Connect with us

Midwest

DAVID MARCUS: Springfield residents plead for Trump and Vance to come see problems firsthand

Published

on

DAVID MARCUS: Springfield residents plead for Trump and Vance to come see problems firsthand

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Every now and then in my line of work, you walk into an establishment and immediately think, I’m either gonna get great coverage here, or I’m going to get my ass kicked. This was my experience Saturday as I entered the Hop Bar in Springfield, Ohio, and the four guys shooting pool looked at me with an expression that at its most generous said, “What the hell are you doing here?”

In time, I explained to Eddie and Brandon and the rest what the hell I was actually doing there, trying to get the truth about the town’s migrant crisis, and as usual, given the opportunity to be heard by a news media that routinely ignores them, well, I got an earful.

DAVID MARCUS: CATS AND DOGS ASIDE, BIDEN-HARRIS UNLEASHED DISASTER ON SPRINGFIELD

One thing I heard loud and clear, not just at the Hop but from many people I spoke with in Springfield is that they want Donald Trump and JD Vance to come and see exactly what is happening to their town.

Advertisement

“Vance himself came from a small town just like this one,” Brandon, who’s 38, married with three kids and cuts down trees for a living, told me. He wants the candidates to see, “the overwhelmed [Bureau of Motor Vehicles], the grocery stores, the traffic, what it’s doing to our small businesses and how all the American citizens are thinking about leaving.”

The Hop Bar, in Springfield, Ohio, began as a sock hop in the 1950s. Now, it is a community institution where lifelong friends gather.

The one-story shack with a large backyard was opened in 1951 as a sock hop, hence the name. In 1957, it acquired a liquor license and 67 years later, it boasts the profound aura of a community institution. Everyone I met there had lived in Springfield for their whole lives, and they had all known each other since childhood.

Earlier in the day, I had spoken with Peyton, who is studying theater at a local college. She graduated from Springfield High School last year, and I asked her when she started seeing a big influx of Haitian migrant students. 

“Sophomore year there started to be a few and we were like, hey they speak French, that’s cool. Then junior year, it was more, and by senior year it was kind of overwhelming.”

Advertisement

Residents say their city has been overwhelmed, and they want Trump and Vance to see it firsthand.

Peyton explained that teachers struggled to translate lessons and that by the end of the senior year she was being bullied. “I don’t speak French, so I don’t know what they were saying, but they’d point at me and laugh.”

Peyton also wants the GOP ticket to come and hear from the people of Springfield, to listen to their stories and offer a ray of hope.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION

According to patrons at the Hop I spoke to and others, Haitian migrants are renting houses not at a base rate, but per adult living there. As one guy put it, “they know if they rent it to one person, there’s just gonna be a ton of cots coming in.”

Advertisement

The upshot of this, of course, is that rents are way up, making it harder for this close-knit community to stay intact.

As the hot Midwestern sun of flat earth slowly hid behind the treeline, the backyard cooled, and we spoke of other things, like our kids and our hobbies. It became clear to me that this is the kind of community that most professional class urban dwellers really don’t understand.

The Hop is the place where these people’s grandparents had their first dance, where they went to Christmas parties as a kid. Could they all scatter and move to new places of better opportunity? Sure, but they could never replace nearly a century’s work of creating their home and community.

That legacy is what so many of the people of Springfield want Donald Trump and JD Vance to save and protect, and they have faith that if they come and see, not just the chaos caused by migrant disaster, but also the cherished home it is for so many Americans, that the candidates, should they win, will do just that.

Advertisement

I left with a much better understanding of what the people of Springfield are fighting for, and hey, I didn’t get my ass kicked.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM DAVID MARCUS

Read the full article from Here

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Cleveland, OH

14-year-old girl shot on Cleveland’s East Side

Published

on

14-year-old girl shot on Cleveland’s East Side


CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – A 14-year-old girl is in critical condition after being shot at a home Friday.

Police said around 7:15 p.m., officers from the Fifth District got a call for someone shot in the 1400 block of Lakeview Road.

When officers got on scene, a 14-year-old girl was found suffering from a gunshot wound.

Cleveland EMS took her to a nearby hospital, where she is listed in critical condition

Advertisement

A gun was recovered at the scene.

The incident remains under active investigation.

Police said additional information will be released as it becomes available.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Illinois

Who is running for Illinois governor in 2026? What to know as primary Early Voting sites open

Published

on

Who is running for Illinois governor in 2026? What to know as primary Early Voting sites open


With Election Day for the 2026 Primary quickly approaching, many voters are considering who to mark their support for when they cast their ballot.

