A general view outside Moda Center before the game between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Minnesota Timberwolves on Oct. 22, 2025 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
If Portland offered the Trail Blazers a blank check to stay, how much would be enough?
Next month, when a major deal-cutting deadline hits, the Portland City Council will be faced with that and other hard questions about the future of the Moda Center and its major tenant and financial core, the Trail Blazers. The city is in a tough spot because their negotiating partner has more leverage than they do. Portland may not be prepared for what comes next.
The Blazers, founded in 1970 by Harry Glickman, passed to other owners including Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. After Allen died, his estate in August 2025 sold the team to Dallas businessman Thomas Dundon. The National Basketball ****** ociation Board of Governors approved that sale in March.
When Dundon bought the team, he was not constrained by any requirement that it stay in Portland; major league team purchases occasionally prompt moves to other places. Eager to keep the Blazers, Oregon officials quickly said when the Blazers went up for sale they would work with the new owner.

#allen #dundon

The biggest superstars the WNBA are flocking to the Windy City for 2026 WNBA All-Star Weekend in Chicago, which officially kicks off on Thursday, July 23, with the orange carpet.
Minnesota Lynx All-Star Courtney Williams and Seattle Storm guard Natisha Hiedeman, known as the Studbudz, kicked off their 72-hour WNBA All-Star Weekend live stream on Thursday with preparations for the event. Williams got a haircut in her hotel room bathroom, while Hiedeman simultaneously got her nails done.
Ari Chambers and Jordan Robinson are set to host the 2026 All-Star Orange Carpet live stream presented by **** ble, where players are expected to showcase high fashion looks that are normally reserved for pregame tunnel walks.
The orange carpet precedes the WNBA All-Star 3-point contest and Shooting Stars competition on Friday and the 2026 WNBA All-Star Game between Team Teresa Weatherspoon and Team Cynthia Cooper on Saturday.
Here's what you need to know:

#hiedeman #live

Queens Park Rangers are interested in taking Liverpool's 22-year-old English left-back Luke Chambers on loan after he returns from the Reds' pre-season tour of the USA. (The Athletic - subscription required)
For more transfer news and rumours, read Thursday's full gossip column here.

#rangers #chambers #reds

LIMA — A Lima youth track and field team will send 22 city athletes to the 2026 American Athletic Union Junior Olympic Games, as announced Wednesday at Mayor Sharetta Smith’s media briefing in council chambers.
The former C2K Striders Track Club featured an expanded roster of nearly 90 kids this season, ages 5 to 18, after combining with the Columbus Panthers Track Club. Through the athletes’ perseverance in challenging weather conditions, Coach Roderick Simpson Jr. said, the now-C2K Panthers placed 45 athletes — 22 from Lima — in the youth track and field national championships, which run Saturday, Aug. 1 to Saturday, Aug. 8 at the Drake University stadium in Des Moines, Iowa.
The C2K Panthers are taking donations to fund their national championship trip and future travel. To donate, funds should be dedicated to the group through the Lima Community Foundation at 207 W. Elm St., Lima.
Simpson said that the team merger helped solidify the Lima club while they were “lacking certain things” to compete at the highest level. The personnel connections with the Columbus group played a large role in that fortification, Simpson said.
“That coach (in Columbus), he’s the one who started the program in Lima. He just ended up leaving for job purposes,” Simpson said. “That’s when (Coach Chris Jackson) took over. So, you know, it’s one big family.”

#simpson #columbus #saturday

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - OCTOBER 10: A Seattle Sonics fan holds a sign before the Rain City Showcase in a preseason NBA game between the LA Clippers and the Utah Jazz at Climate Pledge Arena on October 10, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
The NBA's Board of Governors will meet on July 14 with expansion among the biggest talking points.
While the league has already narrowed focus on bringing teams to Seattle and Las Vegas, there are no guarantees expansion is approved at this time.
With multiple owners (including the New York Knicks' Jim Dolan) outwardly anti-expansion and a large contingent of new ownership groups that may not value expansion fees as a reason to increase competition, it's no sure thing the process gets the required 23 votes next week.
Even if 23 of the NBA's 30 owners do approve the expansion process, however, there's another looming challenge for Seattle, specifically: The looming sale of the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.

