North Texas leaders consider local funding to keep Heartland Flyer running to Oklahoma City
Heartland Flyer facing permanent suspension after Texas legislature declines funding
And with that growth comes challenges, chief among them: the worsening traffic along I-35.'There's going to come a point very quickly, I think, where we need a viable rail option to move people between those two cities in a timely manner,' he said. 'At some point, we're going to have commuter rail, and instead of driving to Norman because it's going to be so congested.'But Mann also sees opportunity.'I mean, we're bringing the Olympics in,' he said. 'The World Cup is going to be in the Dallas-Fort Worth area next year.'He said losing the Heartland Flyer would undercut that momentum.'When you bring people in from other countries, they expect rail service,' Mann said. 'I think if this goes away, it sends a signal that we're not interested in rail service.'In a statement, Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker echoed that concern, calling the Heartland Flyer 'key to ensuring Fort Worth's continued success as a global destination.'She pointed out Fort Worth is Amtrak's busiest station in Texas, 'generating millions in economic impact annually.'On Tuesday, the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG)—an alliance of more than 200 cities, counties and school districts in the Dallas-Fort Worth area—confirmed they are working to 'figure out a long term funding solution' using local funds, once Texas' funding is set to expire in September.'It may come down to municipalities or counties that have to step up if we want to keep the service going,' Mann said.He said he's also working with the Oklahoma City Chamber to explore what other states have done in similar situations.'We're currently trying to find out and ascertain has this happened in any other states? And if so, how did they handle it?' he said. 'Really, anything we want to do in the future related to rail hinges on keeping this line open.'An Amtrak spokesperson told News 4 they also want to keep the Heartland Flyer running, noting they had plans to extend the line north to Kansas, where it could connect travelers to major lines headed toward Chicago and Los Angeles.'Ending this service would sever a well-established transportation network,' Amtrak said.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
2 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Amid budget squeeze, a Miami-Dade commissioner wants to cancel World Cup subsidy
In the face of looming cuts to charity grants in the county budget, a Miami-Dade commissioner wants to claw back the $46 million the county plans to spend subsidizing a global sports event: the 2026 World Cup games. Commissioner Kionne McGhee, who represents a suburban district in South Miami-Dade that has some of the county's highest concentrations of poverty, said Friday he'll ask for a special meeting to undo past funding votes to cover local expenses for the seven soccer matches scheduled for Hard Rock Stadium next summer. 'Until they find us the money to fully fund the nonprofits that provide services to the community, I think we are obligated as elected officials to get this money back and give it to the nonprofits,' McGhee said in an interview Friday. His demand highlights the bad timing for Miami-Dade's elected officials as the approved $46 million in free police and paramedic overtime and cash payouts for World Cup overlap with what's likely to be the leanest budget year for the county since the aftermath of the 2008 housing crash. Mayor Daniella Levine Cava has proposed a 2026 budget that slashes about $40 million in funding for county charity grants. The budget also has cuts for the Parks Department, including less money for athletic fields and lifeguards. The mayor recommended spending legislation earlier this year that doubled the commission's prior approval of a $10.5 million cash subsidy for World Cup. The legislation boosted the county's planned cash payments for the games to $21 million. Add in an estimated $25 million worth of free police, paramedic services and other county staff that Miami-Dade would pay for, and the subsidy total would hit $46 million. In a May 6 memo, Levine Cava said contributing the sports funding may result in reductions in county services — weeks before her budget proposal revealed proposed cuts to the charity grants, the loss of some lifeguards at county parks and scattered rollbacks of spending on senior services. Nevertheless, commissioners approved the legislation with the planned $21 million World Cup subsidies on May 6 — legislation that was seconded by McGhee. Three commissioners voted against the budget adjustment: Marleine Bastien, Juan Carlos Bermudez and Roberto Gonzalez. In her memo, Levine Cava recommended commissioners adopt the extra $10.5 million for World Cup as part of a larger midyear spending package. She said the request for extra World Cup dollars came from the spending legislation's sponsor, Commissioner Oliver Gilbert, whose district includes Hard Rock Stadium. On Friday, her office released a statement expressing concerns about World Cup funding. 'The Mayor expressed concerns when this funding request was first brought to the administration,' the statement read. 'Those concerns remain as we balance critical needs in our community.' In a press release, McGhee noted that he was a past supporter of the plan to bring soccer's premiere event to Miami and offer financial support from the county. But he said Levine Cava's budget proposal 'changes everything.' To secure a special meeting revisiting a politically fraught issue that's already gone through a commission vote, McGhee needs a signed request from at least six other commissioners on the 13-member board. County funding for World Cup goes to the nonprofit host committee, which is independent of FIFA. Rodney Barreto, the chair of the local World Cup host committee, has been spearheading the push for government funding for the games at Hard Rock Stadium. On Friday, he pointed out that Miami-Dade had competed to be a World Cup host city for the 2026 games and that such a position comes with expenses. 'I know it's a tough time,' said Barreto, a partner in a lobbying firm that represents the Miami Dolphins, owner of Hard Rock. 'I know tough decisions have to be made. I think the county can make them and still fully support FIFA World Cup 2026 in Miami-Dade.'
