Latest news with #Duddy
Belfast Telegraph
10-07-2025
- Business
- Belfast Telegraph
From a Derry hotel's extension to a campsite, more accommodation options added for The Open
In Derry, 40 new rooms have been added to the Holiday Inn Express on Strand Road, with the extension, funded by Ulster Bank, opening this week. And in Coleraine, work is almost finished at the vast site of The Open Camping Village at Ulster University's campus. It's a short shuttle ride away from Royal Portrush, where The Open will begin on Thursday, July 17. Tourism NI said around 4,800 guests will stay at the site – the equivalent of a record 11,500 total bed nights. That surpasses the previous highest number of 10,000 at St Andrews in 2022. The camping village is a popular accommodation option for families and young people, with around a third of those booked to stay this year under the age of 25. First launched by The R&A at Royal Troon in 2016, the initiative aims to remove the barrier of expensive accommodation for young people interested in attending The Open. It will be open from 12pm on Sunday, July 13 until 10am on Monday, July 21 with free camping accommodation available to ticket holders under the age of 25. Around 3,500 free bed nights for under 25s have been booked, while adult camping is priced from £55 per person per night. There are more than 750 tents booked, and Tourism NI said a range of tents is still available for groups of all sizes. The site includes different styles of tents, toilets and showers, organised activities, and a club house with a licensed bar and entertainment, with a capacity of host almost 500 people. Suppliers, including street food vendors, will trade on the site, while other businesses will provide services such as laundry and shower facilities as well as security. Eimear Hone, major events manager at Tourism NI, said: 'The Open Camping Village is a fantastic initiative run by The R&A, providing an affordable alternative for families and young people who wish to be part of The Open experience. 'In addition, the village provides an additional opportunity for local suppliers to show why the region is known worldwide for its rich food and drink offering. Their presence at the site will further enhance the experience for guests.' And the Holiday Inn Express in Derry, owned by the Duddy family, prepared for The Open and future tourism opportunities with an extension financed as part of a £7m funding package from Ulster Bank. The family has been carrying out investment on the site which has created hundreds of jobs while revitalising the location. They have opened the new Kaboodle Bar beside the hotel, a licensed restaurant and family entertainment complex and has further plans to continue to invest and expand at the location in the city. The £7m funding involved the refinancing of existing borrowing along with another tranche of funding towards the build to complete the latest expansion of the Holiday Inn Express. It is the latest hotel investment supported by Ulster Bank across Northern Ireland, with other recent examples including Andras House's new Marcus Hotel in Portrush – also timed for The Open – and the acquisition of the Armagh City Hotel by McKeever Hotel Group. Mr Tew, associate director, Ulster Bank, said: 'It is an exciting time for the hospitality sector in Northern Ireland with a considerable amount of investment ongoing, not least as the industry prepares for major events such as The Open, and this will leave a very positive longer-term legacy for the local economy'. Brendan Duddy from Duddy Group added: 'We are excited to partner with Ulster Bank as we continue to invest in our premises to meet strong demand in the local market for accommodation as the city attracts a growing number of leisure visitors.'
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Wells Police pauses ICE agreement in light of pending legislation that would ban it
Wells resident Beth Allen speaks in opposition to the Wells Police Department contract with ICE during a Select Board meeting on May 6. (By Emma Davis/ Maine Morning Star) The only Maine police department that has contracted with federal authorities to assist with immigration enforcement is pausing its agreement to see if the Maine Legislature votes to ban such contracts. Wells Police Chief Jo-Ann Putnam announced Tuesday night during a Select Board meeting that her department is adopting a 'wait-and-see approach' to credentialing its officers under U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's 287(g) program. 