Latest news with #Lucas
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Video: Dog Proves He's the Perfect ‘Plus One' To a Wedding
A dog proved he's the perfect 'plus one' at a wedding as the viral video captured him following through the packed routine for the day. Lucas, a dashing fashion model Dachshund who boasts over 220K followers on Instagram, stole the spotlight after suiting up for his sister's nuptials. As the video is now making the rounds, the internet can't stop gushing over the 'famous cousin' of the family being a total gentleman while gracing the event. Lucas the Dachshund dog's new viral video showed him turning up as the perfect date and stealing hearts at his sister's wedding. The internet is left awestruck seeing the much-loved family members have the best time at the event. The video, which has now gone viral, even captured the precious moments. Although Lucas may have needed a few power naps here and there, he did a fabulous job following through the day. The video began with Lucas heading out to the venue in the car, with his outfit neatly hanging next to him. Upon reaching, the pup started getting ready for the big day. Lucas donned a crisp white shirt with a black tie. The gentleman completed his dapper look with a tuxedo-style waistcoat. Lucas then headed out to attend the ceremony, where he sat patiently in his chair. Later, the Dachshund had some duties to fulfill, since he was assigned as the ring bearer for the nuptials. The pup perfectly completed his task and continued to enjoy his sister's wedding. Following that, it was finally time for food. Lucas headed to the hall and looked for a good spot. The furry gentleman continued to enjoy the cocktail hour, munching on a plate full of yummy veggies. After getting some food in, the family's 'famous cousin' turned up for a photo session. Lucas continued to sit through the schedule while taking a few naps to power up and pee breaks in between. Besides enjoying a big feast and family party, the adorable pup also received a gift since he was the bride's little brother. Clearly, Lucas had a wonderful time. The post Video: Dog Proves He's the Perfect 'Plus One' To a Wedding appeared first on DogTime.
Leader Live
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Leader Live
Circus Starr to perform at Wrexham Memorial Hall on June 7
Circus Starr will perform twice at Wrexham Memorial Hall on Saturday, June 7. The non-profit organisation's shows are designed especially for children who are disabled, have additional learning needs, or are disadvantaged. This year, the non-profit organisation will also be ensuring that each of its shows is signed in British Sign Language. The volume at shows is lowered, lights are toned down, and sensory packs are offered as appropriate to suit Circus Starr's audience. Free tickets are also sometimes offered. This year's production will see the return of ring mistress Mariska Gandey and Brazilian clown Lucas. Joining them on stage will be Nula Hula, with her sensory hoop act, and Duo Opa, who will make their Circus Starr debut with a skating act. Fundraising director Michelle Crossley said: "We love sharing our fun events with those who usually miss out. READ MORE: Connah's Quay dentist to open in Flintshire in September Wrexham man loses seven stone in Slimming World journey "Whilst our show is very visual, it is important to us that those who are deaf can enjoy the performance in its entirety, and we are proud to have the interpreters at each of our shows to help make that possible. "Thank you so much to the kind businesses that help us continue our valuable work." Circus Starr relies on donations. The performances at Wrexham Memorial Hall on Saturday, June 7 will be at 1.30pm and 4pm.
