Southeast
Dirt track racing legend Scott Bloomquist, 60, killed in Tennessee plane crash
Scott Bloomquist, a Dirt Late Model racing legend and Hall of Famer, was tragically killed in a plane crash near his home in Tennessee, according to multiple reports. He was 60.
Local authorities confirmed to The Rogersville Review that Bloomquist died in a small aircraft crash near his home in Mooresburg early Friday morning.
The Hawkins County Sheriff’s Department could not confirm any details of the reported crash to Fox News Digital, but the Hawkins County Rescue Squad shared an update on Facebook confirming a plane crash on Brooks Road near Highway 31 at around 7:50 a.m.
Moberly Motorsports Park also confirmed the news of Bloomquist’s death in a post on Facebook.
“[Bloomquist’s] mother Georgette just called me and wanted me to announce that he lost his life this morning. At 7:15 EST this morning Scott was out flying his vintage airplane and had a crash on the Bloomquist family farm. The local fire department and law enforcement are still on the scene.”
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The Hawkins County Sheriff’s Department told The Review that Bloomquist crashed into a barn on his property. He was reportedly flying a small two-seat aircraft.
Bloomquist rose to fame in the 1980s, but his career took off in the 1990s. He notably won the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Champion in 2009, 2010, and 2016 and was inducted into the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame as a member of its second class in 2002.
Tributes for Bloomquist poured in on social media.
“Scott Bloomquist’s legendary status not only grew out of his accomplishments on track, but his innovations throughout the dirt Late Model industry,” Brian Carter, World Racing Group CEO, said in a statement.
“He played a key role with DIRTcar Racing and the World of Outlaws, helping to rebuild the World of Outlaws Late Models so it could grow into what it’s become today. His influences also helped the evolution of racetracks and chassis over the years. Bloomquist’s passion for the sport and innovative mind will be deeply missed by all.”
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Southeast
Harris rips economic hardships that began during her own administration in campaign speech
Vice President Kamala Harris conceded Americans are struggling in the current economy and vowed to improve things after President Biden boasted his policies were “working” just a day earlier.
Harris made the remarks during a campaign stop in North Carolina, where she unveiled part of her economic platform for the 2024 election.
“We’ve made historic investments in infrastructure, in [semiconductor chips], manufacturing, in clean energy. And new numbers this week alone show that inflation is down under 3%. And as president of the United States, it will be my intention to build on the foundation of this progress,” Harris said.
“Still, we know that many Americans don’t yet feel that progress in their daily lives. Costs are still too high and on a deeper level, for too many people, no matter how much they work, it feels so hard to just be able to get ahead.”
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Harris also pledged if she wins to “take on the high costs that matter most to most Americans.”
“Like the cost of food. We all know that prices went up during the pandemic when the supply chains shut down and failed, but our supply chains have now improved, and prices are still too high,” Harris said.
Critics hammered Biden in the first half of his administration over pervasive supply chain issues that left grocery store shelves bare while other goods like automobiles had monthslong production delays.
Inflation and supply chain problems were worldwide issues as most countries struggled to rebound after the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. fared better than most in terms of inflation rates, but many Americans still felt a disconnect between Biden’s early insistence the economy was in good shape and their own financial struggles, a gap that showed in Biden’s low economic approval numbers.
Economists, including some who formerly worked with the Obama-Biden administration, also blamed Biden’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan for over-stimulating the economy and sparking the inflation surge of 2021.
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Harris’ remarks come a day after year-over-year inflation was announced to have reached its lowest level in over three years, with consumer prices only going up 0.2% between June and July.
Biden told reporters Thursday, “I told you they’re going to have a soft landing – we’re going to have a soft landing. My policies are working. Start writing that way.”
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Earlier that morning, Axios reported Harris wanted to distance herself from Biden on the economy, with her advisers urging her to break from him on issues like high prices.
Asked whether Harris would ditch his unpopular “Bidenomics” label, the president told reporters, “The economy is going to continue with all the legislation we passed … working.”
