Northeast
Wes Moore warns Noem ‘federal occupation’ of new ICE compound now under state investigation
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Maryland Democratic Gov. Wes Moore warned Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem Friday that her agency’s recent purchase of a warehouse-like building in Williamsport will be scrutinized by the Old Line State’s legal arm.
Moore, running for re-election this year, added his voice to the chorus of state Democrats expressing outrage over DHS’ reported plans to use the space to house illegal immigrants. Maryland has been front and center in the Trump administration’s mass deportation agenda with the saga of illegal immigrant Kilmar Ábrego García.
Moore described DHS’ status at the property, sandwiched between the city of Hagerstown and the Potomac River on the West Virginia border, as a “federal occupation” of a space that was originally zoned as a commercial site.
The governor said the agency’s use of the area presents a “significant loss of economic opportunity” for Washington County and the state at large.
MINNESOTA SUES TRUMP ADMIN OVER SWEEPING IMMIGRATION RAIDS IN TWIN CITIES
The site stands near the confluence of Interstates 70 and 81, and Moore said it uses up precious space in an area key to the 4,000-job “manufacturing, logistics and distribution” sector across the region.
Moore said Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown, a fellow Democrat, will be reviewing the purchase to “ensure full compliance with all applicable state and federal laws.”
“I have grave concerns about any holding facility that denies basic human needs and dignity,” Moore said.
NOEM DEPLOYS TO BOTH BORDERS, SAYS ICE WON’T BE DETERRED BY SANCTUARY OFFICIALS WHO ‘WANT TO CREATE CONFLICT’
Kristi Noem, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, speaks at the Mexican border, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026, in Nogales, Ariz. (Ross D. Franklin/AP Photo)
“I am directing state agency heads to assess all available actions to protect the community’s infrastructure, public safety, health and long-term economic stability, including review of permitting requirements; water and sewer demands; hazardous waste disposal; and the availability of emergency medical services, among other considerations.”
He added that Annapolis still seeks to work with the Trump administration on areas they can find common ground such as economic opportunity, crime and infrastructure, noting Maryland has a long history of being a federal partner, housing the headquarters of NASA-Goddard, USDA, NSA, NIH and installations like Fort George Meade and Andrews Air Force Base.
“We urge the administration to move past unilateral actions and join us in a transparent and collaborative effort to enhance the safety and well-being of Marylanders.”
Moore also criticized Noem’s refusal to grant FEMA funds for Maryland Panhandle communities ravaged by 2025 flooding from Georges Creek and the Potomac River.
In recent comments to Fox News Digital, former GOP state Del. Neil Parrott, who long represented the area where the ICE site sits, countered that it was Maryland Democrats’ posture toward the Trump administration that squandered the opportunity to get FEMA funds for his area.
Additionally, Total Wine billionaire David Trone, who is running for his prior U.S. House seat in the area where the future detention center will be, filmed a video outside its property saying DHS is “literally executing people on the streets.”
“We know one thing. We don’t need another ICE prison here or anywhere else in America,” Trone said.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore in Annapolis, Md., Feb. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Steve Ruark)
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Just across the Potomac River from the site, West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey told Fox News Digital the collective outrage over the new ICE center is a “representation of the generalized idiocy of most of the Democrats in Congress who have sat on their hands for the last 25 years and done nothing about the very immigration laws that they’re very angry about being enforced.”
To the south, Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., echoed some of Moore’s concerns this week, saying in a statement that he spoke directly with Noem about concerns over a proposed ICE facility near the border with Tennessee.
“I relayed to her the opposition of local elected and zoning officials as well as economic development concerns. I appreciate her for agreeing to look elsewhere,” Wicker said of the planned transformation of a Byhalia, Mississippi, warehouse, which he said he “strongly oppose[s].”
“I am all for immigration enforcement, but this site was meant for economic development and job creation. We cannot suddenly flood Byhalia with an influx of up to 10,000 detainees.”
Fox News Digital reached out to DHS for comment.
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Boston, MA
Editorial: With Boston’s World Cup win, could we host Olympics?
The World Cup economic windfall boosting Boston gives rise to a question: Could the Hub host the Olympics?
Certainly Bostonians have more than risen to the occasion in terms of welcoming international visitors to our city and showing them a good time (and vice versa, Tartan Army). But it takes more than great hosts and a convivial atmosphere to pull off an epic sporting event.
It takes money, lots of it, political transparency, and a process open to public scrutiny and feedback. In other words, no, we couldn’t.
Public reception to the 2014 Olympics bid was tepid at best, as it would entail multiple construction projects. And when big construction projects are presented in Boston, taxpayers get suspicious. Big Dig, anyone?
