Free Republic

When Detroit's semipro soccer team needed a bigger stadium to accommodate its growing fan base, it did something unusual. Instead of seeking tax breaks or subsidies to support its ambitions, it turned to private supporters, mostly fans. It did so with the help of the Michigan Invests Locally Exemption or MILE Act. Detroit City FC raised $741,250 from 527 investors to refurbish Hamtramck’s Keyworth Stadium. The team’s first game at its new home, on May 13, was a sellout with 7,410 tickets sold. That was more than double the 3,500 tickets it was limited to selling when the team played...

A German newspaper is reporting that a soccer match in Hannover was canceled because an ambulance full of explosives was found out front following a bomb threat. There was no immediate confirmation of that report, though the Hannover chief of police was quoted by multiple sources as saying "there was a device intended to be detonated inside the stadium."

PARIS - Shootings and explosions erupted in the Paris area on Friday night, and French news services said at least 39 people were dead, dozens wounded and others taken hostage in what appeared to be coordinated militant attacks. French television reported that one of at least two explosions had struck near Paris at the country's main sports stadium, forcing the hasty evacuation of President François Hollande. The explosion occurred during a France-Germany soccer match. The shooting broke out at a popular concert hall, The Bataclan, where a death metal band was playing, and the France 24 website said dozens of...

While ongoing reportage of the Donald Trump Traveling Tijuana Donkey Show crashes into the latest revelations from Hillary Clinton's Personal Email Server Fun Times Revue, there's more pedestrian scandal taking place in plain sight. This one involves Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin, who's running on his tough-as-nails budget-cutting credentials. Come tomorrow, Walker will commit no less than $400 million of taxpayer money to a stadium deal to keep the NBA Bucks in Milwaukee: The state would put $250 million toward the arena, with interest adding up over decades. The subsidy, approved last month with bipartisan support in Wisconsin’s Republican-controlled legislature,...

Some controversy is swirling around the new Vikings Stadium, as some are saying the project could be millions of dollars over budget. One member of the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority is speaking out on the issue and facing opposition from other members. Duane Benson has served as the MSFA treasurer since the group's inception back in 2012, however, he is preparing to leave the group in light of recent turmoil and says the $1.1 billion project's finances are anything but in order at the moment. As the groundbreaking project continues to break the bank, Benson says there is a problem--perhaps...

The Obama Administration will not support a new Washington football stadium unless the team changes its name, according to Jonathan O'Connell of the Washington Post. Washington currently does not play in D.C., but there has been a push to get a new stadium approved and built there. RFK Stadium occupies the site where Washington has targeted a potential new stadium. However, a lack of support from the current administration would be a serious roadblock to the efforts. While the Obama Administration can't make the ultimate decision on whether a new stadium is built, it can put pressure where it's needed,...

RIOTING broke out at MetLife Stadium tonight at the Summer Jam Concert. It was a hip hop/rap concert hosted by Hot 97. Tyson TrishVerified account ‏@tysontrish OC gas being deployed outside MetLife Stadium Summer Jam concert @NorthJerseybrk East Rutherford, NJ Protesters threw bottles and glass objects at the police.East Coast 911 reported: EastRutherford Personnel continue to operate at MetLife Stafium, the venue for the Hot 97 Summer Jam music event this evening, where a riot & multiple fights broke out this evening. Law Enforcement personnel have had bottles/glass & other objects thrown at them. At least 1 trooper has been...

President Obama's latest budget proposal, released Monday, would eliminate tax breaks associated with city-funded professional sports stadiums. Many cities, when faced with either losing their teams to different areas of the country or ponying up taxpayer dollars to help owners finance a new, better stadium, choose the latter option. Some cities even contribute money when they're not in danger of losing the team. Surely, the cities of New York and Dallas (well, Arlington) did not think the Yankees or Cowboys would move away when their lawmakers approved $1 billion and $325 million contributions of tax-free debt, respectively, to help build...

The owner of the St. Louis Rams has announced intentions to build a massive new NFL stadium and entertainment complex in the Los Angeles suburb of Inglewood. Stan Kroenke revealed the grand plan to the LA Times on Monday. In addition to an 80,000-seat stadium, the billionaire and his partners are proposing an adjacent 6,000-seat performance venue. Los Angeles was home to the Rams from 1946 to 1994 and, as St. Louis scrambles to come up with a plan for a new stadium in order to retain the team, the City of Angels appears ever more likely to get a...

