to have that memory is pretty cool." While not originally from the area, it was Betsy, who grew up in Olivia, Minnesota, who first saw the opportunity to buy The Tendermaid. It was an opportunity that couldn't go to waste. "When I found out I came out into the kitchen of our home and was like the Tendermaid was for sale," she said. "He quickly became excited about the idea and then we met with Sara." "It happened quickly after that," she continued. "It was a good fit. We've known each other and Zach has restaurant experience." That experience comes from across town at another local and iconic restaurant — The Old Mill — where Zach got his first taste of restaurant experience. Since then, he has built up just over a decade of time in food service. He said that this opportunity has refreshed the spark in him to be back in the industry once again. "My very first job was at the Old Mill washing dishes," he said. "I owe a lot of this to Dave and Ann Forland and Dave specifically. I have been close with him since I was 14-years-old. I have a lot to thank him for." The transaction between the two families came about in a rather natural way as the Morem's have harbored that tradition The Tendermaid has established over the years, while for Nauman it was the ideal situation in which to hand it off. For Nauman, the next owners had to be someone who cared as much for the Tendermaid and customers as she did. "The right people came along at the right time," she said. "Just continuing the tradition and knowing that the people are going to love it as much as I did and (Gary) did. I know Zach and Besty have been coming here forever, they've brought their kids in. You look at that and you know they are going to do the right thing with something that is treasured." That right direction isn't likely to include much change. While there has been some additions to the menu from the days when it was only a burger and a small assortment of condiments available, The Tendermaid sandwich itself continues to be the star of the show. And it will remain so under the Morem's ownership. "We don't want to mess with everything because it's been the same for so long. It works," Zach said. "People have stressed that." That's not to say there might not be some reversal of things, though. When the COVID-19 pandemic played its upsetting hand, The Tendermaid suffered the same reality as other dining establishments. It had to close shop and was ultimately limited to take-out only. That took away The Tendermaid's 17 stools and unique seating arrangement in a U-shape around the staging area. It gave the Tendermaid its diner-type feel and allowed Nauman and employees to openly converse with the customers as they waited for their food. The Morems want to bring that back. "There have been a lot of people that have asked about the indoor dining thing," Zach said. "We will be doing that eventually, but we don't have a time yet or date." "People really want to be able to sit inside and I understand that. I was one of those people," he continued. "We want to make sure everyone gets the opportunity to come and sit down." And along with that, the Morems want to continue the trend of making sure people feel special when they visit. "Any time I would walk into The Tendermaid, Sara would make me feel like a thousand bucks and I know every person who came through that door felt like that," Betsy said. Nauman's influence won't entirely be gone going into the future. Her daughter, Jenna White, a fixture in her own right in recent years, will also be working the counter with the Morems. At the same time, Nauman will always have a place in her heart for The Tendermaid, no less than the thousands of customers who have woven their way through the little restaurant in the heart of Austin. "It's been a privilege for me to serve and be a part of the Austin community for all these years and I want to thank all of my amazing customers for all of their support for all the years," Nauman said. "I'm just looking forward to the future of The Tendermaid." For the Morems, this chance is about being able to contribute back to the community in their own way. "We're just really grateful for the support of the community," Betsy said.
New York Times
11 minutes ago
- New York Times
Yankees' Clarke Schmidt makes franchise history with scoreless innings streak
NEW YORK — After dominating the Baltimore Orioles with seven no-hit innings in his last outing, New York Yankees manager hailed Clarke Schmidt as 'one of the most underrated starting pitchers in the game.' Soon — if he's not already there — he'll be properly rated as one of the best starters in Major League Baseball. Advertisement Schmidt set the Yankees' single-season franchise record with 28 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings in the Expansion Era (1961), passing Catfish Hunter's 26-inning streak in 1975. Athletics designated hitter Brent Rooker snapped Schmidt's streak in the fourth inning with a solo home run over the left-field wall. Schmidt's streak is the longest scoreless streak by a Yankees starter since Don Larsen's 29 innings across the 1957 and 1958 seasons. Clarke Schmidt's 2Ks in the 2nd…and Sword. ⚔️ — Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 28, 2025 Schmidt's streak began after a humiliating first inning against the Cleveland Guardians on June 4. Schmidt allowed three runs on three hits against a Guardians lineup that featured eight left-handed hitters that day. Since the second inning against the Guardians, Schmidt has been dominant. 'I just feel like he has a real good handle on his arsenal,' Boone said before Saturday's game against the Athletics. 'I feel like his pitch usage right now, especially the last few, has been excellent.' The scoreless streak coincided with Schmidt incorporating a four-seam fastball to his arsenal. It's a pitch he hasn't thrown since the early years of his MLB career, as he scrapped it for a cutter and sinker. But entering Saturday's game, Schmidt's fastball has been elite, holding opposing hitters to a .125 batting average and .188 slugging percentage. 'This has been a pitch that we've been working on and fiddling with over the course of this year,' Schmidt said earlier this month. 'I'm really happy with where it's been. It doesn't always get registered as a four-seamer, so the usage is messed up a little bit. For me, it just gets guys off the cutter, especially lefties. It can be effective versus righties as well for some swing-and-miss at the top of the zone, especially when guys are hunting my breaking ball package. When you can mix up usages and get guys off certain pitches that they're obviously sitting on, that's when you find success.' Advertisement Schmidt hasn't just been helping the big-league club find success when he's on the mound, either. The righty took The Athletic through his day-to-day routine with how he gets prepared for his start day. That story has since been shared with Yankees minor leaguers and coaches for them to get a sense of what it takes to be a major-league starter. This story will be updated.
