Bill Belichick hit with UNC bombshell just two months out from his first game as coach
UNC is re-organizing its athletic department - with Athletic Director Bubba Cunningham set to move to a new position.
After assuming the job in November of 2011, Cunningham is entering his final year in his current role before transitioning to a job as Senior Advisor to the Chancellor and Athletic Director next summer.
The move was announced alongside the news that Cunningham agreed to a contract extension of two years.
Replacing him will be Steve Newmark, the president of the NASCAR team Roush Fenway Keselowski (RFK) Racing.
RFK Racing is a division of the Fenway Sports Group - which also owns the Premier League 's Liverpool FC, MLB's Boston Red Sox, and the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins.
'As part of my last contract extension, I committed to working with University leadership on a succession plan that would positively position Carolina Athletics and our 28 teams for the future,' Cunningham said in a statement.
'I appreciate the opportunity to extend my contract and enhance my role in a way that will allow me to continue to support our outstanding student-athletes, coaches and staff as we transition and navigate the changing athletics landscape. I am excited for the future.'
In the interim, Newmark will take on the role of Executive Associate Athletic Director - with the position reporting to Cunningham and initially focusing on strategies to generate revenue for the Tar Heels' football, men's basketball, and women's basketball teams.
Cunningham came under fire earlier this year for a controversy in another role he held as the chairman of the selection committee for the 2025 NCAA men's basketball tournament - also known as March Madness.
He was accused of favoritism when UNC was selected as one of the last four teams to make the NCAA tournament - prompting an investigation from the West Virginia attorney general into possible collusion.
Cunningham denied being a part of the decision to include the school he works for.
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The Guardian
22 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Wednesday briefing: Is Rachel Reeves about to overhaul the dreaded council tax?
Good morning. Britain's fiscal outlook is bleak. The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, faces the daunting task of closing a £40bn black hole in the public finances. There is intense speculation over how she intends to, as runs that oft-used phrase, balance the books. This week, my colleagues have reported that the chancellor is considering a new 'proportional' property tax. It would mark a radical overhaul of stamp duty and council tax. While there has been a good deal of focus on stamp duty, changes to council tax in England have the potential to be the most transformative – and explosive. Almost all political parties agree that the council tax system – which replaced the deeply unpopular poll tax in 1991 and has remained unchanged since – is unfair and must be reformed. But just how to do so is notoriously complex and politically tricky – especially when so many local councils are strapped for cash. To better understand how England's council tax system exacerbates inequalities and why it has proven so difficult to change, I spoke with Richard Partington, the Guardian's senior economics correspondent. That's after the headlines. Ukraine | Donald Trump ruled out the deployment of American troops in Ukraine in his first interview after yesterday's White House meeting with the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and European leaders. UK news | Keir Starmer's asylum plans have been plunged into turmoil after a high court ruling blocked people seeking refuge from being housed in an Essex hotel. Gaza | Israel has said it will deliver its response to international mediators by Friday over a new Gaza ceasefire plan accepted by Hamas amid mounting pressure for a truce. UK politics | A Reform UK-led county council has served its residents a 'plate of chaos' from the start of its leadership, according to its Conservative opposition. Work | Older employees who are disturbed by younger, more boisterous colleagues in the workplace are not victims of age harassment, an employment tribunal has ruled. When you move into a new home, one of the first letters that comes through your letterbox is the amount of council tax you owe to the local authority. This local form of taxation is paid by every household living in the area, whether renting or owning. The funds are used to pay for services from rubbish collection to meals on wheels. It is a tax that people can see and feel in their daily lives. Just how council tax came to be goes some way to explain why there has been such a reluctance to try to change it. Before council tax, a system called rates used to fund local councils. In the 1980s, Margret Thatcher's Conservative government tried to introduce a flat tax, payable no matter the value of the property you lived in, or the income you were on. This became widely known as the poll tax. 'It was controversial. The poll tax was first introduced in Scotland as a sort of pilot scheme and there was a big uproar. When it was coming to England in the late 1980s, there were huge riots, which coincided with the massive unpopularity of the tail end of the Thatcher administration,' Richard Partington tells me. 'It was one of the factors that brought down her premiership. And to replace it, they went back to this compromised, fudged system between the old rates system and the poll tax, and it was called council tax.' The system was devised in 1991 and came into effect in 1993. The problem, however, is that the amount someone pays in council tax is still based on what property prices were in 1991. Which would work, if only we hadn't built any homes since then and prices had never changed. 'There's something like 4.5m new homes or more that have been built since 1991, and then countless more conversions of factory buildings, of barns, and other non-residential properties, like shops, to homes. And you've got this army of experts trying to guess how much it would have been worth in 1991,' Richard says. It's not just those on the left who think the system, as it stands, is absurd. Richard points to criticism by David Willetts, the chair of the Resolution Foundation, who was advising on tax policy in Margaret Thatcher's policy unit in the 1980s. 'He actually thinks that council tax has become as regressive as the poll tax.' Fundamentally unfair system It is worth spelling out just how ridiculous the council tax system is. Several taxation bands dictate how much a household will have to pay to a local authority. But a resident in Blackpool living in a band B property, where the average house price is £130,000, will pay £1,860; while in Kensington and Chelsea, where the average house is worth £2.2m, the same band B bill would be £1,220. 'It hasn't taken account of the huge booming property valuations that have taken place over the past 30-odd years. And that means that you've got people living in hugely expensive homes that are paying relatively low rates of council tax. And that is sort of fundamentally unfair,' Richard says. Of course, the question of how to fix a situation where the numbers are so out of touch with reality brings its own problems – but we'll get to that later. A worsening funding crisis Council tax is not the only way local authorities get money. They also receive grants from central government. But due to austerity measures under Conservative governments, spending power funded by these grants fell in real terms by more than 50% between 2010 and 2021. This is coupled with local councils' ballooning budgets trying to cater to the growing needs of the population. Councils are in charge of a lot more than just littering and local libraries; for example, they front the costs for social care for vulnerable adults and children. 'A large part of what councils do, most people won't see on a day-to-day basis. But adult and children's social care service spending has increased so much because we've got an older and increasingly unwell population, and the cost of delivery has increased. To pay for that, there have been cuts to other areas of spending like road cleaning and libraries,' Richard says. Several councils have declared bankruptcy as a result in recent years and they won't be alone in feeling the pinch. Almost half of councils in England risk falling into bankruptcy without action to address a £4.6bn deficit amassed under Conservative-era policies, according to the government's spending watchdog. 'Most people who wouldn't come into contact with adult social or children's services think that they're paying more to their local authority and not getting much for it. They don't understand why and that's a huge issue.' Winners and losers The problem with the council tax system is that the longer we wait, the harder it becomes to fix, Richard says. With the local council funding crisis coming to a head, the Labour government cannot choose to look away like its predecessors. But the solutions floated come with their own headaches. The deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner, is spearheading the 'fair funding review', to figure out a new way of distributing central government grant funding to councils. That is due to come in from April next year and is under consultation. 'Among the things they're looking at is rebalancing the amount of funding for councils in more deprived areas so that they receive more money in central government funding than wealthier areas. Largely that is going to help councils in the north of England and the Midlands, where they have historically been underfunded by central government grants. And the losers will be in London and the south and the home counties,' Richard says. But a study by the Institute for Fiscal Studies shows that some of the biggest losers will be inner London boroughs where property valuations might be high but there are pockets of deep deprivation and child poverty. 