There are several big races on the ballot, including the gubernatorial race that has the potential to make history.

Though rumors are swirling that sitting Governor J.B. Pritzker has his eyes on a potential run for president in 2028, he’s still in the running for re-election. If he retains his seat, he’ll be the first Democratic governor to secure a third term in office in Illinois history.

While Pritzker is the only Democrat aiming for governor on the ballot, there is a slew of Republican candidates vying for a face-off with the incumbent in November.

Advertisement

Voters with their mind made up on which candidate they support can head to their local early voting site to cast their ballot before Election Day.

Though downtown sites and some across the suburbs have been open since early February, early voting sites will open in all 50 of Chicago’s and in several suburb on Monday, March 2.

For those still deciding how to mark their ballot, here’s a look at the gubernatorial candidates.

Democrats:

Governor J.B. Pritzker and Christian Mitchell

Current Governor of Illinois J.B. Pritzker is taking aim at a third term, promising to continue building on the work of his first two terms. According to his campaign website, some of his intentions for a third term include “[tackling] the affordability crisis,” continuing to protect access to reproductive health care in Illinois, and investing in education.

Advertisement

Chrisitan Mitchell is running alongside Pritzker for lieutenant governor. After representing the 26th District in the Illinois House of Representatives from 2013 to 2019, Mitchell served as deputy governor to Pritzker from 2019 to 2023. Mitchell led efforts to ban assault weapons, make Illinois a leader in clean energy and create jobs through infrastructure projects as deputy governor, according to his campaign bio.

Republicans:

Ted Dabrowski and Dr. Carrie Mendoza

Ted Dabrowski is a Wilmette resident and former president of Wirepoints, a media outlet focused on conservative economic policies and financial data. From 2011 to 2017, Dabrowski worked as a spokesperson and Vice President of Policy at the Illinois Policy Institute, a right-leaning think tank.

Dabrowski, who has never previously held political office, aims to cut and cap property tax rates, veto any and all tax increases, and repeal both Illinois’ sanctuary laws and zero-emissions energy policy, according to his campaign website.

“We must return power to the people, remove barriers to prosperity, embrace educational freedom, push political power down to its lowest level and restore the rule of law,” his campaign website says.

Advertisement

Dr. Carrie Mendoza, a Chicago-native with more than 25 years of experience as a physician, is running to be Dabrowski’s lieutenant governor, according to her campaign biography. Like Dabrowski, Mendoza has never held political office. Her campaign biography says she is “driven by innovation and a passion for justice.”

James Mendrick and Dr. Robert Renteria

The first Republican candidate to enter the race, DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick is campaigning on a push for public safety initiatives.

Sheriff since 2018, Mendrick has partnered with DuPage County Health Department to provide Medicated Assisted Treatment to inmates fighting opioid addiction and advocated for the use of a drug deactivation pouch system to protect people and the state’s waterways from dangerous medications, according to his campaign website.

“He is committed to ending soft-on-crime policies, defending parental rights, and delivering quality education to every child in the state,” his campaign website says.

Advertisement

Dr. Roberta Renteria veteran of the U.S. Army and is a prolific author and activist, according to his campaign biography.

“Dr. Renteria uses his personal story, business acumen and leadership skills to address bullying, gangs, violence, drugs, suicides and school dropout,” his campaign biography says. His books and curriculums are taught in 25 countries around the world, and he has given many Ted Talks.

Darren Bailey and Aaron Del Mar

Former state senator Darren Bailey, who unsuccessfully ran for governor of Illinois in 2022, is giving another go at assuming the political seat. A third-generation downstate farmer, Bailey’s campaign is focused on reducing government spending, cutting taxes, and cracking down on crime, according to his campaign website.

In addition to his farm work, Bailey founded a private Christian school with his wife Cindy.

Advertisement

He fought against spending, raising taxes and sanctuary state policies while in the Illinois House and later in the State Senate.

Aaron Del Mar is an entrepreneur who became the youngest-ever Councilman for the Village of Palatine at 29 years old in 2016. He oversees public safety and infrastructure and guides community organizations in the position, according to his campaign biography.

Rick Heidner and Christina Neitzke-Troike

Though businessman Rick Heidner has never held office, he has led several notable companies, including Gold Rush Gaming, Ricky Rocket’s Fuel Centers, Prairie State Energy, and Heidner Properties, according to his campaign website.

A lifelong Illinoisian, Heidner is “running to make Illinois safe again, affordable again, and full of opportunity again,” his website says.

