Latest news with #JesseJames
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Yahoo
This North Texas town is the Best Historic Small Town of 2025, list says
A North Texas town just made a national list for its storied history. USA TODAY's 10BEST list for the Best Historic Small Towns of 2025 was recently released. The 10 towns on the list were nominated by a panel of experts that includes travel writers, newspaper editors and USA TODAY editors, and were then voted on by USA TODAY readers. The 10 historic small towns all have populations of less than 25,000 people, and all have multiple historical landmarks. 'The United States has a fascinating history, and exploring the places which most affected it is much more engaging than simply reading about it,' USA TODAY wrote in its ranking. These 10 historic small towns feature 'fun and affordable ways to dive into our nation's past,' USA TODAY wrote. Only one Texas town made the list. Drum roll, please... ⚡ More trending stories from our newsroom: →VIDEO: See Tom Cruise visit a North Texas theater →A Fort Worth lunch full of trendy items for under $25 →These are the most unsafe hospitals in North Texas Voters said Granbury's multiple historic landmarks is where 'Texass history comes alive.' 'It's a small town that's worth a detour off the beaten path.' voters said. Specific mention was given to the Hood County Courthouse and Historic Granbury Square, the Hood County Jail Museum, the Yeates-Duke 1858 Working Museum and the newly-restored Grand Opera House. Oh, and Jesse James is said to have been buried in Granbury. This is the fourth year Granbury has won the USATODAY 10BEST Best Historic Small Town award. The town previously won in 2019, 2020 and 2021. The rest of the towns on the list have 'small populations with big histories,' USA TODAY wrote. Here's the full list: 1. Granbury, Texas Abilene, Kan. Worthington, Ohio Ludington., Mich. Ruston, La. Newport, Ky. Mackinac Island, Mich. Castine, Maine Eureka Springs, Ark. Astoria, Ore.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lawmakers consider tax incentives to promote employee ownership and safe gun storage
Wisconsin State Capitol (Wisconsin Examiner photo) Wisconsin lawmakers considered new tax incentives meant to encourage the development of more employee-owned businesses and cooperatives and to promote safe gun storage. Both measures drew bipartisan support during a hearing Tuesday in the Assembly Way and Means Committee. One bill — AB 17 — would provide a tax credit to businesses that make the transition to a model that gives employees a stake. The credit would cover 70% of the costs for converting a business to a worker-owned cooperative or 50% of the costs for converting the business to an employee stock ownership plan. Businesses could receive a maximum of $100,000 from the tax credit. In a worker-owned cooperative, employees jointly own the business and have control over its operations. Employee stock ownership plans give employees partial or full ownership of a company's stock as an investment for their retirement. According to the UW Center for Cooperatives, there are 728 cooperatives across the state, including 33 worker-owned cooperatives. The bill would create an individual income tax subtraction and a corporate income and franchise tax deduction for the capital gain realized from the conversion. It would also instruct the Department of Revenue to create a program to promote employee-owned and cooperative business structures, providing education, outreach, technical assistance and training. 'More than ever, Wisconsin benefits from companies keeping jobs here, investing in their communities and staying locally owned,' bill coauthor Sen. Jesse James (R-Thorp) told lawmakers on the committee. This type of business structure, he said, is a 'strong tool' to encourage that goal. James said the tax incentive would help businesses considering switching because the conversion process can be complicated and expensive. According to the National Center for Employee Ownership, a transition to a worker-owned model can initially cost between $10,000 and $30,000. Converting to an employee stock ownership plan can generally cost between $100,000 and $300,000, with ongoing costs of $20,000 to $30,000 a year. Several Wisconsinites who have benefited from making the switch testified in favor of the bill. John Dally, a veterinarian, said it would provide 'critical support' for cooperatives in Wisconsin. Dally started a practice about 20 years ago with a colleague in Spring Green, and in 2020, they acquired another location in Mazomanie. As they were getting older, he said, they began considering retirement and the future for their business, Cooperative Veterinary Care. 