Latest news with #KathyNelson
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
South Dakota journalism is infused with new energy and passion
Attendees at the 2025 South Dakota NewsMedia Association Convention in Aberdeen included, from left, Kathy Nelson of the Timber Lake Topic, Jason Ferguson of Southern Hills Publishing, Scott Waltman of The Aberdeen Insider and Molly McRoberts of the Potter County News. (Courtesy of David Bordewyk/SDNA) I have read so many stories and opinion pieces about the decline of newspapers and community journalism that sometimes I worry if even I am losing faith in my profession. And then I met up with a bunch of South Dakota journalists for a few days last week. And my faith was renewed plenty. I have just returned from the 142nd convention of the South Dakota NewsMedia Association, and I am happy to report community journalism is alive and well in South Dakota. The energy and passion demonstrated by the 100-plus South Dakota journalists who gathered in Aberdeen last week was authentic and contagious. It warmed my heart and made me proud. Proud to be in a profession that matters dearly these days. South Dakota Searchlight wins 12 awards in annual contest I attended my first newspaper convention in 1979 to pick up an award for a photograph of mine published in The Corsica Globe. I was hooked. I have been to many conventions since that time, having worked at SDNA since 1995. And I've enjoyed them all. However, I witnessed something truly special this year: journalists of all ages and backgrounds coming together to learn from one another and, just as importantly, to encourage, support and believe in one another. All things desperately needed in today's often contentious civic arena where journalists work. In attendance were individuals of all ages and backgrounds, from college students to publishers and editors who have been in the business for decades. Also, attendees who knew little about the profession until they took over the local newspaper because they couldn't imagine their community without one. During the opening lunch, I asked those who were first-time convention attendees to stand. Half of the room stood up. Young and old alike. At that same lunch, we honored two journalists under the age of 30 for their exemplary work. Wren Murphy is a reporter at the Madison Daily Leader doing award-winning work that is making a difference for the community and audience served by that newspaper. Amelia Schafer covers the Indigenous affairs beat for the Rapid City Journal. Her six-month investigation and reporting about 38 unmarked graves at a former Indian boarding school resonated with readers and gained nationwide attention. On Friday night, we inducted Debbie Hemmer into the South Dakota Newspaper Hall of Fame. Debbie worked at the Grant County Review in Milbank for more than four decades, eventually becoming co-owner. Her hard work and dedication over the years has helped the Review to continue its tradition as one of South Dakota's best and largest community newspapers. Also at the convention, we handed out more than 250 awards for excellence in community journalism. Awards for reporting and writing, commentary, photography, design, advertising and much more. The Dakota Scout won the 2024 SDNA Freedom of Information Award for its dogged reporting and legal challenges to obtain information about former Gov. Kristi Noem's government credit card spending. The Aberdeen Insider is among South Dakota's newest newspapers and won its first general excellence award – one of the highest awards we give. These are just two examples of the great work that South Dakota's news media organizations are doing and what we celebrated during our time together in Aberdeen last week. I firmly believe the statewide surveys we commission every few years to gauge what South Dakotans think about local newspapers and local news media organizations are spot-on. Last year, the survey we commissioned found that more than 7 in 10 South Dakotans believe having a local newspaper or news media outlet to serve their community is very important, and more than 8 in 10 adults in our state read a newspaper every month. Spending time last week with South Dakota journalists from across the state reaffirmed those survey results for me. These journalists are dedicated to their work and to the communities served by their newspapers and news organizations. They know better than anyone that the success and sustainability of local journalism is dependent on the support of readers, advertisers and others. Their passion is inspiring. Their work matters. Because without journalism, democracy suffers. Finally, here is my hot tip for the week. A 3-year-old colt named 'Journalism' is the 3-1 favorite to win this Saturday's Kentucky Derby. Bet on journalism. Every time. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Kansas City looking ahead to '26 World Cup tourism, revenue
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — More than 28 million visitors came to Kansas City in 2024, according to VisitKC, and those visitors spent a total of $4 billion. At VisitKC's Annual Tourism Outlook on Wednesday, they shared the details of visitors and investment for 2024, as well as looking ahead to future events, like the 2026 World Cup. KC mayor eyes legislation to combat predatory towing 'When you think about that unique visitor coming to Kansas City and their takeaway of 'This was such a fun city, I want to come back and vacation.' That's where my heart goes when you hear those stories,' said VisitKC President and CEO Kathy Nelson about her highlight of 2024. VisitKC reported record levels of business travel in 2024. 523 events helped fill nearly 528 thousand hotel room nights. That travel accounted for $370 million in economic impact. They also shared that visitors planned 326,000 incremental trips to KC, bringing in another $283 million in spending. One of Nelson's proudest accomplishments is their marketing campaign. They said that every dollar spent on advertising returned an average of $148 per visitor in spending. 