Screenshot via X
Prolific horror writer Stephen King walked back his defense of Maine Democratic Party Senate candidate Graham Platner on Tuesday after an avalanche of criticism over a pair of posts he made.
Following a bombshell report from Politico detailing an allegation of **** ual **** ault against Platner, King posted to X, "Tell you what–if you knew the whole truth about everyone in the Senate and House of Reps, those chambers would be dead empty. Jesus said, 'Let him without sin cast the first stone.'"
King, one of Maine's most famous residents, also posted in a since-deleted tweet, "Graham Platner may drop out. (I hope he doesn't, but.) Meanwhile, the Abuser in Chief just keeps on keepin' on."
King's takes were quickly ridiculed by pundits and journalists on social media. The Dispatch's Jonah Goldberg replied, "LOLOLOLOL. So because we don't know about hypothetical rapey legislators we should forgive the ones we do know about."

The chip-equipment maker is posting record results at the heart of the AI buildout, but its premium price and history of sharp downturns frame a difficult decision for investors.
If you want to understand Lam Research (LRCX), think of it as a high-tech landlord in a gold rush. The company doesn't mine for gold, it doesn't make the semiconductors themselves, but it builds and sells the incredibly complex machinery that does. Specifically, it's a leader in deposition and etch, two fundamental steps in carving circuits onto silicon wafers. Right now, the AI gold rush is on, and Lam's business is booming. The stock has reflected this, soaring 326% over the past year and trading at the very top of its 52-week range. After such a powerful move, the practical question for any buyer is whether you're stepping into a long-term technology shift or simply arriving late to a cyclical party.
What The Stock Costs Today
There's no way around it: you are paying a steep premium for a piece of this business. Lam Research trades at a price-to-earnings ratio of 70.6, nearly triple the S&P 500's multiple of 24.6. On a sales basis, the story is similar, with a price-to-sales ratio of 21.9 versus the market's 3.3. This isn't a stock the market has overlooked. Instead, it's one where investors are paying up for a specific story: that the "AI-driven demand environment is creating an ideal setup for continued outperformance," as management puts it. This valuation is only justified if the AI buildout proves to be a sustained, multi-year wave of investment, rather than a short-term spike, that keeps Lam's order books full and its high margins intact.
What You Get For It
What you get is a company firing on all cylinders. Lam just posted its "third consecutive record revenue quarter," hitting $5.8 billion in the most recent period, up 24% from a year ago. The engine here is the escalating complexity of AI chips, which management says is "driving higher deposition and etch intensity." This directly benefits Lam's core business. The company is also seeing strong growth in its Customer Support Business Group, which generated a record $2.1 billion in quarterly revenue by servicing and upgrading the large fleet of more than 100,000 of its chambers installed worldwide. This isn't a company struggling to fund its ambitions. With debt at just 0.8% of its market value, compared to 20.5% for the average S&P 500 company, and a balance sheet flush with cash, it can comfortably finance its growth, including a second manufacturing facility in Malaysia.

Democratic Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (Va.) on Sunday criticized President Trump for canceling the signing of a bipartisan housing bill.
"I don't know with this president, because he's said that he doesn't care about rising costs," Subramanyam told host Chris Stirewalt on NewsNation's "The Hill Sunday," regarding whether he expects Trump to sign the bill this upcoming week.
"He said … if he doesn't have a housing problem and his friends don't have [a] problem with housing, then it doesn't matter to him," the Virginia Democrat added. "So, I actually wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't sign it."
Trump canceled the signing of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act on Wednesday, despite the legislation gaining passage through both chambers of Congress via overwhelming, veto-proof majorities.
The president said he will not sign the housing bill until the Senate passes the House-approved Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE America) Act — which proposes requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections.