'We wanted to ensure the practice would stay in these small communities, continue to serve the families and the pets that we just come to know and love — we've worked with them for our entire careers — and we also wanted to have some fair and equitable options for our employees and have a return on our investment to sell,' Dally said. Dally said historically veterinary practices would be sold to younger associates, but with increasing costs of education, many young veterinarians cannot take on the additional debt that comes with taking it over. Private equity firms and large corporations have also been acquiring small practices in recent years, he said. According to Brakke Consulting, a veterinary management consulting firm, nearly 25% of general veterinary practices and 75% of specialty practices, such as emergency and surgery care, are owned by large corporations. The issue of consolidation in the pet care field by large corporations has gotten the attention of U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut. 'We were looking around and thinking, what could we do, and I came upon this idea of employee ownership and it just made total sense,' Dally said. He said the transition in 2022 to a worker-owned cooperative cost about $30,000. He said a grant helped with the expense, and they also received support from the UW Center for Cooperatives. Dally said that their team of veterinarians, technicians and assistants have been able to take ownership of the business. The employees, he said, range in age from 20 to 58 and come from a variety of backgrounds. 'We all came together to create bylaws, manage the business, make decisions about how to allocate resources in smart and equitable ways,' Dally said. He said the cooperative has kept these veterinary services in these communities when they might have closed as they retired or sold to a large corporation who may or may not have kept them there. In the three years since transitioning, Dally said the worker cooperative has developed a beneficial health insurance program and a mental health program, invested in new equipment, raised wages and distributed additional profits back to the employees. 'It's just created a tangible, positive impact on our local communities. It provides a clear pathway for employees to not only work for the business, but to own a piece of it and benefit from its success and all their efforts and enthusiasm,' Dally said. 'Our experience in transitioning to this model is proof that it works, particularly in small communities.' Dally said it would not have been possible without the help they received, and the bill could provide the necessary support to other businesses looking to make the transition. 'It will allow businesses like ours to thrive and continue serving their communities while providing meaningful economic benefits for workers. It has the potential to change the landscape of business ownerships in Wisconsin, especially in these rural communities that are often overlooked by larger corporate interests,' Dally said. 'We need your support to make this a reality.' Kristin Forde with the UW Center for Cooperatives told lawmakers that the center's staff has seen greater interest in employee ownership as a succession strategy for retiring owners, but the models remain largely unknown among business owners. Forde said the state is likely to face a crisis in business as Baby Boomers prepare to retire. 'We really see employee ownership as… a solution to that problem,' Forde said. The legislation, she said, would tie together education and financial incentives to ensure that employee-owned cooperatives are a 'feasible solution to retaining jobs and services in our communities.' Republicans and Democrats also appeared supportive of AB 10, which would eliminate sales taxes on devices meant to ensure safe storage of guns. According to the CDC, unintentional injury is a top cause of death among children with guns being a leading method for injury. 'It was kind of jarring to hear that,' bill coauthor Rep. Adam Neylon (R-Pewaukee) said. Neylon said unsecured firearms are a major cause for those deaths and injuries, and that he wanted to propose a way to make safe storage more affordable. 'This isn't about politics,' Neylon said. 'This is about saving kids' lives.' Neylon said after hearing from constituents and consulting with the state Department of Revenue, he has amended the bill to cover a variety of devices in addition to gun safes. The amendment defines a 'firearm storage device' as a locked and fully enclosed container and excludes glass-faced display cabinets. It adds 'firearm safety' devices, 'installed on a firearm designed to prevent unauthorized access to the firearm or to prevent it from being operated without first deactivating the device.' Rep. Joan Fitzgerald (D-Fort Atkinson) said she supports the action, but called for more to be done. 'Protecting our kids and our communities should be top of mind for many of us… and there are a lot of people that are not responsible gun owners, so I do think we need to do more in this area,' Fitzgerald said. Gov. Tony Evers has also included the proposal in his 2025-27 budget, but Republican leaders on the Joint Finance Committee have removed it from his previous budget proposals and have said they plan to write their own budget. Fitzgerald asked Neylon why he proposed the measure if it was included in Evers' budget. 'I think, personally, this is at risk of being pulled out of the budget as a public policy item,' Neylon said. While his bill does have a fiscal impact, 'I think there's precedent of doing this through legislation in the past,' he added. 