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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/28804484

A 12-person jury has been seated in the federal corruption trial of former Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada and his ex-chief of staff Cade Cothren.

Lawyers late into the afternoon April 23 were still debating alternates for the jury, but the trial is expected to move forward April 24 with opening statements.

Casada and Cothren each face up to 20 years in prison for charges including bribery and money laundering tied to an alleged kickback scheme involving a fake political mailer company.

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While the early editions were more of a sprinters’ race, the Tour Down Under has morphed into a well-rounded event allowing climbers to showcase their talents for the general classification during the more challenging stages.

Race director Stuart O’Grady and his organization did a fantastic job honoring the 25-year history of the event’s classic routes and finishes, while also including some new roads that tested the riders’ early season condition with almost 10,000m of climbing over six stages surrounding Adelaide.

The general classification was won by Ecuadorian rider Jhonatan Narváez of the mighty UAE Team Emirates-XRG in front of Javier Romo of Movistar and Finn Fisher-Black of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe. But for me, there were many more takeaways than just the overall result.

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The UAE Tour Women 2025 starts on Thursday, with three flat stages and a summit finish atop Jebel Hafeet. There is always a risk of crosswinds and echelon racing in the UAE but the flat stages will surely see some of the biggest sprinters in the women's peloton go head to head.

Twenty teams will race on the fast flat and wide roads of the UAE, with warm temperatures and crosswinds likely in the next few days.

Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek), Charlotte Kool (Team Picnic PostNL) and Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) will be fighting for the stage victories.

"It's the first time for me racing here and it's the sprinting world championship," said Balsamo. "We have a good team and we are ready to fight."

Kool won two stages in the 2023 edition but missed last year's race because of sickness. Her winter has been affected by the consequences of her broken collarbone at the Tour de France Femmes.

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Swiss Champion Mauro Schmid (Jayco-AlUla) has won Cadel’s Race, capping a solid team effort and securing Jayco-AlUla’s men’s squad’s first victory in its home one-day race.

Schmid opened a small gap at around 7 km remaining, soloing in to the finish where he finished three seconds ahead of a select chasing group. Veteran Kiwi Aaron Gate (XdS-Astana) took second, with fellow New Zealander and defending champion Laurence Pithie (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) rounding out the podium.

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Marlen Reusser (Movistar) beat Mavi García (Team Spain) to win the Trofeo Palma Femina, the second race of the women's Challenge Mallorca, after a head-to-head battle in the hilly final kilometres.

The two surged away from a front group on the late Coll de Sa Creu climb near Palma, descended to the coast together and then fought for victory on the ascent to the Castell de Bellver.

Reusser led García on the climb to the finish and led out the sprint, simply powering away from García.

Silvia Persico (UAE Team ADQ) won the close sprint for third place, beating Thalita de Jong (Human Powered Health).

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Parents across Tennessee will soon be able to put taxpayer dollars toward the cost of attending private school. State lawmakers Thursday narrowly voted to expand Gov. Bill Lee’s school voucher program statewide, less than a year after a similar measure failed.

Under the Education Freedom Act, families can use taxpayer dollars to cover the cost of K-12 private school to the tune of just over $7,000 for each child — more than some school districts currently receive in per-student funding. The money will go directly from the state to the private school and can cover anything from tuition and fees to laptops and classroom supplies for the student.

Two-thirds of the families expected to receive that money are already enrolled in private school, according to a state review.

Rep. Chris Hurt, R-Hall, attempted to add an amendment to ensure that private schools don’t discriminate against students with disabilities in the admission’s process. He said he wanted to guarantee that his own daughter, who has a disability, would have the same opportunities as other students.

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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/24966932

The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) today announced it has awarded Denver, Colorado the league’s 16th franchise. The Denver NWSL team, set to begin play in the 2026 season, is comprised of a robust ownership group that includes local and national investors including Rob Cohen, Project Level, a subsidiary of Ariel Investments led by Chairwoman Mellody Hobson and former Washington Commanders President Jason Wright, FirstTracks Sports Ventures LLC (FTSV), led by siblings Jon-Erik Borgen and Kaia Borgen Moritz, Neelima Joshi and Dhiren Jhaveri and Molly Coors. Cohen will serve as the club’s controlling owner and Governor with Hobson as Denver NWSL’s Alternate Governor. Denver is the second franchise awarded by the NWSL during this round of expansion, following Team 15 in Boston, bringing the league from 14 to 16 clubs. Denver NWSL becomes the first women’s professional sports team in a major national league to call the Mile High City home.