The highly unusual exchange between Justice Samuel Alito and Justice Sonia Sotomayor over a dissent read from the bench was based on a "misunderstanding" by the conservative justice, the Supreme Court said Friday.
"Justice Alito was notified in advance by Justice Sotomayor's chambers that she would be reading a dissent from the bench," the court spokesperson said in a statement in response to questions from CNN.
"It was a misunderstanding on Justice Alito's part," the spokesperson added.
The rare statement came a day after a tense back-and-forth between the two justices when Sotomayor, the court's senior liberal, publicly read a dissent in a case involving asylum claims. Alito, a conservative who was then set to summarize the next opinion, appeared taken aback by his colleague's remarks.
"There's much that I would have added to my bench statement had I known there would be a dissent read," Alito said, an unusual break from protocol during what is normally a highly choregraphed release of opinions.

Sen. Brian Schatz, who many believe will take over the No. 2 role in the Democratic caucus next year, has a warning for President Donald Trump: He could be dealing with a very different Washington if Democrats achieve the electoral gains they're hoping for this fall.
"The quality of the nominees would immediately have to go up, because they're not going to get people like Bill Pulte or RFK Jr. or Pete Hegseth through the United States Senate if the Democrats run that," he told CNN's Manu Raju, listing some of the president's more controversial administration picks, who have received no votes of confidence from Democrats.
After two years of Republicans fighting to push Trump's agenda through Congress with their narrow majorities, Democrats hope the president's dwindling approval numbers will help them secure control over both chambers and usher in a new wave of leaders on Capitol Hill.
Though Schatz superstitiously knocks on wood when his potential ascent is mentioned, he is widely viewed as the likely choice to succeed retiring Sen. **** Durbin as Democratic whip next year.
In a wide-ranging interview for "Inside Politics Sunday," the Hawaii Democrat laid out an aggressive, yet pragmatic, approach for taking on Trump if he secures the No. 2 role in a Democratic majority in January.

HACKENSACK — A street near Hackensack High School will be renamed in honor of Gordon “Scooter” Whiting, the beloved former Hackensack coach and athletic director who died in May.
The City Council voted Tuesday, June 16, to rename the intersection of Beech and Second streets as Gordon “Scooter” Whiting Way. The decision was met with applause from a packed council chambers filled with family, friends and former students.
“This is a well-deserved honor for the Whiting family. Scooter was a thoughtful, caring man who deeply loved Hackensack,” Mayor Caseen Gaines said. “He believed in this city, he believed in its people, and he always believed our shared future could be better if we worked together toward it, as a community.”
Story continues below photo gallery.
Whiting died at age 58 on May 15, just two days after the city Board of Education had accepted his retirement.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Gov. Mike DeWine on Tuesday used his bully pulpit to call for an end to the death penalty in Ohio.
The 79-year-old Republican cited his expertise on the issue as a former county prosecutor, member of both chambers of Congress and Ohio attorney general, as well as his seven years as governor.
But DeWine's support for a policy change is far from **** ured to make waves, even in a state controlled by his own party. That is because DeWine is more moderate than many younger Republicans in the state, whose political aspirations rely on endorsements from President Donald Trump, a staunch death penalty supporter.
Here's a closer look at DeWine and his place in Ohio's political landscape:
DeWine was first elected to public office in 1976, when he became prosecuting attorney in Greene County, where he grew up. He still lives in the historic home there where he and his wife, who had eight children, hosted a summer ice cream social each year to encourage and celebrate GOP candidates and officeholders. The event ended its 50-year run just last weekend.