'But if it ultimately is in a budget that I support, I would be happy about that.' Lawmakers also considered AB 64, which would allow teachers to claim a tax deduction of up to $300 for expenses, including professional development courses, books and other classroom supplies. It, too, has bipartisan support. Bill coauthors Sen. Dan Feyen (R-Fond du Lac) and Rep. David Armstrong (R-Rice Lake said) the bill mirrors the deduction that is already available for teachers when they file their federal taxes. 'This would double the potential benefit and bring teachers significantly closer to be made whole,' Armstrong said. Armstrong noted that teachers 'sometimes find it necessary to purchase books or supplies for their classrooms.' He added that he has two daughters who are teachers and remind him about the costs 'consistently at the beginning of school.' CESA 6 CEO Ted Neitzke told lawmakers his wife, a Sheboygan middle school language arts teacher, has a classroom with likely 'tens of thousands of dollars worth of Mrs. Neitzke's investments in books and materials.' 'This is something that… would be a great tool for local school systems, especially when we're competing nationally for talent, to be able to support our staff in reimbursing some costs that they spend,' Neitzke said. 'Any little bit helps.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Making the Team: Jesse James relives ‘dream' draft day moment
PITTSBURGH, Pa. (BLACK AND GOLD NATION) – Waiting during the NFL Draft is one of the most nerve-racking experiences that future players will ever endure in their careers. 'The draft is unpredictable,' longtime NFL tight end Jesse James said. 'Everyone likes to think they're going to a certain place, but it doesn't always work out the way you want.' The first two days of the 2015 NFL Draft passed by James, keeping him on the edge of his seat to hear his name called during the final day. Making the Team: How a couple minutes changed Chris Villarrial's life 'When I was sitting there waiting, each pick that went by felt like there was a 45-pound plate being stacked on my chest,' the Penn State product said. 'I felt the pressure building.' During the fifth round, the western PA native would receive a phone call from a familiar area code, 412. Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin told James over the phone that his hometown team would be drafting him. 'It was definitely a dream come true,' the 160th overall pick said. All of the draft day waiting, angst and anxiety was worth it for him. 'It's definitely a big moment in your life,' James said. Not only was he going to play for the team he grew up rooting for but also suit up with his childhood hero in Steelers tight end Heath Miller. 'The knowledge that (Heath) gave me was huge and I built my career with that foundation,' James said. 'I went in and tried to copy all the processes he went through, and it became extensive. All the stuff that I learned from him really was the foundation for the success I had in my career.' While it was a dream scenario for James, he knew he had to wake up and work to stay in the league. 'I didn't start off playing right away. I had a lot to prove,' the South Allegheny alum said. 'You weren't going to be given anything you did. So, I sat around the first couple weeks of the season as a healthy inactive and just trying to get a moment to prove myself.' James' moment would eventually come during week nine of his rookie season against the Oakland Raiders. He would catch a touchdown in the fourth quarter to extend the Steelers lead to two scores, which ultimately helped them get the 38-35 win. 'That game I had to block against some of the best guys in the league,' James recalled. 'It was like Khalil Mack and Aldon Smith. So, it was a tough match up and I was able to step up to the challenge and prove my value to the team.' James would go on to spend eight years in the NFL with five total teams, being a classic example that good things can come to those who work and wait. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Wall Street Journal
11-04-2025
- Lifestyle
- Wall Street Journal
Why Tech Bros Are Dressing Like Cowboys Now
Visit the Austin, Texas, flagship of Tecovas, a buzzy western-wear brand known for relatively minimal designs, and you might encounter something more terrifying than a coiled rattlesnake: a tech bro trying on $300 cowboy boots with his tight, stretch chinos. Patrick Shehane, Tecovas' central regional manager, said sometimes a fit guy turns up in full athleisure and winds up 'standing there in broad, square-toe boots with his pants tucked into them.' Once the eager customer has settled on shoes, the staff recommends jeans wide enough to swallow the top of the boots and stop Jesse James's spinning in his grave. (For those who haven't binged 'Yellowstone,' tucking pants into cowboy boots is bad.) Sometimes, a tech guy tags along with his girlfriend. 'We get him out of the Allbirds and put him in our boots,' said Shehane. 'Word got out through the tech community that Tecovas is where to go.'