'This decision reflects the need to see how the legislation ends up playing out in Augusta,' Putnam said, referencing LD 1259, which had a public hearing on Monday. Two bills, LD 1259 and LD 1971, would prohibit state and local law enforcement agencies from carrying out the work of federal immigration authorities. LD 1259 would do so by explicitly prohibiting contracts with such authorities, while LD 1971 would place restrictions on enforcement activities absent formal agreements. Based on Putnam's brief comments at the meeting, it is unclear exactly what the pause means. Putnam could not be reached by the time of publication. In early May, she told Maine Morning Star that Wells officers had begun the training for the program, which is online. After the 287(g) program was discontinued in 2012 due to the discovery of discriminatory practices such as racial profiling, President Donald Trump revived it to bolster ICE's capacity by deputizing local police officers to detain immigrants, an authority otherwise generally reserved to federal authorities. Immigration enforcement hearing highlights lack of protocol for local, federal collaboration Putnam and Police Capt. Kevin Chabot previously told Maine Morning Star that they entered into the agreement to take advantage of a training opportunity and streamline work. On Tuesday night, Putnam said, 'I would like to reiterate one more time that at no point was there ever any intent on doing proactive immigration enforcement.' Wells remains the only local agency to have entered the program in Maine. Monmouth Winthrop Police Department, a combination of departments that serve central Maine communities, applied for the program but withdrew its application after community pushback. Community pushback in Wells is continuing in light of the pause. 'Our group, although appreciative of a pause, really is looking for Wells Police to withdraw from the contract,' Wells resident Peg Duddy told Maine Morning Star Wednesday morning. Duddy and other residents have been calling for termination of the agreement during Select Board meetings, including Tuesday night after Putnam announced the pause. The group has also been collecting signatures from Wells residents in favor of withdrawing and had more than 350 as of Wednesday morning, Duddy said. These residents have said they don't want their local force collaborating with an agency that has been accused of disregarding due process, for local police funding to go toward federal enforcement and possibly litigation, or for Wells to be known as an unwelcoming place for immigrants. However, other residents have commended local police for entering the federal partnership, showing that the matter has divided the community. The two bills heard on Monday come after Republican legislators presented a conflicting bill last month that would prevent local agencies from adopting any policies that restrict them from assisting in the enforcement of federal immigration law. None of these bills have received votes yet and there is only a month left until lawmakers are expected to conclude their work for the first year of Maine's two-year legislative session. One of the bill sponsors, Rep. Ambureen Rana (D-Bangor), told Maine Morning Star that the intention is for the Legislature to make its decisions on the issue this year. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Daily Mail
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Former NFL WAG Gia Duddy slams online report she was hanging out with Will Levis' teammates
Gia Duddy, the popular social-media influencer and ex-girlfriend of Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis, has pushed back on a report claiming she was hanging out with his teammates at a bar. The claim from fellow Nashville-based influencer RJ Ellison shows a photo of Titans players Jefferey Simmons, T'Vondre Sweat, and Arden Key outside a Music City bar. Duddy was at the Nashville hotspot according to Ellison, although she is not pictured in the photo. The accusation picked up momentum after popular X account MLFootball shared it on their page. Duddy, who broke up with Levis in 2023, months after he was selected by the Titans and she was spotted in the draft room supporting her former beau, spoke out denying her presence at the bar. 'Journalism is literally dead. I'm not even in this photo or with them… y'all just love a story. Embarrassing,' Duddy said. Levis and Duddy dated for three years throughout college and broke up in late 2023 Replying to the messages from MLFootball was Duddy's first post of her own words on X in more than three years. 'She wasn't in the picture but I saw her there,' Ellison replied in another message to those questioning him with the lack of Duddy in his picture. Simmons, Sweat, and Key have all not spoken up about the claim from Ellison. Levis and Duddy dated for three years throughout college, with the signal caller playing at Penn State and Kentucky. Levis' time as Tennessee's starter has not led to much success for the Titans, who selected former Miami quarterback Cam Ward with the top overall pick in last week's NFL Draft. Duddy has not hard launched a relationship since her breakup with Levis, while the NFLer dated former contestant on 'The Bachelor', Victoria Fuller, last year. Fuller and Levis are also no longer together after a short romance.
