West
'Green' federal building once ridiculed by Trump being dedicated to Nancy Pelosi
An 18-story government building in California – once referred to as “one of the ugliest structures” in San Francisco by President-elect Trump – will be formally dedicated to former House Speaker Nanci Pelosi next week.
The San Francisco Federal Building, a 234-foot-tall building located in the city’s South of Market neighborhood, had its name changed to “Speaker Nancy Pelosi Federal Building” last year and the high ranking Democrat will be on hand to unveil new signage at a ceremony on Monday, according to Bay City News. The building was named after Pelosi in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, a $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill.
The energy efficient “green” building opened in 2007 at a cost of $144 million and consists of stainless steel panels V-shaped panels at the top that fold over its broad concrete frame. It is designed to consume one-third the energy of a typical California office building, use natural light to illuminate 80% of the building and create a healthy environment for workers.
DEMOCRATS PRIVATELY GRIPE ABOUT PELOSI’S ‘DAMAGING’ POST-ELECTION COMMENTS: ‘SHE NEEDS TO TAKE A SEAT’
The Speaker Nancy Pelosi Federal Building seen from street view. (Google Maps)
It was the first U.S. federal building to be LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified. It is a globally recognized rating system that measures the sustainability of a building.
The building houses offices for Pelosi along with the Social Security Administration, Department of Transportation, Department of Labor, Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Agriculture, according to the General Services Administration (GSA) which operates the building.
“The building’s shape and orientation maximize natural airflow for cooling and ventilation and take advantage of natural daylight for the majority of office interiors,” per the GSA website.
Although praised for its energy efficiency, its gray and dull exterior has divided opinions, particularly as it sits across from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, a Beaux-Arts masterpiece on Seventh Street.
‘ANYBODY COULD HAVE GOTTEN IN:’ PELOSI INSISTS HARRIS WON DEMOCRATIC NOMINATION IN AN ‘OPEN PROCESS’
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will unveil the new signage at a ceremony on Monday. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
In 2020, then-President Trump issued an executive order, dubbed “make federal buildings beautiful again,” promoting beautiful federal civic architecture, which mentioned the building as being an unsatisfactory design.
“GSA selected an architect to design the San Francisco Federal Building who describes his designs as ‘art-for-art’s-sake’ architecture, intended primarily for architects to appreciate. While elite architects praised the resulting building, many San Franciscans consider it one of the ugliest structures in their city,” the executive order reads.
The executive order was revoked by President Biden in February 2021.
Last year, workers raised safety concerns about entering and leaving the building due to the proliferation of drug dealers and homeless people congregating outside the building, the San Francisco Standard reported last year.
President-elect Trump said in 2020 that many San Franciscans consider the building to be “one of the ugliest structures in their city.” (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
The publication cited an Aug. 4, 2023 memo, written by the Department of Health and Human Services leader, that said the security issues had gotten so bad that workers were urged to consider working from home. The block where the building sits recorded 525 drug-related incidents in a 12-month period, the publication writes, citing city data.
Pelosi was elected to Congress in 1987 and is one of the most senior Democratic Party leaders and the only woman to serve as Speaker of the House. She represents California’s 12th congressional district, encompassing most of the city of San Francisco. Under her second term as Speaker, the House impeached President-elect Trump twice, but he was acquitted both times by the Senate.
Deep blue San Francisco saw a 7-point swing to Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election.
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Oregon
5 things to know about Oregon’s newest reciever Iverson Hooks from UAB
The Oregon Ducks lost a handful of players on Sunday to the transfer portal, but Dan Lanning and his staff are slowly building the 2026 roster back up, including a new target at wide receiver that could be a reminder of another slot receiver who wore the green and yellow.
Former Alabama-Birmingham receiver Iverson Hooks has committed to come out to the West Coast and play for the Ducks. Hooks was a go-to guy for the Blazers this season, and it will be difficult for UAB to replace him immediately. But UAB’s loss is definitely Oregon’s gain.
He was one of the better players in the American Conference in 2025, and it will be interesting to see how Hooks performs against tougher competition in the Big Ten. It’ll also be interesting to see how he fits into the Oregon roster and what looks to be yet another deep receivers room in Eugene.