Boston 24 announced it estimated the Games would produce at least $4.8 billion in revenues from television broadcast rights, ticket sales, corporate sponsorships and other revenues, the Associated Press reported. They assumed nearly $4.6 billion in costs, including $176 million for a temporary Olympic Stadium, $90 million for the athletes’ village, about $754 million to build other Olympic venues and another $132 million to rent other locations.
They reportedly announced all this to answer critics who said the privately funded Boston 2024 withheld details of the bid to prevent the public from assessing whether the Games could be staged, as promised, without the need for taxpayer money.
We learned the answer to that soon enough.
In this case, as the Herald reported that year, details from Boston 2024’s so-called bid book indicated that plans sent to the U.S. Olympic Committee called for the Hub to fund “land acquisition and infrastructure costs” at Widett Circle, where a temporary Olympic stadium was being proposed. It came after months of promises that the group planned to run a privately funded Olympics.
“They’ve been saying for months, ‘No taxpayer (money),’ ” said Evan Falchuk, a vocal bid critic who pushed for a statewide ballot question on hosting the games. “Then you read what they told the USOC. … It’s a devastating blow to their credibility. There’s a reason why voters don’t trust what they’ve heard and (Boston 2024 has) got a lot of work to do to earn that trust.”
And all this talk of money came before any cost overruns made an appearance. London’s budget for the 2012 Summer Games escalated by about 300%, ending somewhere in the $14 billion range. What were the chances we’d fare any better?
No wonder Bostonians gave the Olympics idea the cold shoulder.
But what of the city’s World Cup success story? For starters, Gillette Stadium is already built, and the only large element requiring a cash infusion was the MBTA, which shelled out $35 million to upgrade Foxboro Station in advance of the Cup. They’ll make a nice chunk of that back, as the T spiked round-trip Commuter Rail ticket prices between South Station and Gillette Stadium for fútbol fans to $80.
In this case, Bostonians are on the winning side, reaping benefits from free-spending (and thirsty) visitors, and reveling in the good vibes.
It would be great for the city if megaprojects, or even minor ones, came with the guarantee of financial transparency before shovels hit the dirt. Optimists should look at White Stadium before calling it a day.
Pittsburg, PA
Pittsburgh among best U.S. cities in 2026 rankings. Here’s why
Pittsburgh ranks among the top 25 best places to live, work and visit in the U.S., according to a new report.
The 2026 “America’s Best Cities” report from Resonance, an international business consulting company, ranks the top 100 U.S. metro areas overall based on factors such as economic data, quality of living and public perception. Pittsburgh scored in the top quarter of cities nationwide.
Here’s a breakdown of how Pittsburgh ranks.
Pittsburgh ranks among top U.S. cities
Overall, Pittsburgh scored at No. 25 among U.S. cities.
Top-scoring cities almost all “made the visitor and resident experience a strategic priority,” according to the report. Rankings were also further broken down based on each key scoring components.
Pittsburgh has put a focus on its cultural amenities and food scene, as well as in revitalizing its neighborhoods, the report noted. While other similarly sized cities in the ranking have fallen, Pittsburgh climbed by five spots in 2026.
Pittsburgh among best cities for livability
Pittsburgh scored at No. 24 among U.S. cities for its livability.
The report’s livability scores were ranked in accordance to the quality of daily life in a city based on factors such as walkability, transit access, air quality, climate risk, green space, housing costs relative to income, broadband connectivity, healthcare access and life expectancy, as well as if the location is somewhere people would want to live.
Pittsburgh ranks in top 30 cities for lovability, prosperity
Pittsburgh ranked among the top 30 U.S. cities for both its lovability and its prosperity, scoring at No. 26 for lovability and No. 28 for prosperity.
Lovability was scored based on factors like the quality and quantity of venues such as restaurants, arts and entertainment sites, museums, outdoor experiences and nightlife. Digital data such as search trends, social media activity and other user-generated content was also considered.
Prosperity rankings were based on factors such as gross domestic product per capita, labor force participation, innovation capital intensity, educational attainment, unemployment and poverty rates, the presence of major corporate headquarters, university quality and the number of direct air connections.
Philadelphia ranked just a few spots above Pittsburgh at No. 20 overall.
Top 10 cities in 2026 ‘Best Cities’ ranking
The top 10 cities in the ranking are:
- New York, NY
- Los Angeles, CA
- Chicago, IL
- Miami, FL
- San Francisco, CA
- Seattle, WA
- Las Vegas, NV
- Dallas, TX
- Houston, TX
- Boston, MA
Finch Walker is the Pittsburgh Connect Reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Contact Walker at FWalker@usatodayco.com. Instagram: @finchwalker_. X: @_finchwalker.
Connecticut
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