ATLANTA (AP) — A federal judge who was disciplined after an investigation found that she had ***** with a police officer in her chambers and then lied about it wrote a letter to a former law clerk apologizing for her "harmful, offensive, and unprofessional behavior."
An investigation initiated last year by the chief judge of the 11th Judicial Circuit found that U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross had ***** in the courthouse with a high-ranking uniformed police officer within earshot of staff, attended a partisan event and initially lied when confronted with the allegations. Ross wrote in the letter dated Thursday and obtained by The ***** ociated Press that her "actions were patently wrong, and there is no excuse."
"You deserved better than to have your experience marred by my own offensive conflict," says the letter, which was first reported by The New York Times.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NEW YORK - JUNE 06: Golden Tempo with Jose Ortiz up, wins the 158th running of the Belmont Stakes with with Commandment and John Velazquez up finishing second at Saratoga Race Course on June 06, 2026 in Saratoga Springs, New York. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
The thrilling Belmont Stakes win at Saratoga by Golden Tempo has placed the Kentucky Derby champion firmly atop Thoroughbred racing’s most publicized division. The Triple Crown series for three-year-olds garners more attention than other races, but as the sport builds towards the Breeders’ Cup in late October, there will be plenty of action throughout the summer as others look to take a shot at the horse that became the 13th runner to pull off the Derby-Belmont Double
Entering the Belmont Stakes, Golden Tempo had plenty of doubters. His dream worst-to-first trip in the Kentucky Derby at odds of 23-1 was thought to be a fluke that could not be duplicated against a smaller field. As a deep closer, trainer Cherie DeVaux’s darling was considered as too pace dependent to pull off another victory in a race that lacked early speed.
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - MAY 02: Jockey Jose Ortiz of Golden Tempo celebrates with the Garland of Roses after winning the 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 02, 2026 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Breaking from his outside post, that was said to be an obstacle by some, jockey Jose Ortiz calmly guided his mount over to the rail for another ground-saving trip in this mile and a quarter journey. Chasing much softer early fractions (23.96 opening quarter, 48.29 half mile) than he did in the Kentucky Derby, this son of Curlin was at the back, but much closer to the leaders in this nine-horse field. Rolling through traffic into the far turn the pace up front was not factor for a horse and jockey that moved as one. Unleashing his powerful closing kick down the lane, the Tempo turned out to be quite Golden as he flexed to the finish a length and a quarter ahead of a hard-trying Commandment. Cherie Devaux became the second female trainer to win the Belmont Stakes (Jena Antonucci 2023 Arcangelo) as she guided Golden Tempo to his third win in five starts this year and fourth victory in six career outings.

Trump signed the Epstein files bill. It includes several exceptions to a full release.

President Trump on Wednesday signed into law a bill to compel the Justice Department to release all of its files related to the investigation of convicted ******* offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The bipartisan measure known as the Epstein Files Transparency Act was overwhelmingly backed by both chambers of Congress, which overcame months of opposition from Trump and some of his Republican allies to pass the legislation.
It requires the DOJ to “publish (in a searchable and downloadable format) all unclassifie

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Ohio lawmakers are weighing a proposal that could add a constitutional right to hunt and fish, a measure supporters say would preserve part of the state’s economy and heritage.
Senate Joint Resolution 8, introduced in October by state Sen. Steve Huffman (R-Tipp City), seeks to amend the Ohio Constitution to recognize hunting and fishing as fundamental rights. If approved by three-fifths of both legislative chambers, the proposal would appear on the November 2026 statewide ballot.
Under the resolution, a new Section 23 would be added to Article I of the Ohio Constituti

As per Ross Dellenger, Yahoo Sports, below are key points of a House college sports bill being worked thru Judiciary Committee. I’m more encouraged in the bi-partisan work being done by Senators Ted Cruz and Cory Booker. But at least it has the attention of both chambers.

Durban buildings up for sale: eThekwini Municipality's strategic move - Councillors have granted the eThekwini Municipality the go-ahead to negotiate with the business rescue practitioners and bondholders of Urban Lime Prop SA (PTY) Ltd to purchase the Durban Chambers and Durban

Fergie Chambers : je ne connais pas Slim Riahi