Arizona

The Hotline mailbag is published every Friday. Send questions to [email protected] and include ‘mailbag’ in the subject line — or hit me on Twitter: @WilnerHotline . *** Please note: Several topics related to Pac-12 media rights and expansion will be answered separately, in forthcoming articles. (Some questions have been edited for clarity and brevity.) What is it about Arizona’s one national championship that causes people to mistake them for a powerhouse blueblood program? — @scottyrev The blueblood debate is tricky, but we’re perfectly willing to dive right in. Many UCLA fans, or folks who simply don’t like Arizona, are quick to mock any reference to the Wildcats as a college basketball blueblood. But there isn’t a firm definition of the term, and the Hotline would argue that UCLA’s status as a blueblood program is questionable. If you’re semi-relevant on the national scene for a half-century, are you actually a blueblood? The Bruins … [Read more...] about Mailbag: UCLA and Arizona as bluebloods(?), SMU’s potential, Colorado State’s future, issues for the WCC and MW and more

The Arizona Supreme Court ruled Wednesday a lower court must review one of gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake’s election challenges that alleged a ballot counting issue. Lake lost the election to current Gov. Katie Hobbs by approximately 17,000 votes but has challenged the results. Lake has argued that a ballot printer issue and the application of signature verification processes in Maricopa County were to blame. A court of appeals denied Lake’s request for review in February to toss ballots she alleges were riddled with errors, thus overturning the results of the election. Lake’s team argues that Republican voters were disadvantaged in Maricopa County because the chain of custody for ballots was improper, according to KOLD . But the state’s Supreme Court ruled the lower court had wrongly tossed out Lake’s claim about the signature verification process. The court ruled the appeals court wrongly interpreted her challenge as a challenge to the policies themselves rather … [Read more...] about Arizona Supreme Court Greenlights Review Of Kari Lake Election Fraud Claim

LG Energy Solution's logo at the company's headquarters at Yeouido, western Seoul [NEWS1] LG Energy Solution will invest 7.2 trillion won ($5.57 billion) in building battery plants in Arizona, the company announced Friday. The battery maker will spend 4.2 trillion won to build a 27-gigawatt-hour production facility for cylindrical batteries in Queen Creek, Arizona, and 3 trillion won to build another 16-gigawatt-hour production plant for lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries in line with its energy storage system (ESS) project. The total production capacity of the combined two is 43-gigawatt-hour, the biggest of any plants in North America. The investment is a whopping jump from its prior 1.7-trillion-won deal initially announced in March. That plan was put on hold in June with the company saying it is “reassessing” the deal. "We shelved the investment last year due to unfavorable business conditions, including increasing costs driven by rising inflation," said a … [Read more...] about LG Energy Solution to invest 7.2 trillion won in Arizona battery plants

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Throughout March, I’ve been taking a look at the Opening Day true-talent rankings of the 30 MLB clubs on a division-by-division basis. While the rankings are based on actual 2022 batted-ball data, off-season player movement and potential impact of 2023 rookies will be addressed. We’ve already covered the AL East , NL East , AL Central , NL Central and AL West . Today, we wrap it up with the NL West. 1. Los Angeles Dodgers - “Tru” Talent Record = 116-46 - Offensive Rating = 115.7 (3rd), Pitching Rating = 79.8 (1st), Defensive Rating = 90.8 (2nd); IN: RHP Noah Syndergaard, SS Miguel Rojas, DH J.D. Martinez, LF David Peralta; OUT: SS Trea Turner, LHP Tyler Anderson, CF Cody Bellinger, 3B Justin Turner, LF Joey Gallo, RHP Trevor Bauer, LHP Andrew Heaney, RHP Craig Kimbrel, RHP Chris Martin That’s a lot of talent walking out the door. Turner is obviously a star, Anderson was arguably the Dodgers’ ace … [Read more...] about Dodgers Look For 10th NL West Title In 11 Seasons Despite Historic Talent Loss

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Income tax rate reduction and flattening, along with the expansion of school choice, are among the most consequential policy trends of the early 2020s. However, there is another policy trend emerging that, like income tax relief and greater educational choice, is making states more attractive to workers and employers. That trend is the push by policymakers to remove or mitigate the barriers to employment that state occupational licensing requirements have become. On Tuesday, March 21, Florida legislators will hold a hearing on Senate Bill 1364, legislation to recognize out-of-state occupational licenses held by new residents so that they can get to work and begin earning income in their new home state right away. If this reform, known as Universal License Recognition (ULR), is passed by legislators in Tallahassee and signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis (R) this spring, Florida would become state number 22 to enact ULR. … [Read more...] about Barriers To Employment Fall With The Rise Of Out-Of-State Occupational License Recognition