American Conference Honors
Hooks earned Second-Team All-American Conference honors for the Blazers. He caught 72 passes for 972 yards and seven touchdowns in 2025. For his career, Hooks has 97 catches for 1,225 yards and 10 touchdowns.
The Tez Johnson/Gary Bryant Jr. Role
At just 5-foot-10 and a mere 175 pounds, Hooks is a similar player to former Duck slot receiver Tez Johnson, who also came from a Group of 5 league at Troy. He turned out to be pretty good, and there’s no reason to think Hooks won’t be either. The Ducks have had a history of making certain slot receivers into stars, such as Johnson and, most recently, Gary Bryant, Jr. Expect Hooks to pencil in at the slot and find his role there.
The WR Room Gets Deeper
Hooks should probably start in 2026 for the Ducks, but there’s no guarantee of that, as Oregon will bring back one of the more talented receiver rooms in the country. They’ll miss the likes of Bryant and Malik Benson, but Evan Stewart could be back, along with Dakorien Moore and Jeremiah McClellan. They also add Gatlin Bair fresh off of his mission, and have high-upside guys like Jalen Lott and Dillon Gresham looking for targets as well.
Remaining Eligibility
Due to an injury just three games into his redshirt freshman season in 2023, Hooks will have two years of eligibility remaining, just as Tez Johnson did when he left Troy for Eugene. Johnson made a huge jump from his junior to senior season, and the Ducks are hoping Hooks can make a similar jump as well.
Top 25 WR out of the portal
While Hooks isn’t a huge name on the market, as On3 rated him the No. 24 receiver in the portal, he doesn’t need to duplicate his numbers of 2025 to be successful for the Ducks. Oregon has plenty of playmakers on the roster and if Hooks can fill that role of being a slot receiver, make first downs, and be an occasional deep-ball threat, that should be more than good enough for the Ducks next season.
Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
Utah
Utah State Ranked No. 23 in Men’s Basketball Poll
Courtesy of Utah State Athletics
LOGAN, Utah – Utah State men’s basketball is ranked in the AP Top 25 Poll for the first time of the 2025-26 season, checking in at No. 23 with 161 points in the poll. This is the third-straight year the Aggies have been ranked in the AP Poll, the first time in program history that has happened.
Currently sitting at 14-1 overall and an unbeaten 5-0 in Mountain West play, Utah State is the lone ranked team from the league, and is one of just two teams from mid-major leagues ranked this week, along with future Pac-12 mate Gonzaga (No. 9).
The Aggies also made their season debut in the USA Today Coaches Poll, checking in at No. 24. In today’s NET Rankings, Utah State ranks No. 12. USU has received votes in seven of the past eight AP Polls this season.
Utah State spent two weeks ranked last season, peaking at No. 22. In 2023-24, the Aggies were ranked for nine weeks and climbed as high as No. 16 in the poll.
UP NEXT
Utah State will return to Logan next week to host Nevada on Wednesday, Jan. 14, at Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. Tip-off is slated for 8 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.
TICKETS
Season tickets for the 2025-26 men’s basketball season have sold out. Fans can purchase single game tickets for available remaining games here. A waitlist for 2026-27 season tickets is now available here.
FOLLOW
For more information on Utah State’s men’s basketball program, follow the Aggies on Facebook at usumensbasketball, on Twitter at @usubasketball and on Instagram at @usubasketball. Fans can also watch USU men’s basketball highlights by visiting youtube.com/utahstateathletics.
Wyoming
Springville man dies after being buried in Wyoming avalanche
SPRINGDALE, Utah (KUTV) — A Utah snowmobiler died in a Wyoming avalanche near LaBarge Creek.
Nicholas Bringhurst, 31, of Springville, Utah, was caught and buried in an avalanche at about 2:15 p.m. Jan. 11, according to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office.
Air Idaho responded to the area along with Star Valley Search and Rescue.
Officials said Bringhurst’s friend located and uncovered him. Despite CPR efforts, Bringhurst died as a result of injuries sustained in the avalanche.
The sheriff’s office expressed its “deepest sympathies” to the Bringhurst family in a social media post.
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