Fox Sports
2 hours ago
- Fox Sports
Carli Lloyd Knows Big Games. Here's Why She Thinks Spain Has The Edge Over England In Euro Final
When it comes to playing in high-stakes tournaments and finals, few can match Carli Lloyd. I spoke with the U.S. women's national team legend and FOX Sports analyst about the UEFA 2025 Women's Euro. Who has stood out? Why have penalties been such a hot topic. And, who'll win Sunday's blockbuster final? Which players have stood out or impressed you the most? Carli Lloyd: The big ones are easy to talk about, but I would probably have to say Patri Guijarro from Spain is No. 1. She's been the engine and she's been brilliant in the middle. I think all of the attacking players usually get all the praise and the hype and whatnot, but she's been absolutely crucial to the Spanish side's attack with her link play and ability to read the game. Not just keeping possession for the sake of keeping possession, but forward progressive passes that she makes. So it's been really, really cool to see. And obviously she's been having a really good year [for Barcelona]. Then with the likes of Aitana Bonmatí and Alexia Putellas, who are having great tournaments, some other Spanish players fly a bit more under the radar. I think [Barcelona forward] Claudia Pina has been having an outstanding season, which has carried over into this tournament for Spain. She was the only real bright attacking threat against Switzerland and scored an unbelievable goal. Her ability to attack players on the dribble and unleash her signature shot has made her into a deadly attacker. And I would have to highlight [England's 19-year-old forward] Michelle Agyemang. I think people are calling for her to be starting, or this and that. I don't think she should be starting [yet]. I think she's still young, and she has a bright future and I think that with young players, you often have to be a bit delicate to the situation of when to kind of give them that freedom. And I think she's come on and she's been absolutely crucial, scoring big-time goals and just her ability to get in behind and embrace the moment. The moments don't seem too big for her and she's a bright spot that has been really enjoyable to watch. Penalty kicks have been a hot topic. What has stood out to you? CL: What I found interesting was [France manager Laurent Bonadei and Sweden manager Peter Gerhardssen] said they weren't too focused on penalties [due to the unpredictability of knowing which teams would be at the tournament]. I don't think that a lot of us have witnessed a worse penalty shootout [than the one between England and Sweden in the quarterfinal]. It's happened on the men's side. And look, it happens to the best of us, missing penalties. But for me, reading what the Swedish coach had said, it didn't seem like there was much preparation that was going into it. And I was pretty shocked because I felt if it were going into penalties, I thought Sweden was going to have the upper hand in experience because they've been there and done that. Going back to 2023 World Cup [in the round of 16 shootout against the U.S.], they were sharp and they got it done. So I was a bit surprised by that. How did you approach penalties during your career? CL: I just look at our team over the years and how much prep went into penalties. I mean, time and time again, we had crazy crowd noise in the stadium that we were [piping in], and we had competitions against one another, and we'd have scrimmages and we would do penalties after every time we scrimmaged the boys or scrimmaged ourselves. So there was just a lot of preparation that went into it. You have to kind of wonder when multiple players are missing what that does to the psyche of one's mind. You start to get in your head a little bit more, so I think that probably played a bit of a role. But [England right-back] Lucy Bronze at the end there and that particular penalty was just stone-cold. She knew where she was going, and she just put it away. I think some of the other players, maybe the run-ups are a little off. I think people are probably tweaking their penalties from time to time, but that's what I took away from it. What were the biggest penalties that you ever made and missed? CL: We all made ours [in the 2011 World Cup quarterfinal shootout vs. Brazil] and then we had to prepare for another [shootout] in the final against Japan. And I think all of us weren't sure if we should keep our same spot or change our spot, and was the Japanese goalkeeper going to know where we were all going? So there were mind games going on within our heads. [In the final] Shannon Boxx missed hers, and then I step up and I miss mine. And then Tobin [Heath] missed hers [and we lost]. From that instance on, I knew that I had to do more preparation and I had to practice PKs more. I had to be comfortable going any spot. Then I would have to say the 2015 World Cup semifinal vs. Germany and having to make that [was the biggest]. (Lloyd converted a penalty in the 69th minute to score the USWNT's first goal in a 2-0 win.) What are you looking forward to most about Spain vs. England? CL: It's interesting. England really haven't played well. I don't like to use the word luck, but I do feel like they've had some things fall in the right direction for them in order to get it done. But they've also