A BNSF freight train derailed near Seattle early Thursday, spilling an estimated 5,000 gallons of diesel onto the Swinomish Reservation in Anacortes, Washington, according to state officials. Two of the train’s cars toppled near the Swinomish Channel, according to The Seattle Times. The Washington Department of Ecology is leading cleanup efforts in the aftermath of the derailment, the department reported Thursday on Twitter. Ecology & the Marine Spill Response Corporation are responding to a BNSF train derailment on the Swinomish Reservation in Anacortes. ~5000 gallons of diesel leaked at this time. Spill happened on a berm & most of diesel leaked on land side. No injuries. pic.twitter.com/RHctfXDngE — WA Department of Ecology (@EcologyWA) March 16, 2023 The Department of Ecology said there were no indications of impact on water or local wildlife, and the Coast Guard deployed drones to look for oil film on the water. Cleanup efforts involved pumping fuel … [Read more...] about BNSF Train Derails Near Seattle, Dumping 5,000 Gallons Of Diesel Onto Reservation

Poland confirmed plans to send at least a dozen fighter jets to Ukraine, becoming the first North American Treaty Organization (NATO) country to do so after the U.S. has rejected Ukraine’s calls to send advanced Western aircraft, according to media reports. Poland has plans to send up to a dozen Soviet-made MiG-29 fighter jets, replacing its inventory with U.S.-made F-35 joint strike fighters and South Korean FA-50s, the Associated Press reported . Ukraine will receive at least four MiGs within the coming days, with the remainder to undergo checks and be supplied at a later time, Polish President Andrzej Duda said Thursday. Polish government spokesperson Piotr Mueller also indicated other countries operating MiGs had pledged to supply some of the jets to Ukraine but did not name any specific countries, according to the AP. (RELATED: US Weapons Aid For Ukraine Could Extend Years Beyond The War, Top Pentagon Official Says) Ukraine already employed several dozen MiGs in … [Read more...] about Poland To Send Fighter Jets To Ukraine, Becoming First NATO Country To Do So

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Trevor Bauer, a former Los Angeles Dodgers right-handed starter, will be pitching for a new team. Bauer, 32, has signed a one-year contract for $4 million with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. Nippon Professional Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in Japan. The league has a rich history, having been started in 1934. Like Major League Baseball, Nippon Professional Baseball is divided into two leagues; the Central League, and the Pacific League. DeNa, Bauer’s new team, finished in second place in the Central League last season, with a 73-86 record. Bauer has not pitched for the Dodgers since he began serving a 324-game suspension from MLB on April 29, 2022, for violating Major League Baseball’s domestic violence policy. Bauer was suspended over allegations of sexual assault. The suspension was the result of an investigation by MLB regarding domestic … [Read more...] about Former Los Angeles Dodgers’ Pitcher Trevor Bauer May Never Make It Back To Major League Baseball

In his second offseason with the Chicago Bears, general manager Ryan Poles has plenty of salary-cap space to rework a roster that finished 3-14 in 2022. With the NFL’s new league year now here, allowing free agents to begin signing with new teams, the Tribune will track all of the Bears’ arrivals and departures and provide insight into what they mean. The free-agency negotiation window opened across the league at 11 a.m. Monday. Unrestricted free agents could finalize deals when the new league year began at 3 p.m. Wednesday. Column: After adding 5 new starters, Bears GM Ryan Poles can wait for prices to fall in free agency Column: Bears’ aggressive start to free agency has one common thread — young players entering their prime years What headline-grabbing move is next? 5 Bears questions before free agency. Column: Ryan Poles checked a big box on the Bears’ offseason list with his bold trade. Now comes the hard part. Bears trade the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL … [Read more...] about Chicago Bears free-agency news: Backup quarterback Trevor Siemian released

After a decade in business, Stio , the Jackson Hole-based outdoor gear brand, decided to create its very first pair of shoes. Instead of creating a hiking or snow boot, it hired top shoe designer Kurtis Sakai to create a cozy pair of leather booties lined with wool and equipped with soles that have good traction. “We wanted you to be able to wear it all day, anywhere,” says Stephen Sullivan, Stio’s founder and CEO. “But the soft interior was a non-negotiable. It provides warmth and comfort.” Stio’s new “ Colter Boot ” captures the footwear zeitgeist of the moment. Right now, most of us are wearing some version of a fuzzy bunny slipper around the clock, in our new hybrid life that takes us in and out of the home. After years of pandemic living, our delicate feet are loathe to give up the soft embrace of cloud-like wool and shearling. Our love of exceedingly soft shoes began long before COVID-19 hit our shores, but the lockdown appears to have deepened our … [Read more...] about The quest to design the world’s softest shoe