Latest news with #IceHouse
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lumumba, Horhn share final messages with Jackson voters ahead of April 22 runoff election
Incumbent Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba and challenger Sen. John Horhn made final campaign pushes — and shared closing messages with Jackson voters — ahead of Tuesday's high-stakes Democratic mayoral runoff. Jackson voters will head to the polls once more to choose between Lumumba and Horhn for the Democratic mayoral nomination. The winner will move on to the June 3 general election, where they'll face the Republican nominee and four Independent candidates. The April 1 Democratic primary election saw Horhn dominate with 48.4% of the vote compared to Lumumba's 16.8%, according to the official election results certified on April 10. Horhn and Lumumba beat out 10 other Democratic candidates vying for Jackson's top office in the primary elections. Horhn, who has run for mayor multiple times previously, fell just shy of the 50%-plus-one needed to win outright. Lumumba is seeking his third term in office. The winner of the Democratic contest between Horhn and Lumumba will most likely become Jackson's next mayor as the city has not elected a Republican or Independent candidate to the position in decades. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m on Tuesday. Voters can find their precinct by visiting the Mississippi Secretary of State's website and entering their zip code and address. Jackson runoff election guide: Horhn vs. Lumumba in Jackson mayoral runoff; City Council races also on April 22 ballot Here's how Lumumba and Horhn have made their final preparations — and what their message is to Jackson voters ahead of the runoff. Since the April 1 primary, Lumumba said he has been canvassing Jackson neighborhoods and meeting directly with residents. He said he plans to continue "engaging with residents" Tuesday as voters cast their ballots. "My main focus has always been and continues to be talking directly with voters," Lumumba said in an email Monday. "I have had the honor and privilege to connect with Jacksonians all over the city. I have spent time visiting residents during our many neighborhood canvasses, attended neighborhood association meetings, along with many other community events. I've also had the opportunity to fellowship with residents at numerous churches." Lumumba will host a watch party at the Ice House in Downtown Jackson after polls close at 7 p.m. It is the same venue he hosted his "State of the City Address" in October 2024. Below is Lumumba's message to Jackson voters ahead of the runoff: "Perhaps my main message, which is for every voter, is that this election matters. Your voice matters. People often sit out local elections when most of the decisions that affect our lives are made at the local level. Jacksonians have accomplished a lot working together. We have paved 144 streets. We have secured hundreds of millions of dollars to improve our infrastructure. This is the kind of impact I hope we will continue to make, working together." Similar to Lumumba, Horhn said he's been canvassing around Jackson and meeting with potential voters ahead of the runoff. "We hosted a series of events this past weekend and are spending our final hours meeting with individuals across the city," Horhn said in an email Monday. Horhn will host his election night watch party at The Rookery in Downtown Jackson at 7:30 p.m. Below is Horhn's message to Jackson voters ahead of the runoff: 'Tomorrow, you have the power to shape our city's future. For too long, our city has been in decline. Clear evidence of this can be seen through the thousands of people moving away from our city each year. A shrinking city creates a shrinking economy putting stress on all the citizens and businesses who stay. Our citizens deserve better. Jackson is ready for businesses that thrive, streets that are safe, infrastructure that works, and opportunities that lift up every neighborhood. As a State Senator I've fought for Jackson, securing millions for our roads, housing, jobs, infrastructure, cultural attractions, and community programs. All of my Jackson efforts in the legislature cannot grow to their full potential without strong leadership at City Hall. I'm ready to lead as your mayor to restore trust, accountability, transparency, and create unity. We will work together to fix short-term problems quickly while also creating long-range plans together that look into the future. I'll work tirelessly to unite our city, ensuring every voice from South Jackson, West Jackson, North Jackson, Northeast Jackson, Northwest Jackson, Downtown, Fondren, Midtown, Belhaven, Farish Street, and is heard. Now is the time for unity and love more than ever, not division and hate. We must come together as a community no matter your race, class, religion, or background if we want a better city. To quote Dr. King, "We must all learn to live together as brothers, or we will all perish together as fools." I'm asking that all of us come together tomorrow to choose a brighter future. Let's rebuild our city and take pride in Jackson." This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Horhn, Lumumba share messages ahead of Democrats' mayoral runoff