The Independent
05-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
23 brilliant movies that bombed at the box office, from Shawshank Redemption to Children of men
Predicting which movies will set the box office alight seems like an easy task, but there's a reason studios get paid the big bucks to do so. However, every so often, an acclaimed film can come along that absolutely tanks after being unveiled for the public. Over the years, there have been a startling number of films that have struggled, or indeed failed, to recoup their budget, and have consequently earned the 'box office flop' label – this summer alone has already racked up a fair few. It's hard to pin down exactly why movies such as these – Children of Men and It's a Wonderful Life, to name a few – initially struggle to find an audience. Fortunately, though, the film's quality shines through and it ultimately finds a fanbase beyond its theatrical release. Thanks to the advent of streaming services, reliance on box office figures has diminished somewhat over the years. This also means that films which struggled to find an audience upon release could potentially go on to find love years later after being added to Netflix, Prime Video or another service. Below, we run through a list of films that unexpectedly – and unfairly – bombed at the box office. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) Andrew Dominik's revered Western only just recouped half of its $30m (£22m) budget when released in cinemas in 2007. However, it fortunately found love after being released on DVD and Blu-ray, no doubt helped by its inclusion on several 'best films of the year' lists. Babylon (2022) It's hard to know exactly what was behind Babylon's insipid box office showing. Was it poor marketing, or the fact that the film was 190 minutes long? Whatever the reason, it's a damn shame – in her five-star Babylon review, Clarisse Loughrey describes the 'debauched drama' as being 'tailor-made to divide audiences', adding that it 'puts a bullet in the head of any notion that the film industry's silent era was ever austere or quaint'. Blackhat (2015) Michael Mann's underrated cyber thriller was a box office bomb, earning a mere $19.7m (£15m) at the box office against a budget of $70m (£52.5m). The unfairly scathing reviews probably didn't help. Blade Runner (1982) It's hard to imagine a seminal film like Blade Runner being a flop at the time of its release, but that's exactly what Ridley Scott's sci-fi film was. After a lacklustre run in America, the film proved it had staying power thanks to worldwide audiences and became a word-of-mouth hit in the process. Still, it only made back $10.5m (£8m) more than its budget of $30m (£22.5m). Children of Men (2006) While it's now considered to be one of the best films of the 21st century, Alfonso Cuarón's dystopian thriller, starring Clive Owen, failed to make its money back at the box office at its time of release in 2006. Citizen Kane (1941) Orson Welles' film may now be a beloved classic, but it was a different story back in the early 1940s: it failed to recoup its costs at the box office – and was beaten to the Oscar Best Picture by (the actually very good) How Green Was My Valley. Clockers (1995) Spike Lee's Clockers ranks as one of the director's most disappointing performances at the box office to date, taking just $13m (£10m) from a $25m (£18.7m) budget. Deepwater Horizon (2016) Peter Berg's real-life drama fell more than $30m (£22.6m) short of its $156m (£117m) budget – a shame considering it's one of the Friday Night Lights creator's best films to date (which, from the guy who directed Battleship and Mile 22, we suppose is not saying much). Donnie Darko (2004) Donnie Darko grossed just over $7.5m (£5.6m) worldwide on a budget of $4.5m (£3.3m). A notable reason for its flop was likely due to the fact its marketing campaign centred on the scene involving a crash of a plane's engine just weeks before 9/11. Thankfully, the film went on to earn a cult following after being released on DVD and is now one of the most celebrated films of the 2000s. Event Horizon (1997) With its B-movie-style scares and ridiculous twists, Event Horizon had all the ingredients to become a sleeper hit. Instead, it was a commercial and critical failure, grossing $26.7m (£20m) on a $60m (£45m) production budget. The Fabelmans (2022) Steven Spielberg's late-career efforts have seldom enjoyed the kind of box office sorcery that defined his early hits. But it was still shocking to see just how few people turned out to see The Fabelmans, a mostly autobiographical drama focusing on the filmmaker's childhood, and his parent's marital troubles. Perhaps it was the marketing that was at fault – trailers suggested this would be a mawkish love letter to the wonder of cinema, whereas the actual film offers a far more cynical and nuanced worldview. Heaven's Gate (1980) Michael Cimino's ambitious epic is notable for being one of the biggest box office bombs of its time, losing studio United Artists an estimated $37m (£27.7m) – which is over $114m (£85.5m) when adjusted for inflation. The film, which received a mauling from critics at the time, has been reevaluated in recent years – and is best viewed as one of the last truly director-driven films in that Hollywood era. Hugo (2011) Martin Scorsese's charming family film was a commercial failure, grossing just $185m (£138.6m) against its $150–170m (£112m-127m) budget. Five years later, he'd have another flop with Silence, which consequently made studios wary about investing in the director's future projects. Instead. Scorsese jumped to streaming, releasing The Irishman on Netflix in 2019. He will release his next two films, including 2022's The Killers of the Flower Moon, on Apple TV+. The Insider (1999) While loved by critics, Michael Mann's drama – starring Al Pacino and Russell Crowe – never made back its $68m (£51m) budget. The Iron Giant (1999) Despite being one of the greatest animated films of all time, The Iron Giant was a victim of Warner Bros' scepticism towards the genre after the failure of their previous effort, Quest for Camelot. Future Pixar director Brad Bird's film made $31.3m (£23.4m) worldwide against a budget of $70–80m (£52-£60m). It's a Wonderful Life (1946) While not a major flop, this classic underperformed at the Christmas box office due to stiff competition from other big films released at the time, including William Wyler's The Best Years of Our Lives and Powell and Pressburger's A Matter of Life and Death. The King of Comedy (1982) Although Martin Scorsese's drama was well-received by critics, it flopped at the box office. Reflecting on this, lead star Robert De Niro said that the film 'maybe wasn't so well received because it gave off an aura of something that people didn't want to look at or know'. Mulholland Drive (2001) David Lynch's head-scratcher is considered to be one of the greatest films of all time, but it was so hard to market that it failed to make back its $20m (£15m) budget. Scott Pilgrim vs the World (2010) Edgar Wright's latest film, Last Night in Soho, flopped. at the box office – but it wasn't the director's first taste of disappointment. In 2010, Scott Pilgrim was a box office bomb, grossing $47.7m (£35.8m) against its production budget of $85m–90m (£63.7m-£67.5m). However, love for the film is strong 11 years on,with the director regularly tweeting along whenever it's broadcast on TV. The Shawshank Redemption (1994) This Stephen King adaptation might famously sit atop IMDb's 'top 250' list, but it was a box office disappointment upon release, earning only $16m (£12m) during its initial theatrical run. It would later get re-released and earn $58.3m (£43.7m), which is kind of cheating, but we'll allow it. A Simple Plan (1998) This Oscar-nominated Coen brothers-style noir from Sam Raimi, which is currently on BBC iPlayer, amassed a paltry $17m (£12.7m) at the box office,. This perhaps cemented its destiny to be one of the most unsung films of the 1990s. This Is Spinal Tap (1984) It wasn't until its home entertainment release that Rob Reiner's mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap, documenting the rise of a fictional band, became the beloved classic it is today. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) It may be a superior Roald Dahl adaptation, but the Gene Wilder movie made a tiny $1m (£749) profit upon its original release in 1971. It cemented its status as one of the most-loved family films of all time after becoming a regular fixture in the Christmas TV schedules.