shown such tremendous resiliency and perseverance that I feel like I haven't seen as much from them [in the past]. It almost reminds me of the U.S. over the years. We weren't necessarily the best team or playing the best, but we were somehow finding ways to win and sometimes that's all you need. And then I look at the Spanish side where I feel like they've been playing beautiful football. Yes, Switzerland made it difficult for them in the way that they defended and put them under pressure, and Germany did as well. But I still think those moments of brilliance and individual brilliance – I believe there's a bit of a gap as far as the way Spain play. So it's just going to be really tactically interesting to see what England are going to do. If they're going to take the blueprint from Switzerland and Germany and make things compact and make things difficult for Spain to play. We saw Spain having to play a bit more direct vs. Germany. The way Spain have evolved from 2019 to now is they can beat you in a variety of ways. They can possess the ball, they can play direct, they can hunt you down. I'm just a fan of this final, so I hope that it's a really good game, that it's entertaining, and there are a lot of amazing stars that are going to be on the field playing. What's your Euros final prediction? CL: I find this one really difficult. I think Spain are the clear front-runner and they have been, and I've said that from the beginning [of this tournament]. But as we've seen, on any given day – I mean look at Germany playing down a man for some 100 minutes [in the quarterfinal vs. France] and their performance. I was not high on Germany for the entire tournament up until that point and then what they displayed will be talked about for decades to come. So I am going to go with Spain just given the history and what they've been doing this tournament. I think they have weathered adversity and still found ways to win. I think England look a bit tired and they're all a bit banged up. So I think Spain have the extra edge there. Are Spain and England the two strongest teams in the world? How would a full-strength USWNT team stack up? CL: I do think overall from this tournament that the two best teams are in the final. Doesn't mean that it's the two best teams that have been playing the best football, but when you look at everything and you look at manager Sarina Wiegman, the subs coming off the bench, the way England have been able to pull off some off these wins, that ultimately is what makes teams the best. And Spain, there's no question. If you just look at the way that they play, I think they're above everyone by a pretty decent margin. Yes, the U.S. won the last Olympics and Emma Hayes has done a phenomenal job with this group. I think that they're definitely heading in the right direction. I still think they really haven't been up against the European giants, which would be really interesting to see. [Right now] they may be third or fourth [best team in the world], hovering around there behind Spain and England. But time will tell in that regard. Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of "Strong Like a Woman," published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her at @LakenLitman . Get more from the UEFA Euro Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Politico
2 hours ago
- Politico
Venezuelan Little League team denied entry into US amid Trump travel ban
The tournament, which starts Saturday, features 13- to 16-year-old baseball players from the U.S. and around the world competing in Easley, South Carolina. Little League International called the news 'extremely disappointing, especially to these young athletes' in a statement to POLITICO. A White House spokesperson directed a request for comment to the State Department. Representatives for the State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Little League International said the Santa Maria de Aguayo Little League team from Victoria, Mexico, who finished in second place in the Latin America qualifiers behind the Venezuelan team, will replace them. Kendry Gutiérrez, president of Cacique Mara Little League, said in an interview posted on the team's social media account that the team had traveled to Bogota, Colombia, two weeks in advance of the tournament to try and secure visas. 'This is a sad and regrettable situation,' he said in Spanish during the interview, filmed with the team's players seated behind him. 'They want to have the opportunity to go play.' Trump signed an executive order earlier this year banning all travel from 12 countries and restricting travel from seven others, including Venezuela. The order carved out an exception for athletes traveling to the U.S. for major sports competitions determined by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The State Department's processing of foreign athletes seeking entry into the U.S. will be under heightened scrutiny in the coming years, as the U.S. prepares to host the FIFA World Cup in 2026 and the Olympics in 2028. The Venezuelan Little League team isn't the first sports team to be denied entry into the country. The Cuban women's national volleyball team was unable to enter the country for a tournament in Puerto Rico earlier this month. Cuba is also on the list of countries with restricted travel to the U.S.