USA Today
31-01-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
'Unimaginable grief': A tight-knit skating community reels after plane crash kills five
ASHBURN, Va. – Skaters, hockey players, friends and family members filed into Ashburn Ice House on Friday morning, some bearing flowers or signs to add to a growing memorial honoring the lives of their ice mates who died Wednesday in a deadly plane crash near Reagan Washington National Airport. Dozens of colorful bouquets and stuffed animals including koalas, bears and Squishmallows were piled high atop a table in the lobby of the ice rink, where skaters could be seen circling around the ice. The toll the loss has taken on the community was visible, as teary-eyed mourners entered and exited the rink. 'I have a lot of friends here," said 10-year-old Ella Li, who accompanied her father and took flowers to the rink she has been going to for three years. "It's like really fun to skate, but after I lost some of them it was really sad.' The Ice House lost at least five regulars in the fiery explosion, including a coach, two teen skaters and their parents,according to friends and associates. The rink has not confirmed the names or number of those lost but acknowledged the impact their community suffered. "It is with heavy hearts that we have learned that our figure skating community has been directly affected," the rink said in a statement. 'The figure skating community is a close-knit worldwide family and our hearts go out to all affected by this terrible tragedy.' Coach Inna Volyanskaya Virginia Rep. Suhas Subramanyam identified Ashburn coach Inna Volyanskaya, a former competitor for both Belarus and Russia, as one of the crash victims. Before moving to the United States and taking up coaching, Volyanskaya, 59, skated with Valery Spiridonov, whose son, Anton, now represents the U.S. in ice dance. Volyanskaya, who was also affiliated with the Washington Figure Skating Club, also participated in "Disney on Ice" productions before becoming a coach in 2002, working with a wide range of skaters from novices to elite competitors, according to her online biography with the rink. In an Instagram post on Wednesday, Volyanskaya congratulated two of her skaters for their second consecutive year participating in the U.S. Figure Skating's national development camp. The three-day camp followed the national championships, which ran through Sunday, and is designed to help U.S. Figure Skating better identify and support young talent. "So proud of all their hard work and training they have done to get here," Volyanskaya wrote alongside a photo of herself with skaters Franco Aparicio and Everly Livingston. Students, Olympic skaters, families:A tribute to lives lost in the DC plane crash Livingston family tragedy Livingston's family was all onboard the flight toward their Ashburn home following the Wichita event. Everly, 11, was raised by Comcast business executive Donna Livingston and real estate agent Peter Livingston alongside her 14-year-old sister Alydia. The two sisters began skating before either of them turned 5, following in the footsteps of Peter, who skated when he was younger. Both parents put their daughters' passion above their own careers − from near-constant traveling to finding private ice rinks, according to close friend Dalal Badri. The sisters competed across the country, both earning several juvenile championships and medals that go along with it. They thrived at both figure and roller skating, mastering different disciplines from solo dancing to freestyling. 'Everly was such a shy girl, but so focused and she just opened up and lit up when she got on the ice,' Badri told USA TODAY. 'Alydia was just always laughing and joking and smiling. She would always pop a joke, even if she had a straight face and was the kind of person that always wanted to make others laugh.' Beyond Ashburn, a skating mecca Li's father, David, said he and his daughter spent Thursday with other skating families visiting other local rinks where memorials have been set up. He said the area is somewhat of a mecca for skating, and a number of very accomplished coaches and high level skaters have dedicated their lives to the sport. When news of the crash broke, Li said fellow parents in the community realized that skaters they knew were due to return from the training camp in Wichita and began texting frantically to find out if they were on the plane. 'It's hard," he said. "But fortunately, the figure skating community is very tight. It's a tight knit community and we've been supporting each other.' Contributing: Tom Schad and Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY
