Latest news with #DannyWimmer
Axios
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
Sonic Temple returns as one of Ohio's biggest music festivals
More than 100,000 rock lovers will jam into Historic Crew Stadium this weekend for one of the largest hard rock gatherings in the country. Why it matters: Sonic Temple has survived a rebrand and a lost COVID year to become a major economic driver for Columbus and arguably Ohio's biggest music festival. Flashback: Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival was formerly known as Rock on the Range. It was reenvisioned in 2019 when promoter Danny Wimmer took over the event after splitting with AEG Live. The intrigue: This year's headliners include major international touring acts like Korn, Linkin Park and two different Metallica sets. More than 100 other acts across four stages range from Three 6 Mafia and Insane Clown Posse to Hoobastank and GWAR. There's also a live art program, food, drinks and charity fundraisers. Local venues Ace of Cups and King of Clubs host after parties Friday night. By the numbers: Last year's festival drew a crowd of 138,000, according to organizers. Experience Columbus expects this year's crowd to buy more than 10,000 hotel rooms and spend $8.2 million around town. What they're saying:"Columbus is a city that lives for live music, and Sonic Temple is the ultimate celebration for rock fans," says Sarah Townes, chief marketing and innovation officer for Experience Columbus. "They're aspiring to host the biggest rock festival in city history, and all signs point to record-breaking crowds." The big picture: Definitive attendance and economic impact numbers are scarce, but Sonic Temple could have a claim as Ohio's biggest music festival.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Warrants issued by Michigan AG served during morning sweep
Getty Images Multiple search warrants have been served in at least three metro Detroit communities, which activists claim are targeting pro-Palestinian supporters from the University of Michigan. 'These are Department of Attorney General warrants [being served] against multiple individuals in multiple jurisdictions, including Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, and Canton,' Danny Wimmer, spokesperson for the Michigan Attorney General's Office, confirmed for the Michigan Advance. While Wimmer would not disclose the nature of the warrants or specifically how many individuals were targeted, he did say that no arrest warrants were being executed, and that while people had been temporarily detained, there were no arrests. However, the pro-Palestinian advocacy TAHRIR Coalition issued a release claiming that agents with the FBI, Michigan State Police, as well as officers with local police agencies arrived Wednesday morning in unmarked vehicles at the homes of University of Michigan pro-Palestine activists in Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, and Canton. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'Law enforcement officers confiscated electronics, questioned, and detained two activists, who were later released from their Ann Arbor residence,'' the group said in the release. Officers from the attorney general's office, the Plymouth Police Department, and the FBl also obtained personal property from a Ypsilanti residence and detained four people who were later released, the coalition said. The coalition alleged officers refused to present warrants in Ypsilanti. A Facebook post by the Ypsilanti Police Department said they had been made aware that the FBI and Michigan State Police would be conducting a search warrant at a location on Summit Street. 'Immigration is not involved. YPD has been brought in to secure the scene, given that a crowd has assembled,' the post said. Ann Arbor Police also posted to Facebook about the warrants, saying they were one 'many agencies involved in a multi-jurisdictional investigation led by the Michigan Attorney General's office [and] related to reported crimes committed in the City of Ann Arbor as well as other jurisdictions. This investigation is not related to immigration enforcement.' Wimmer also said immigration agents were not involved. 'There was no ICE element present,' he said. A total of 11 people are facing criminal charges from the AG's office for defying law enforcement orders to vacate a pro-Palestinian encampment on the University of Michigan campus in May 2024 and then physically obstructing law enforcement officers as they worked to clear the area. However, Wimmer would not confirm if the warrants were related to the 11 people previously charged. Requests for comment have been made to the FBI, Michigan State Police and University of Michigan, but have yet to be returned.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Michigan sues wineries in New York, Washington for shipping vino without licenses
LANSING — Michigan's attorney general is suing wineries in federal court to stop what it says are illegal alcohol shipments to the state. Since 2023, AG Dana Nessel's office has filed at least seven federal lawsuits, including two this week, against wineries in New York, Washington, Montana, Oregon and California. In each lawsuit, the AG's office said the wineries lack the direct shipper license needed and yet continued to ship bottles to customers in the the state after cease and desist letters. The most recent lawsuits came on Wednesday against New York-based Pellegrini Vineyards and Washington-based Tsillan Cellars, through its ownership RRJ Real Properties LLC. The lawsuits seek court orders barring the wineries from shipping to Michigan and a $25,000 fine for each violation. In a statement, AG spokesperson Danny Wimmer said the lawsuits are "fairly standard civil enforcement" cases and that the office has "filed many lawsuits against illegal shippers of alcoholic beverages and secured many judgments in favor of the State." A message was left seeking comment from Pellegrini Vineyards. Bob Hargadon, general manager for Tsillan Cellars, said the winery wasn't aware of the lawsuit until contacted by a reporter. After checking its records, Hargadon said the winery made four shipments to two Michigan customers in 2024, which he attributed to a clerical error which has since been fixed. Those sales amounted to less than 0.001% of its annual shipments, he said, and the winery's records show no orders to Michigan so far this year. In 2022, the Michigan Liquor Control Commission flagged six shipments from Tsillan Cellars and three from Pellegrini Vineyards to Michigan addresses. The AG's office then sent cease and desist letters to both wineries informing them that they lacked the necessary licenses to legally operate in or do business in the state. The letters ended with the same ultimatum. "If this activity fails to cease within 14 days of your receipt of this letter, our office will take legal action to stop it," wrote Donald McGehee, division chief for the AG's alcohol and gambling enforcement division. "This may include filing criminal charges." The AG's office received confirmation that both wineries received the letters. About 16 months later, the state's liquor control commission wanted to investigate whether the wineries were complying with the cease and desist letters. It purchased a bottle from each: a 2021 Estate Merlot from Tsillan Cellars for $46 plus shipping and a 2016 Regalo from Pellegrini Vineyards for $49.99 plus shipping. The state paid about $20 for each bottle to be shipped. About a week later, both bottles arrived. And about a year after that, the AG's office took both wineries to federal court in Grand Rapids in what are at least the sixth and seventh such lawsuits in the past two years. Wimmer, the AG spokesperson, said the wine bottles will be stored as evidence and then destroyed when the case is closed. It's unclear what the state did with the bottles of wine after they were photographed, along with their shipping packaging and label, as evidence. The AG's office did not respond to a request for comment. In four of the other five lawsuits, the AG's office and the wineries entered into consent decrees that barred them from shipping to Michigan until they acquired the necessary license and imposed fines. The fifth lawsuit, against California-based Baily Vineyard & Winery, ended in a default judgement against the winery because it didn't respond to the lawsuit in court. The judgement bars it from shipping to the state, imposes a $25,000 fine and orders it to pay the $405 it cost the AG's office to file suit. Contact reporter Matt Mencarini at mjmencarini@ This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Michigan sues wineries in New York, Washington