'It highlights that while reforming the system that is so broken, there are going to be all kinds of issues that pop up in the process. You might think that you're addressing one problem, but another one will arise as a consequence,' Richard says. More fundamental reforms Reeves is reportedly considering overhauling stamp duty and council tax in a bid to raise desperately needed revenue. This was an idea put forward last year by Dr Tim Leunig, who was a government adviser in Rishi Sunak's Treasury, in a report for the centre-right thinktank Onwards. 'His idea was to replace council tax and stamp duty in one go with a proportional property tax that would take more accurate account of current property valuations on a national level, and a local version that would fund local services that would over time replace council tax,' Richard explains. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion The reporting suggests any changes to council tax will probably not take place until Labour wins a second term. Is this Labour kicking the can down the line? Richard doesn't think so. 'It's a slow process because there are all these issues to consider. One of the problems is that the scale of the house price changes since the 90s means that if you were to institute a council tax that was actually reflective of current property values, you'd probably crash the London property market and lots of other places where house prices have boomed since the 90s,' Richard says. He adds that there are many people across the country who might live in what are now hugely valuable properties, but it doesn't mean they bought them for those prices. And, perhaps most importantly, it doesn't mean they have high incomes to pay for a regular council tax charge that reflects the modern-day value of the home. 'People hate council tax, and the idea that your council tax would significantly rise would be politically toxic for Labour,' Richard says. 'So they've been very careful with it.' A vivid and harrowing description from an academic in Gaza of what it's like trying to write and continue doing lectures while starving – and why producing knowledge there still matters. Phoebe Notting Hill Carnival returns this weekend and police have been told not to be seen dancing with revellers. Sound ridiculous? This comment piece by the Guardian's Hugh Muir will have you chuckling. Aamna Baffled by bramble bushes bursting with fruit since mid-summer, trees dropping their lives and acorns on the ground … when it's still August? This is because the seasonal cycle is completely out of whack. Phoebe What does it take to start one's own tiny country? The Guardian's Lucy Knight meets with the 20-year-old who claims a strip of forest between Serbia and Croatia with his friends. Aamna This is quite the insight into a relationship in which one partner bringing in an exotic strain of gonorrhoea can be followed up by a session of wedding planning. Phoebe Football | Bayern Munich's move for Christopher Nkunku has stalled, delaying Chelsea's attempts to sign RB Leipzig's Xavi Simons and Manchester United's Alejandro Garnacho. Cricket | A career-best haul from veteran spinner Keshav Maharaj inspired South Africa to a crushing 98-run win over Australia in the first ODI in Cairns. US Open | Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu were bulldozed by a sharp Jessica Pegula and Jack Draper, the top seeds, who reached the quarter-finals of the revamped mixed‑doubles competition with a 4-2, 4-2 win. 'High court rules asylum seekers must be moved from protest hotel' says the Guardian while the Times has 'High court puts asylum hotel policy into turmoil'. The Daily Express proclaims 'Asylum hotel closure is 'a victory for the mums'' and the Daily Mail goes with 'Labour's migrant hotels policy in disarray'. Similar in the i paper: 'Migrant policy in disarray as court rules protest hotel must evict asylum seekers' while the Telegraph says simply 'Migrant hotels facing closure'. Top story in the Financial Times is 'Trump hints at US air role in push to seal Ukraine peace' and the Mirror runs with 'Brit troops 'to keep the peace''. The Metro splashes on 'Fury at Reeves '£500k wealth tax on homes''. What price will Ukraine have to pay for peace? After a week of historic summits on the future of Ukraine, will the president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, have to trade land for peace? Diplomatic editor Patrick Wintour reports A bit of good news to remind you that the world's not all bad A Swedish church that was built in 1912 is going on a road trip – albeit a short one. The 672-tonne church – which is in the Arctic town of Kiruna – is being moved 5km down the road. Dozens of cameras have been set up along the route to enable people across Sweden and the world to watch as part of the latest 'slow TV' extravaganza billed as 'Den stora kyrkflytten' (the big church move). More than 10,000 people, including the Swedish king, Carl XVI Gustaf, are expected to line the streets – which have been widened especially. The endeavour took eight years of planning, and the church is not expected to reopen at its new location at the end of next year. The whole town is being moved to make way for the expansion of Europe's biggest underground mine. Sign up here for a weekly roundup of The Upside, sent to you every Sunday And finally, the Guardian's puzzles are here to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow. Quick crossword Cryptic crossword Wordiply