Advertisement

Christina Neitzke-Troike is looking to step up into the lieutenant governor seat from her current role as Mayor of Homer Glen after nearly two decades in several elected positions.

Neitzke-Troike hopes to bring her “unparalleled understanding of how state mandates affect local budgets, property taxes, and public services” to Springfield, according to her campaign biography.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Indiana

Indiana Pacers Must Manage Two-Way Contract Player Availability Down Stretch

Published

on

Indiana Pacers Must Manage Two-Way Contract Player Availability Down Stretch


WASHINGTON – The Indiana Pacers have a player availability puzzle to put together down the stretch of the 2025-26 season, and it involves all three of their players on two-way contracts.

Currently, the Pacers have Jalen Slawson, Ethan Thompson, and Taelon Peter signed to two-way deals. Thompson and Peter have been helpful at different points this season, and all three players are healthy right now. They each project to have a bigger role in the Pacers’ final outings of the season.

But they can’t all play in every game thanks to two-way contract rules, and the Pacers will have to juggle the availability of each player. Indiana has already played multiple games since the All-Star break with just one or two or their two-way contract signees available to play.

Advertisement

That’s because two-way agreements come with a limit – players on such contracts can only be active in 50 games per season (or a proportionate ratio of 50/82 games at the time of signing based on the number of days left in the season). The Pacers couldn’t get by without their two-way contract players at various moments this season due to injuries, with Peter being active for 23 of the team’s first 25 games and Thompson during every game from December 1 through January 17.

During those stretches, Indiana needed their two-way players to field a team or a rotation that actually made sense. It wasn’t a poor use of their active days. But that two-way usage early in the season now requires the Pacers to be strategic down the stretch of 2025-26. They have 22 more games this season but won’t be able to use their two-way talents in all of them.

Peter, a rookie selected in the second round of last June’s NBA Draft, had a rush of games to open the campaign, and he’s allowed to suit up 14 more times this league year. “He’s figuring out what being a professional basketball player is about,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said of Peter and his in-season growth earlier this month. “It’s about being who you are all the time, regardless of make or miss. Just keep playing, just keep staying aggressive.”

Thompson was signed on November 30, which permitted him to appear in 39 games this season. He’s only got 10 left – Thompson was effective right away with the Pacers and played often after his signing. He was named to the NBA G League Next Up game, effectively the G League All-Star game, for his performances this campaign.

Slawson signed his contract earlier today and is eligible for 13 appearances the rest of the way for the Pacers. So, with 22 games remaining, none of the team’s two-way contract players can be active for each remaining game. The team will have to figure out the best strategy when it comes to managing two-way player availability during the final months of the season.

Another consideration for the franchise is that two-way players, by virtue of their contract, can be transferred down to the G League at any time. Peter, Slawson, and Thomspon have combined for 64 appearances with Indiana’s G League affiliate team, the Noblesville Boom, this season. Once the Boom’s season ends – their final scheduled game is March 26 but the team currently holds a playoff spot – then the G League is not an option for two-way players.

So the Pacers have to figure out the best way to deploy, and evaluate, their two-way contract signees during March and April. It’s a lot to manage.

“We’re trying to save games for him,” Carlisle said of the Pacers decision to keep Quenton Jackson, who was previously on a two-way contract, inactive for a game earlier this month. “We want to conserve those games as much as possible.”

Jackson had his contract converted from a two-way deal to a standard deal earlier today, and Slawson filled his two-way slot. It was sharp business for the Pacers, but they lost some available two-way days as a result – Jackson had more than 13 games remaining, but Slawson gets fewer because of the day he signed his contract.

Advertisement

“Two-way guys, your life is a lot of unpredictability of where you’re going to be from day to day,” Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan shared in February.

If the Pacers want to keep their two-way talents around the NBA club as much as possible, their best course of action could be to keep two of the three active in every game and occasionally just have one of the three available. If the team can get to a spot in which they have 15 games left on the schedule and all of their two-way talents have 10+ games left in which they could be active, two of the three could play every night during the final 15 outings. Using all three at once could be difficult, though Indiana may choose to deploy each of Thompson, Peter, and Slawson on the second night of back-to-backs as they manage injuries down the stretch. Putting any of the trio in the G League for a few days is an option, too, but comes with injury risks.

Slawson has not appeared in a game for the Pacers yet this season. Peter is averaging 3.3 points per game while shooting 35.8% from the field while Thompson is posting 4.9 points per contest and knocking down 36.7% of his shots. The Pacers are 15-45 with three back-to-backs remaining and three games left against teams near them in the inverse standings.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Trending