Miami Herald
2 days ago
- Sport
- Miami Herald
UM men's basketball lands Slovakian forward and Texas point guard for 2025-26 season
University of Miami men's basketball head coach Jai Lucas added two more players to his 2025-26 roster, Slovakian forward Timotej Malovec and point guard John Laboy II, a Houston, Texas, native with whom Lucas has strong ties. Malovec, who is 6-8, played for Mega Superbet in the ABA League First Division in Serbia. 'Timotej is an extremely versatile player who can not only attack the basket, but also be a threat from the perimeter,' Lucas said. 'His maturity and experience playing overseas make him a great fit for our program and we cannot wait for him to get to Miami.' In 2024-25, Malovec averaged 6.1 points and 3.1 rebounds per game, while shooting 36.5 percent from 3-point range for Mega Superbet. He has represented Slovakia at the senior and junior national team levels. At the 2025 FIBA EuroBasket Qualifiers, Malovec averaged 8.7 points, 6 rebounds and 1.3 assists in six games. In the 2022 FIBA U18 European Championship Division B, Malovec averaged 16.4 points and 5.9 rebounds. Laboy II, 6-2, is a three-star recruit per 247Sports and was named to the Houston Chronicle's All-TAPPS (Texas Association of Private and Prochial Schools) Second Team as a senior. 'I have known John and his family a long time through our Houston roots and I am very excited to welcome him to the Miami family,' Lucas said. 'John has a high basketball IQ and is the ultimate teammate. He is someone I see growing with the program and I know that he will positively impact the culture we want to build at The U.' He averaged 14.2 points, 4.0 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game while also shooting 45 percent from the field in 2024-25 and led St. Francis Episcopal to the TAPPS 4A State title.
Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Council votes to get behind Nuggets, Hoiho
Call it an assist — but the Dunedin City Council has offered $50,000 a year for the next three years to help keep the Otago Nuggets and Southern Hoiho basketball teams bouncing. At yesterday's council meeting, Deputy Mayor Cherry Lucas put forward the motion to help the struggling franchises. "This is a very small minor way to get the Nuggets back on court." In March, Australian-owners Sports Entertainment Network (SEN) announced its intention to end its involvement with the Southern Hoiho and Otago Nuggets basketball teams from the conclusion of the (men's) National Basketball League (NBL) season. The Nuggets run in the NBL has been fraught with financial challenges. They pulled out of the league at the end of the 2008 season, but re-emerged in 2010 before folding again at the end of the 2014 season. This time they spent five seasons on the sidelines before re-entering the league in 2020 for the NBL Showdown. Cr Lucas said the money would largely cover the cost to hire the More FM Arena at the Edgar Centre. There was a group working behind the scenes to put together a registration of interest for the Hoiho, while the money would also allow time for interest in the Nuggets licence, she said. "Basketball has the highest participation rates among young people in Dunedin — it exceeds rugby and cricket." Cr Andrew Whiley said it was important to keep the Nuggets and Hoiho if only to keep the levels of participation going. "This money is a drop in the bucket ... but I see this money coming back in spades. It's actually going to be invested and thrown back into the Edgar Centre." Cr Jim O'Malley said supporting the measure would have "multiple positive benefits" for the community at large. Cr Brent Weatherall said the Nuggets were a professional team and, as much as he supported basketball, professional sports could be "cruel" at times. "It just worries me this could be a revolving door that could be going on for years and years — if it were just for a year, I would support this deal, but I can't support it for three years." Cr Steve Walker said basketball was in a "lucky" position and there were more important needs for "our constrained dollar". Cr Bill Acklin did not believe it was council's role to rescue professional sports teams. Mayor Jules Radich said this funding would provide aspiration — "there would be a clear pathway for professional sport in Dunedin." "This is not an endless supply of money — it's only for three years to get them started again." Cr Lucas said this was a commitment from the city to ensure the licence would remain here, and a signal to the National Basketball League that the franchise could be trusted financially. The motion was passed nine votes to five.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Where KC's mayor travels isn't the problem. It's who pays, and what they stand to gain