~SNIP~ "Those willing to pitch in are being instructed to show up at the Lincoln County entrance and bring two forms of ID, with one being either a Social Security card or a birth certificate. Also, you must be 18 or older." ~SNIP~

The idea that the proposed new Red Wings arena will revitalize midtown Detroit is the reason given for the $260 million in corporate welfare that will help finance the project. The idea that a new sports arena will spur economic development, however, lacks credibility. An NHL season only has 41 home games, meaning the arena is closed for the most of the other 324 days of the year with the exception of some concerts or other special events. Not much development can take place around a facility that is closed nearly 90 percent of the year. Take the Palace of...

A deal for hundreds of millions of dollars in public money to draw the Atlanta Braves north of their downtown home is pitting conservative tea party activists against the elected and civic leaders in the staunch Republican county, with opponents saying the use of public money to help a private business is not what American capitalism should be about. The argument for the deal is simple, says Cobb County Commission Chairman Tim Lee and other supporters. Almost $400 million in county bonds and immediate infrastructure improvements, with debt payments approaching $600 million over 30 years - will generate enough economic...

A Minnesota legislator wants a provision stripped from the Vikings new stadium lease that would prevent the building from being used by businesses that sell guns and other weapons. Republican Rep. Pat Garofalo of Farmington said in a letter Thursday that the restriction could discourage hunting and outdoors groups from holding offseason events at the planned $975 million stadium, which is being built with a partial public subsidy. The Associated Press reported on the clause this week that is contained in a 30-year stadium lease.

There are many issues that led to bankruptcy in Detroit and everyone and his brother seems to have a theory. Rather than rehashing the reasons why Detroit went bankrupt, let’s discuss what did not save it: Flashy projects. Back in 2005, my colleague Michael LaFaive compiled a partial list of bold proclamations about projects in the Motor City: Fox Theatre. "Their moving downtown (from the suburbs) was one of the pivotal events in turning things around down here" — Michael Hauser, marketing manager, Michigan Opera Theatre, on renovation of the Fox Theatre and office complex ("Fox Theatre’s rebirth ushered in...

A 22-year-old Chicago man was arrested over the weekend for plotting to carry out a bombing outside a strip of crowded Wrigleyville night spots, according to the FBI. They also alleged that Sami Samir Hassoun, of the 4700 block of North Kedzie Avenue, had previously discussed a number of violent plots in Chicago, including a biological attack on the city, poisoning Lake Michigan, attacking police officers, bombing the Willis Tower and assassinating Mayor Richard Daley. But he is only charged with attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction and attempted use of an explosive device in connection with the...

SNIPPET: "The North African terror group al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb has threatened to attack this summer's World Cup games in South Africa. "How amazing could the match United States vs. Britain be when broadcasted live on air at a stadium packed with spectators when the sound of an explosion rumbles through the stands, the whole stadium is turned upside down and the number of dead bodies are in their dozens and hundreds, Allah willing," reads a statement the group published in a recent issue of the Jihadi online magazine Mushtaqun Lel Jannah (Longing to Paradise)." SNIPPET: "In addition...

The electronic pulltab sales slated to help fund the Vikings stadium are nowhere near their projected target, even after the state lowered that target last month, a House committee learned Wednesday. (snip) The sale of electronic pulltabs, run by Minnesota charities, was supposed to generate $348 million in taxes to underwrite the state's share of the cost of a new Vikings stadium. But the electronic pulltab games, introduced in September, have pulled in just $4.2 million in gross receipts -- and $635,000 in net receipts after prizes were paid.

Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak said Thursday he won't seek a fourth term as leader of Minnesota's largest city, creating the first open race for the office in two decades. Rybak's announcement came less than a year before voters in the city of almost 400,000 will choose a new mayor. Several potential candidates had been waiting on Rybak to make a decision before declaring whether they would run, and the field is likely to be large. The decision also should ramp up speculation about Rybak's next political move. The 57-year-old Democrat has been mentioned as a possible addition to President Barack...

The Los Angeles City Council on Friday approved a $1.2 billion plan to build a downtown football stadium, moving America's second most populous city closer than it's been in nearly two decades to having a professional football team. Council members voted unanimously in favor of the Anschutz Entertainment Group's proposal to erect the 72,000-seat stadium in the city's downtown core. It will be named "Farmer's Field." AEG, controlled by billionaire Phil Anschutz, is up for sale but an agreement with the city will require its new owners to take up the stadium project.

Juhl Wind will provide 520,000 kilowatt-hours of renewable energy credits over the eight regular season home games, which is equal to conventionally produced coal-fired electricity that results in 507,570 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, Juhl Wind estimated. The credits offset the electricity used throughout the Metrodome, covering everything from the concession stands to the scoreboards and making the Vikings one of the only National Football League teams to play in a 100 percent green-powered facility during the entire 2012-2013 season, Corey Juhl said. To be clear: The Vikings are not using wind power to light up the Dome. Juhl Wind...