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Ailing radio star declares bankruptcy after daughter lied that fling with Bachelor star had gotten her pregnant
A longtime Bay Area radio legend and his wife have declared bankruptcy as their daughter faces charges for allegedly lying that a former Bachelor star had gotten her pregnant with twins. Ronn Owens, 79, a longtime anchor at KGO, and his wife, Jan Black, submitted a chapter 13 filing to a federal court in Arizona last week, stipulating that they have $2.3 million in liabilities and owe over $511,000 to more than 40 banks, credit card companies and other creditors, The Mercury News reports. It comes eight months after Owens promoted an online fundraiser to raise money for his family, saying they were dealing with 'overwhelming' financial difficulties' amid his 'profound' health challenges. Black, a former reporter for KCBS, said the filing 'stands as objective evidence of the reality of our financial challenges and the necessity of the GoFundMe fundraiser,' which she said remains 'active and crucial as we work to restructure our finances and move forward.' As of Tuesday evening, it had raised more than $131,600 for the Owens family - with some even making monthly contributions. But the bankruptcy filing shows that a significant portion of Owens and Black's debt, more than $400,000, was incurred in the first half of this year - after the GoFundMe was launched. It describes how they owe $300,000 in credit card debt to creditors like American Express and seven separate Bank of America accounts, and notes that Ronn is being sued by JP Morgan Chase for failing to pay $51,000. The couple, who were once considered Bay Area media royalty, have also claimed they have $6,640 in monthly payments - not including their $14,188 monthly mortgage, which they apparently stopped paying. Yet their pensions and Social Security income, which totals $21,000 a month, more than covers their $150-a-month medical and dental care as well as their $225 supplemental health insurance. Owens and Black are also only paying $1,500 for life insurance and $425 for insurance on their daughter's horses. The couple should have also had some money from selling their longtime San Francisco home for $3.5 million in 2020, as the home they had purchased in Scottsdale, Arizona is now valued at $1.5 million. But the anonymous friends and family members who created the GoFundMe last year insinuated that the funds could help pay for health-related expenses. Owens has Parkinson's disease and survived four bouts of cancer. He also suffers from 'some serious heart issues,' according to The Mercury News. The fundraiser noted that Owens' medical struggles have since 'taken a toll, both physically and financially,' and the couple previously said that their supplemental health insurance does not cover all the 'residual' health care expenses following Owens' multiple health crisis, which also include COVID and pneumonia. They told The Mercury News earlier this year that Owens has spent up to six months in hospitals over the past few years, and when he returned home he needed an in-home caregiver. It now remains unclear how the couple may have used the money they received from the GoFundMe, as Black said that the pending bankruptcy litigation limits what they can share publicly. Still, she said the money 'has been a lifeline during a period that often felt hopeless. 'We truly do not know how we would have navigated these months without their support.' She also denied rumors that some of the money is being used to help fund their daughter Laura's legal expenses, which experts have said could run into six figures. Prosecutors have said the 34-year-old doctored a sonogram and pregnancy video, and even lied under oath, as she tried to get former Bachelor star Clayton Echard to take a paternity test. According to court documents, Laura testified in November 2023 that she was 24 weeks pregnant with twins and Echard was the father. But she dropped her paternity suit at the end of that year, saying she had miscarried at some point without knowing it. An online fundraiser had raised more than $131,600 for the Owens family - with some even making monthly contributions Court records in both Arizona and San Francisco show that Laura has previously made similar allegations against three other men since 2014, claiming each time she either had abortions or miscarriages. Echard's attorney, Gregg Woodnick, has since called Laura a 'serial fraud' in a court declaration. Still, the Owens family has stood by Laura's claim that she was pregnant with Echard's children - and insisted that she was pregnant each of the times she claimed she was. In a statement after she was indicted on seven felony counts of perjury, fraud, forgery and evidence tampering, Laura argued that the charges 'appear to be the product of intense public pressure, not impartial judgment. 