New York Post
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Will Levis' ex Gia Duddy fumes after influencer claims she was partying with Titans teammates
Titans quarterback Will Levis' ex girlfriend Gia Duddy responded to online rumors that she hung out with his teammates at a club in Nashville last Saturday. Duddy, who is a Nashville-based influencer, hit back in an X post after the user RJ Ellison claimed he saw her with Titans tackles T'Vondre Sweat and Jeffery Simmons and linebacker Arden Key — and included a photo of the NFL players standing outside of Barstool nightclub in Nashville. 'Journalism is literally dead. I'm not even in this photo or with them… y'all just love a story,' Duddy wrote on Tuesday, including the image. 'Embarrassing.' Advertisement 'Ran into T Sweat, Big Jeff, Gia Duddy, and Arden Key last night at the club last night,' Ellison wrote, referring to the night of April 26. 'She wasn't in the picture but I saw her there,' Ellison replied when someone asked 'where's Duddy' in the comments Advertisement 4 Titans tackles T'Vondre Sweat and Jeffery Simmons and linebacker Arden Key outside Barstool Nashville on April 26, 2025. X/@Romellz Levis and Duddy split after three years of dating in September 2023, according to Barstool Sports' 'Pardon My Take' podcast. The exes, who were college sweethearts, did not address their breakup at the time. 4 Gia Duddy is a Nashville-based influencer. Instagram/Gia Duddy Advertisement 4 Will Levis and Gia Duddy during his playing days at Kentucky. Instagram/Gia Duddy Prior to that, they captured the public's attention during the 2023 NFL Draft when the former Kentucky Wildcats quarterback was selected 33rd overall by the Titans. Duddy moved to Nashville in the summer of 2023 after she graduated from Penn State University that May, according to her TikTok. She supported Levis during his playing days at Penn State, where he was under center in 2019 and 2020, before transferring to Kentucky in 2021. Advertisement 4 Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis (8) throws a pass just before getting hit by Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle David Onyemata (90) during the second half at Nissan Stadium on October 29, 2023. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con Levis and 'Bachelor' star Victoria Fuller split last fall after going public with their relationship in July, according to Page Six. On the field, the quarterback's days with the Titans could be numbered after Tennessee used their No. 1 pick to select Cam Ward in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Daily Mail
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Will Levis's ex-girlfriend Gia Duddy shares key thing NFL Draft WAGs must avoid two years on from her viral fame
Influencer Gia Duddy rocketed to fame two years ago when cameras caught her sat alongside former boyfriend Will Levis during his NFL Draft nightmare. Duddy went viral among NFL fans for her stunning looks in 2023 when the quarterback plummeted down the board before finally being taken by the Tennessee Titans in the second round. Despite no longer being with the NFL quarterback, Duddy couldn't escape this year's draft drama as fans hounded her to open up on her experience. Duddy finally caved in a video on TikTok in which she shared some words of wisdom for the incoming NFL girlfriends for draft night. 'I know I know what tonight is, but do you guys know what tonight is? It's the Caudalie event, obviously so let's get ready,' she joked referencing a brand event she was attending. 'I'm just messing with you guys, I know it's the NFL draft, you guys actually won't let me forget. But I do actually have an event with Caudalie so I do need to get ready. I feel like I've never really talked about the draft, and I don't really like talking about it, just because it just genuinely wasn't about me. Duddy went viral on the first night of the 2023 NFL Draft as her boyfriend fell down the board 'So I just like never felt the need to speak on it, but I do wanna say is congratulations to all the hard-working men that are in this draft class. 'Genuinely so excited for all of you, I know I have some friends in it this year, and for those who are attending, beware of your resting b***h face. Because the media loves media, and they will start a story that you're just a b***h. So from one RBF to another, good luck. 'My friends and I were talking about it this week, though, the fact that was two years ago is literally insane. Because in my opinion, it feels like five years ago… also, while we're talking about the draft, I need to debunk the 'Can I pee?' theory. I was literally just asking, 'Can that happen?' Because they were talking about the Titans trading up. I'm telling y'all, the media just loves some drama in the story.' Duddy set social media alight on the night of the NFL Draft in April when her reaction to her boyfriend falling went viral. Levis was forced to wait in Kansas City two years ago for a call that never came, as he surprisingly fell out of the first round and the cameras constantly panned to him and his family, including Duddy, to capture his dejected reaction. Levis was at one point projected to be the second quarterback off the board, but didn't get to experience the same draft-day moment as his fellow passers Bryce Young, CJ Stroud and Anthony Richardson. After being the repeated subject of TV cameras during his ill-fated draft night, Levis returned home to watch the rest of the proceedings with his family. But his misfortune proved profitable for Duddy who went viral after being picked up by the broadcast. Levis previously revealed that Duddy's Instagram following had doubled following his draft nightmare. 'The one positive thing that me and my family took from draft night is just the attention on social media that my sisters and girlfriend got, so that's good,' Levis said. Levis added, 'Her followers doubled on draft night and I was like "I need a cut of this."' When one of the hosts joked about what NIL deals she'd be signing, Levis remarked that she 'just signed a Burger King deal'. 'It's crazy, seriously, I was like "you're paying for lunch",' Levis joked. Duddy has 309,000 followers on Instagram and over 500,000 on TikTok - many coming after the draft. Levis has said at the time that Duddy planned to follow him to Nashville, where she was intending to pursue being an influencer before trying to get into nursing school, after he was taken by the Titans. However, that plan fell apart as the couple split in September 2023, according to Pardon My Take. They had been together for three years after meeting at college.