The new Denver NWSL franchise is finalizing plans for a purpose-built stadium for professional women’s soccer and a dedicated, purpose-built performance facility for female athletes. More information will be available as these plans are finalized. Team name, crest, colors and brand identity will be announced at a later date.

“As the NWSL continues its rapid growth, we knew it was critical to launch our 16th team in a city with a passionate sports culture and vibrant fan base, and Denver is the perfect match,” said Jessica Berman, Commissioner of the NWSL. “The club’s plans for a purpose-built stadium and state-of-the-art training facility demonstrate a commitment to providing world-class environments for our players and fans alike. With this ownership group’s vision and dedication, we are confident that Denver NWSL will set new standards for excellence on and off the pitch, inspiring the next generation of players and supporters across the Rocky Mountain region.”

The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) today announced it has awarded Denver, Colorado the league’s 16th franchise. The Denver NWSL team, set to begin play in the 2026 season, is comprised of a robust ownership group that includes local and national investors including Rob Cohen, Project Level, a subsidiary of Ariel Investments led by Chairwoman Mellody Hobson and former Washington Commanders President Jason Wright, FirstTracks Sports Ventures LLC (FTSV), led by siblings Jon-Erik Borgen and Kaia Borgen Moritz, Neelima Joshi and Dhiren Jhaveri and Molly Coors. Cohen will serve as the club’s controlling owner and Governor with Hobson as Denver NWSL’s Alternate Governor. Denver is the second franchise awarded by the NWSL during this round of expansion, following Team 15 in Boston, bringing the league from 14 to 16 clubs. Denver NWSL becomes the first women’s professional sports team in a major national league to call the Mile High City home.

The new Denver NWSL franchise is finalizing plans for a purpose-built stadium for professional women’s soccer and a dedicated, purpose-built performance facility for female athletes. More information will be available as these plans are finalized. Team name, crest, colors and brand identity will be announced at a later date.

“As the NWSL continues its rapid growth, we knew it was critical to launch our 16th team in a city with a passionate sports culture and vibrant fan base, and Denver is the perfect match,” said Jessica Berman, Commissioner of the NWSL. “The club’s plans for a purpose-built stadium and state-of-the-art training facility demonstrate a commitment to providing world-class environments for our players and fans alike. With this ownership group’s vision and dedication, we are confident that Denver NWSL will set new standards for excellence on and off the pitch, inspiring the next generation of players and supporters across the Rocky Mountain region.”

After weeks of speculation, Australian Caleb Ewan has signed a late single-year deal with Ineos Grenadiers for 2025.

Ewan was set to be part of home WorldTour team Jayco-AIUIa this season for a second year, but his name did not appear on the squad's line-up for 2025, sparking rumours that he could be moving on, for reasons that remain unclear. There was talk about a possible deal with Astana, but the idea never gained real traction.

After Italian fast man Elia Viviani and Ineos Grenadiers parted ways in 2025, the British team were lacking firepower for the sprints, with Ewan now set to strengthen their options in that area.

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The cobble-bashing Dutch bulldozer fractured his collarbone Tuesday at the Santos Tour Down Under to continue a long sufferfest of sickness, injury, and case of “superglue face.”

According to Pro Cycling Stats, injuries alone will have robbed Van Baarle of around 24 weeks of racing in the 25 months since his high-profile move to Jumbo-Visma (now Visma-Lease a Bike).

And that’s not accounting for a spate of non-selections and non-starts due to sickness.

Sure, Van Baarle hasn’t suffered singular career-threatening crashes like his Visma-Lease a Bike teammates Jonas Vingegaard and Wout van Aert.

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As early as March of this season it was clear that the transfer market would be unlike anything women’s cycling had ever seen. For a few seasons, there had been talk of growing salaries, especially with the implementation of the UCI’s WorldTour minimum wage in 2020, but it wasn’t until Demi Vollering’s departure from SD Worx-Protime was confirmed that the number €1 million was thrown around. The report that UAE Team ADQ had approached the 2023 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift winner with that number was ultimately debunked, but it set off a chain reaction that saw salaries rise even more ahead of the 2025 season.

Unfortunately, this increase in pay is only available to those at the top of the sport. While the top women are earning in the mid-six figures, women on Continental teams who line up against those same top riders are still barely surviving on €10,000 a year.

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The first WorldTour race of the year would be decided on the iconic Old Willunga Hill during Stage 2 of the 2025 Santos Women’s Tour Down Under. 23-year-old Swiss rider Noemi Rüegg surprised everyone by winning the stage after a tactical battle played out from the very first repetition of the famous Adelaide climb.

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