'They reflect a system that responded to online outrage, ignored procedural protections, and moved forward based on narrative rather than fact,' she claimed. 'It is difficult not to see them as part of a broader effort to discredit me, discourage me, and make an example out of me,' it continued. 'I intend to meet these accusations head-on - and I will defend myself, fully and relentlessly, through every step of this process.' Reflecting on the allegations against her daughter amid the bankruptcy, Black blasted the Justice for Clayton community, saying its campaign against her and her husband 'has been relentless and deeply damaging.' She went on to say she and her husband have been forced to supplement their pensions and Social Security income with side ventures, but they have been 'significantly impacted by ongoing harassment and reputational attacks.' Having to file for bankruptcy has also been 'deeply intrusive and emotionally exhausting.' When Owens first promoted the online fundraiser in 2024, he also said it was difficult to 'admit that the financial strain has become overwhelming on top of everything else. 'For 48 years, I poured my heart into KGO, sharing stories, sparking conversations and connecting with you all,' he wrote. He added that he never imagined he would be in a position in which he would need to ask for help, 'but here I am asking for a little help from the community that has meant so much to me.'
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Families criticise leaders at Our Lady's Abingdon after closure
A parent of two children who attended a private school that announced its closure last week has said its leadership team has "dropped off the face of the earth". Our Lady's Abingdon (OLA), in Oxfordshire, closed after 160 years citing "a range of economic pressures" including the introduction of VAT on private school fees. In a post on social media, parent Eamon Devlin described the letter announcing the closure as a "masterclass of avoidance" and criticised a lack of support for has not responded to requests for comment. Announcing its closure the school said it had been "under financial pressure for some time" and it had been left with "no viable way forward". It added an increase in fees had become "unaffordable" for some parents and had led to a decline in pupil numbers. At the time of its closure, the school had 368 pupils, despite a capacity of its last accounts filed in August 2023, the school said it faced "challenges" and predicted budget deficits for the years ending August 2024 and 2025. It said the school's governors acknowledged its circumstances represented a "material uncertainty that may cast significant doubt on [its] ability to continue as a going concern". Mr Devlin has one child at the school and another who was due to begin in September. He said there had been high levels of staff turnover in recent years, but no indication from the school that its immediate future was at the time of the closure the school's board of governors said it would be "supporting families in securing alternative school places in Oxfordshire". But Mr Devlin told the BBC: "When the notice was issued, we had no offer of help from the school. "There's been no communication from the governors... it seems like the people responsible for running the school have dropped off the face of the earth".He added that he had attempted to enter his daughters into local state schools, but was told they were full. They will begin at a new private school in September. 'No viable way forward' A woman with grandchildren at the school, who did not want to be named, told the BBC the lack of prior notice was "a betrayal of trust and confused children when [the] school was seen as a predictable, trusted, nurturing environment".Debbie Watson, regional organiser at teachers' union NASUWT, criticised the school's leadership for giving no warning of its closure. "Our members had only recently been forced to have a reduced pension benefit with the governors citing that it was one of the measures they were taking to protect the future of the school," she said."At no point in our discussions with them did they highlight just how perilous the state their finances were in."Ms Watson added: "We are very disappointed that the school has not been transparent and open with us." Teachers at the school went on strike in January in response to the governors' proposal to cap the school's financial contribution to a pension the time, the school said it was considering withdrawing from the scheme due to "unsustainable cost increases" but were "committed to resolving the dispute and maintaining the well-being and education of [its] students". You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