'That's a thing,' Nelson said. 'I mean, it's hard to get any ROI like that.' Looking ahead means looking towards the FIFA World Cup in 2026, when Kansas City will host 6 matches starting on June 16, 2026. 'The global spotlight on Kansas City will be like nothing we've ever seen before,' Nelson said. 'It's one shot in our lifetime to get this right.' Nelson shared that Kansas City is ahead in transportation plans compared to other cities. She said FIFA approved phase one of their plan, and they've already secured buses for the event, the first host city to do so. KCPS breaks ground on new campus for school district Nelson also shared concerns that the number of international travelers might decrease in 2025. 'There's always concerns, no matter what the situation is with the federal government,' she said. 'It is concerning. There's no doubt when you see numbers that are declining instead of growing.' Despite the concern, Nelson says the occasion is not being taken for granted. 'We can't take this for granted. We're going to be a year out in June,' she said. Her goal is that international travelers come to a place that they probably haven't been before. 'They may have been in Miami or New York or L.A., but they don't know what Kansas City is,' Nelson said. 'So, it's on us in these coming months to get them to go, 'I got to make a stop in Kansas City.'' The FIFA World Cup matches begin in Kansas City on June 16, 2026. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
TKO Announces ‘Takeover' in Kansas City as UFC, WWE, and PBR Come to T-Mobile Center in April
First 'TKO Takeover Presented by VeChain' to Feature Three Dynamic Live Sports and Entertainment Experiences Over Five Days PROFESSIONAL BULL RIDERS on Thursday, April 24 UFC FIGHT NIGHT on Saturday, April 26 WWE Raw on Monday, April 28 KANSAS CITY, Mo., February 26, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO) today announced that UFC, the world's premier mixed martial arts organization, WWE, a global leader in sports entertainment, and PBR (Professional Bull Riders), the world's premier bull riding organization, will take over the T-Mobile Center for a series of major events from April 24-28. Beginning with PBR on Thursday, April 24, continuing with UFC FIGHT NIGHT on Saturday, April 26, and culminating with WWE's flagship weekly program Raw on Monday, April 28, fans will have the opportunity to experience the non-stop action from each of these thrilling sports and entertainment properties. Through an agreement facilitated by the Kansas City Sports Commission, T-Mobile Center in Downtown Kansas City will become the first venue to host a TKO Takeover Presented by VeChain, showcasing consecutive PBR, UFC, and WWE events over a single weekend in the same city. VeChain, a global leader in blockchain solutions, has been UFC's Official Blockchain Partner since 2022 and has now expanded its commitment to become the inaugural presenting partner of the first 'TKO Takeover' to feature UFC, WWE, and PBR. "Kansas City has collectively hosted dozens of UFC, WWE, and PBR events over the years, and it has become a top destination for each of these respective promotions," said Peter Dropick, Executive Vice President, Event Development and Operations for TKO. "This is a unique opportunity to showcase these three premier properties in one city at the same time for the benefit of fans and visitors to the area. We thank the Kansas City Sports Commission and the management at T-Mobile Center for making this possible." "Kansas City has a great history of hosting world-class events, and we are thrilled to continue that tradition by partnering with three of the biggest brands in the sports and entertainment world," said Kathy Nelson, President and CEO of the Kansas City Sports Commission and Visit KC. "These events will generate significant economic impact for our hotels and local businesses, as well as shine a spotlight on Kansas City through broadcast programming and social media." "Our longstanding relationship with UFC, WWE and PBR has resulted in some of T-Mobile Center's most memorable events," said Jay Cooper, General Manager, T-Mobile Center. "The three together in one action-packed week will be an exciting opportunity for our guests to experience the very best in sports. We are honored that TKO chose T-Mobile Center as the first location for this world-class event package." An exclusive all-in-one ticket bundle comprising all three of these thrilling events will go on sale starting Monday, March 3 at 10 a.m. CST on VIP Experience packages will also be available soon via On Location. These exclusive packages offer premium seating, VIP access to events, all-inclusive hospitality, meet-and-greets with athletes, and more. For additional information, please visit to view package details. Additional details about UFC athletes, WWE Superstars, and PBR bull riders scheduled to participate in their respective events in Kansas City will be announced in coming weeks. UFC and WWE are part of TKO, a premium sports and entertainment company. TKO is in the process of acquiring PBR and On Location. For more information about the first TKO Takeover Presented by VeChain, please visit Collectively, UFC, WWE, and PBR have brought more than 60 events to Kansas City over the past 20 years, with each organization having its own storied history in the city. For PBR, the Kansas City Outlaws, 2024 regular season champions in the PBR Teams league, which was formed in 2022, compete in an annual homestand at T-Mobile Center. In partnership with The Cordish Companies, PBR also operates the PBR Big Sky Bar in the Power & Light district. Among the more notable UFC athletes who have competed in Kansas City include a group highlighted by former featherweight champion Max Holloway, former flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson, former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker, and former women's strawweight champion Rose Namajunas. WWE's rich history