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas delivers his State of the City address in February 2024 (photo courtesy of the City of Kansas City). How honest should elected officials be with the public? It's not a rhetorical question. In Kansas City, recent decisions by the mayor suggest a level of opacity that warrants closer scrutiny — not outrage, necessarily, but concern. Mayor Quinton Lucas has sidestepped ethics rules, not by breaking them outright, but by rerouting gifts through a nonprofit shielded from disclosure. His lavish trips, funded by interests with business before the city, now appear routine. The problem isn't where he travels. It's who pays, and what they stand to gain. A series of reports by The Missouri Independent outlined a troubling pattern in the mayor's conduct — one centered on secrecy, donor influence and potential retaliation against a whistleblower. At issue: his ties to politically-connected contractors, campaign finance maneuvering and the use of a nonprofit to obscure gift-giving — all while pushing a publicly subsidized downtown stadium. Kansas City mayor accused of skirting city gift ban by using nonprofit to pay for travel At the center is the Mayors Corps of Progress for a Greater Kansas City Inc., a 501(c)(4) nonprofit with a vague mission. During Lucas's first term, the organization covered more than $35,000 in travel, lodging, meals and tickets — including a $23,518 trip to the 2023 Super Bowl for Lucas, his then–chief of staff, and two police officers. The day after the game, the Heavy Constructors Association (commonly called the Heavies), a major construction lobbying group, wired $24,000 to the nonprofit. City ethics rules prohibit gifts over $1,000 to elected officials. Lucas claims these were work-related trips, yet he sought no city reimbursement and offered no public accounting. Instead, his team accepted dark-money donations from entities with business before the city, then kept the details quiet. We only know of them because a whistleblower came forward. The pattern repeated in 2024 and 2025, when Lucas again hit the Super Bowl circuit — without a whistleblower to reveal who paid the bill. In the following months, an anonymous investigation request was made to the Kansas City Municipal Ethics Commission, which just recently refused to engage, finding 'no justification' warranting it. Lucas, just back from a junket to Qatar, spoke about the issue with Kansas City radio host Pete Mundo. 'Big business exists around sports,' he told Mundo, 'it is the reason that so many of us are spinning our wheels to see where the teams play.' Lucas went on to say: 'I will be in any room where I can share what is happening with Kansas City… with a bunch of rich people who have money to invest in Kansas City.' The problem is not what room, or rather owner's box, the mayor is in. Nor is the problem his rubbing elbows with wealthy people. The problem isn't money from afar; it's money in the mayor's back yard. Lucas isn't accepting gifts from people who want to invest in Kansas City; he (or rather his nonprofit, but that's a distinction without much ethical difference here) is taking checks from businesses that want Kansas City to invest in them. Specifically, the Royals, which donated $15,000 to the Mayors Corps in 2022, and the Heavies, with its $24,000 donation around the Super Bowl, benefit mightily from any taxpayer funding. Lucas has presented himself as the man to make it happen — while refusing to disclose the terms of any deal. It's a huge potential conflict of interest that could be addressed with a little disclosure. Despite that, the mayor has doubled down on concealment, not transparency. A cynic would say none of this is surprising, probably least of all to Lucas himself, who said: 'I think the ethics commission got it right, I always knew they would.' Kansas City mayor accused of retaliating against whistleblower who revealed nonprofit spending The commission currently has five members, all appointed by Lucas. To its credit, the commission recommended changes to the city's code of ethics to clear up reporting requirements. But disregarding the complaint demonstrates the problem with dark money contributions. Because the Mayors Corps does not have any business before the city, the commission reasoned, there is no reporting requirement. But the Mayors Corp got the money from people with business before the city. That starts to look like the nonprofit functions as a vehicle to launder donations — something that, again, could be addressed with a little disclosure and that, you'd think, the group would be eager to clear up. Mark Funkhouser, Kansas City's mayor from 2007 through 2011, said when he entered office that the Mayors Corp, 'was explained to me as a slush fund that mayors had been using for many years to do just this sort of thing. Needless to say, I didn't have any fat cats willing to set up and contribute to such a fund for me.' Lucas does. In the radio interview, Lucas argued that by getting donations to pay for his trips, he was being a good steward of the city's finances. He called the idea that the city should cover his expenses, 'preposterous.' Taxpayers take note: If you're not paying for what your elected officials are up to, then there's a pretty good chance you're the product, not the customer. Advocating for taxpayer-funded development is one thing. Accepting undisclosed corporate gifts while doing so is another. It's not just a bad look; it undermines the city's ethics framework and public trust. The public deserves transparency, not evasive answers and twisted reasoning. And they deserve a mayor who respects rules, and the spirit of them.