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Southeast
Peach State crawling with vacant housing; more squatting cases head to court in Georgia
Georgia is one state that has seen an uptick in squatter cases being taken to court in recent years, according to a report.
A report by the Pacific Legal Foundation found an upward trend in squatter cases being brought to court beginning in 2019. The number of these cases in Georgia rose from three in 2017 to 50 in 2021.
In 2023, there were 198 civil court cases involving squatting in the Peach State, according to the report.
Additionally, a survey by the National Rental Home Council (NRHC) in 2023 found Atlanta had the largest number, with 1,200 homes being occupied by unlawful inhabitants. Dallas followed with 475, and Orlando had 125.
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To collect the data reported by the Pacific Legal Foundation, Kyle Sweetland, a research manager for property rights for the public interest law firm, sought out states that had a “centralized record system” for squatting cases and found Georgia had the information available.
“In Georgia, there are certain legal codes that are related to squatting, where I was able to actually check and see that these cases are, in fact, dealing with squatters,” Sweetland told Fox News Digital. He explained that, for other cases, he was able to do a keyword search of the case description itself.
“It’s a very rough estimate, I believe, but it’s an accurate estimate of what sort of cases are being filed that are talking about squatters in these states at a broader level.”
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This report only gathered data from 25 of Georgia’s 159 counties.
It’s unclear why squatter cases have spiked in the state, but there are theories.
“One thing that has been brought up [as] the reason for the backlog in the civil court system, which is what the squatters are taking advantage of, is the eviction moratorium in 2020,” Sweetland explained. The moratorium protected legal tenants, but squatters too, under Georgia’s old law, Sweetland explained.
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Another theory Sweetland offered for the uptick in squatting is the rise in both rent prices and home prices after the 2020 moratorium.
Many states, including Georgia, have passed laws putting rights back in the hands of homeowners and away from squatters.
These laws, like the Georgia Squatter Reform Act put into law by Gov. Brian Kemp, greatly shortened the amount of time it takes to remove a squatter from a home, which was, (and still is in many states), a multi-month, sometimes yearslong process.
“This is insanity that people just think they can come in and take over somebody’s home. I mean, it’s just outrageous,” Kemp said on “Fox & Friends” prior to passing the law.
Since this law was passed, it’s likely more squatter cases will be brought to court in the state.
“More people may go that route to try and remove the squatter, because it’s so much faster now and so much easier now to do that,” Sweetland said.
If you are a homeowner who has a squatter living on your property, you should call a real estate attorney.
Jerron Kelley, partner at Kelley & Grant P.A. in Boca Raton, Florida, previously told Fox News Digital that even though a squatter is not part of a landlord-tenant relationship, a real estate attorney will have the most knowledge of the law and the expertise needed to handle your specific situation.
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Southeast
Former NASCAR driver Kurt Busch 'very disappointed' by DWI arrest, vows to 'rectify the situation'
Retired NASCAR driver Kurt Busch was arrested this week in Mooresville, North Carolina, after police pulled him over for allegedly driving 63 mph in a 45 mph zone.
Busch was then taken into custody for DWI, reckless driving and speeding.
Racer.com reported that officers said the 46-year-old displayed signs of intoxication with a “strong odor of alcohol coming from his breath” and “red glassy eyes.”
Busch admitted he was drunk, and his blood alcohol level was more than double the state’s legal limit.
He was booked into the Iredell County Detention Center and later released. He is scheduled to appear in court Sept. 19.
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“I’m very disappointed in myself, and I apologize to my family, my racing family and to my fans,” the NASCAR champion said in a statement. “I will work with the authorities to rectify the situation and work with the county to make it a safer place in the future.”
Busch won the Cup Series title in 2004 and the Daytona 500 in 2017.
In 2022, he suffered a serious concussion during qualifying at Pocono Raceway. The same year, he announced he would stop racing on a full-time basis in 2023. Busch formally announced his retirement in August 2023.
Kurt’s younger brother, Kyle Busch, is an active NASCAR driver and is a two-time series champion.
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