of events in Kansas City includes hosting Money in The Bank in 2010, as well as two Raw and SmackDown events annually. Several of the biggest names in WWE have competed in Kansas City, including WWE Legend John Cena and the current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. About UFC® UFC® is the world's premier mixed martial arts organization (MMA), with more than 700 million fans and approximately 290 million social media followers. The organization produces more than 40 live events annually in some of the most prestigious arenas around the world while broadcasting to over 975 million households across more than 170 countries. UFC's athlete roster features the world's best MMA athletes representing more than 80 countries. The organization's digital offerings include UFC FIGHT PASS®, one of the world's leading streaming services for combat sports. UFC is part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO) and is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information, visit and follow UFC at and @UFC on X, Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok: @UFC. About WWE WWE® is an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family-friendly entertainment on its television programming, premium live events, digital media, and publishing platforms. WWE's TV-PG programming can be seen in more than 1 billion households worldwide in more than 20 languages through world-class distribution partners including NBCUniversal, The CW, Sony India and Netflix. In the United States, NBCUniversal's streaming service, Peacock, is the exclusive home to all premium live events, a variety of original programming and a massive video-on-demand library. Netflix is the exclusive home for WWE programming around the world, other than select international markets. WWE is part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO). Additional information on WWE can be found at and About PBR (Professional Bull Riders) PBR is the world's premier bull riding organization. More than 800 bull riders compete in more than 200 events annually across the televised PBR Unleash The Beast tour (UTB), which features the top bull riders in the world; the PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour (PWVT); the PBR Touring Pro Division (TPD); and the PBR's international circuits in Australia, Brazil, and Canada. In 2022, the organization launched PBR Teams—10 teams of the world's best bull riders competing for a new championship—as well as the PBR Challenger Series with more than 60 annual events nationwide. PBR events are broadcast on CBS Television Network and Paramount+. PBR is a subsidiary of Endeavor, a global sports and entertainment company. For more information, visit or follow on Facebook at X at Instagram at and YouTube at About TKO TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO) is a premium sports and entertainment company that comprises UFC, the world's premier mixed martial arts organization, and WWE, an integrated media organization and the global leader in sports entertainment. Together, our organizations reach more than 1 billion households in approximately 210 countries and territories, and we organize more than 300 live events year-round, attracting more than two million fans. TKO is majority owned by Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: EDR), a global sports and entertainment company. About VeChain Founded in 2015, VeChain built a world-leading enterprise smart contract platform, VeChainThor, helping deliver blockchain adoption apps to hundreds of enterprise partners. Building on this expertise, VeChain, would go on to launch the VeBetter ecosystem — a sustainability app platform that uses tokenization and incentives to engage and reward users and businesses, driving a new frontier for mainstream adoption of blockchain technology. Visit — or to explore. View source version on Contacts Media Contacts: PBR: Andrew Giangola - UFC: Chris Costello - ccostello@ WWE: Gregory Domino - Sign in to access your portfolio
Fox News
31-01-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
Chiefs potential Super Bowl celebrations will not feature public rally following 2024 mass shooting: report
The Kansas City Chiefs are pursuing history next weekend when they take on the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX. A victory will make the Chiefs the only NFL team in league history to ever win the coveted Vince Lombardi Trophy in three straight seasons. However, if that does happen, celebrations involving fans will potentially look different from years past. Sources told FOX 4 that officials have decided against hosting a public rally following last year's mass shooting that left one person dead and dozens of others injured when several people opened gunfire at the rally on Feb. 12, 2024. According to the report, plans include a celebration at Arrowhead Stadium for only players, families and some local and state officials. Players will then move to Crown Center, where they will gather for the parade route – which has been designed to minimize crowd density. The decision follows a meeting held Thursday which was attended by head of the Kansas City sports commission Kathy Nelson. Fox News Digital contacted Nelson and the Chiefs for comment. During last year's Super Bowl where the Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers to become back-to-back champions, a mass shooting erupted at the Chiefs' rally in downtown Kansas City. The parade drew in an estimated 1 million people. Police said the shooting happened when one group of people confronted another for staring at them. Officials said 12 people brandished firearms and at least six fired those guns. Prosecutors added that some of the guns recovered from the scene included at least two AR-15-style rifles. Several individuals were charged. Lisa Lopez-Galvan, a local radio host and mother of two, was killed in the gunfire. Officials at the time said around two dozen more were injured. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
