Latest news with #MattHughes
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
KYTC plans to begin Glover Cary Bridge repair project next week
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) announced Thursday that major repairs to the historic Glover Cary Bridge — also known as the Owensboro 'Blue Bridge' — will begin with preliminary work next week. When major repair get underway in early July, the bridge is expected to be closed to all traffic for about 90 days. 'Repairs to safeguard the iconic Glover Cary Bridge in downtown Owensboro are scheduled this summer to maintain the vital traffic service it provides across the Ohio River between northwest Kentucky and southern Indiana,' a Thursday press release from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet said. 'This is the largest repair operation on the Glover Cary Bridge since 2011,' said KYTC district two public information officer Matt Hughes. 'It has closed for more minor repairs since 2011, but this is the biggest project in recent years.' Hughes said that following an inspection of the bridge last fall, engineers estimated needing to close the bridge for around six months. 'But the engineers have worked to streamline the repairs in order to shorten the closure length, to reduce traffic impacts to a minimum,' he said. Last fall's inspection also called for repairs to the roadway on the Indiana side of the bridge, Hughes said. 'During that inspection back in the fall, they found some issues over on the north river in Indiana that were going to require the road to be shut down to make some repairs,' Hughes said. 'We were able to work with the Indiana Department of Transportation to try to get that built into this one project because we're going to have the bridge shut down anyway. So we though to go ahead and get that fixed as well so there won't be more inconvenience for travelers.' According to Thursday's press release, work on the bridge will begin with single-lane closures starting on Monday, June 9 and run through Wednesday, June 11. Flaggers will be directing traffic in an alternating one-lane method. American Contracting & Services, hired by the KYTC, plans to fully close the bridge, which connects Kentucky 2262 with Indiana SR 161, following the Independence Day holiday weekend, in order for the full scope of work to begin. During that time, the aging bridge deck will be replaced, concrete repairs will be made and bridge joints will be repaired. 'While the entire project is slated to last through November, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is limiting the actual bridge closure to 90 days or less. That schedule would have the bridge reopened around the first of October,' stated the press release. Hughes said that construction crews are planning to work through the night in order to keep the repair timeline to 90 days or less. KYTC said that closing only one lane at a time on the bridge wasn't possible to be able to complete all of the repairs. 'Crews will be fully replacing one 750-foot span of concrete-filled bridge decking while making repairs to a second span of the same length. Because the decking spans the entire width of the bridge surface, closing one lane at a time is impossible,' the press release detailed. Closing the bridge for these repairs, Hughes said, 'will allow for long-term concrete maintenance to be completed, rather than short-term repairs, helping to keep the bridge safe and open for many years to come'. Work that can be completed without fully closing the bridge is planned to happen outside of the 90-day window. KYTC estimates that around 7,200 vehicles cross the Blue Bridge, which opened to public traffic in 1940, daily. During the time of the closure, travelers needing to traverse the Ohio River into Southern Indiana should detour to the U.S. 231 William H. Natcher Bridge. Up-to-date traffic information provided by the KYTC can be found at
The Guardian
13-04-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
The Boat Races 2025: Oxford v Cambridge
Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature A more uplifting, empowering tale of the Oxford v Cambridge rivalry comes via Matt Hughes. He spoke to Heidi Long and Claire Collins, who were born on the same day and have raced each other 15 times. They go again today with it all on the line – epic stuff. Share It's got pretty toxic in the buildup to the 2025 Boat Races – and we don't just mean the sewage pollution and E coli in the Thames. There's been an eligibility criteria row between the two fierce rivals, with three Cambridge students – two female rowers, one male – banned from the race because they were studying for postgraduate certificates in education (PGCEs) rather than a degree. This led to Imogen Grant, the Olympic lightweight double sculls champion and a three-time Boat Race winner with Cambridge, accusing Oxford of 'slimy tactics' in March, amid talk of academic snobbery. An independent panel, however, saw things the way of Oxford University Boat Club. So we've got the playlist ready before the 2025 event: Toxic, Bad Blood, erm … The Tide Is High? Of course, the state of the river is a serious matter. Tests carried out by water campaigners along the four-mile route revealed E coli levels three times above the threshold for 'poor' bathing water status. Last year, the Oxford team revealed that some of their crew had been ill in the buildup. As for the races themselves: Cambridge boast recent dominance. The Light Blues are going for a hat-trick of victories in the 170th men's race, while the women's team are looking to stretch an even more impressive run. They have won the last seven Boat Races, though last year's was a dramatic affair with the Dark Blues taking an early lead. Can Oxford turn the tide, as it were? We find out with the women's race beginning at 1.21pm BST, the men's starting at 2.21pm. Share
Sky News
27-02-2025
- Business
- Sky News
Could Man City be stripped of titles? Or have points deducted? Experts give their opinions
In the next month or so, we're expecting an independent commission to announce whether Manchester City will face any punishment over more than a hundred counts of alleged financial rule breaches. The club are facing around 115 charges laid by the Premier League which have been the subject to a hearing which has been held in private. Ahead of the verdicts, Sky News' sports correspondent Rob Harris spoke with some of the world's top football finance experts at the Financial Times' Business of Football Summit 2025 to hear what they think will happen next, and to answer questions from readers. But before we get to their thoughts, let's look at the background of the case. What is the nature of the charges? The greatest proportion of the charges relate to rules that require clubs to provide accurate financial information, and which City are alleged to have breached. They include details concerning the accuracy of information about sponsorship deals and player and manager payment. There are also allegations of breaches of rules requiring clubs to comply with UEFA Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations - and the Premier League's own profit and sustainability rules (PSR). They are also accused of failing to cooperate with the league's investigation. In all, there are charges relating to every season between 2009-10 and 2022-23. During that period, City won the Premier League title seven times, the FA Cup on three occasions, six League Cups and a Champions League. City have strongly denied the allegations and said they welcomed the opportunity for an independent commission "to impartially consider the comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence that exists in support of our position". What's next? Since the charges were announced, hearings have been held in private, during which lawyers from the Premier League and Manchester City have presented evidence and arguments on the case. A panel of retired senior judges sits on an independent commission which will rule on the case very soon. They could find City guilty on all of the charges, guilty of some of them, or clear the club of any wrongdoing. Your questions While we wait for the verdict, readers posed their questions to experts. At the Financial Times' Business of Football Summit 2025, Rob Harris spoke to: Matt Hughes, sports journalist at FootBiz Simon Leaf, sports lawyer at Mishcon de Reya Martin Lipton, chief sports reporter at The Sun 'We've never seen anything like it' Matt Hughes said the case is the clearest example of how football can change radically in just a few years. "Five, ten years ago, I couldn't have imagined journalists and football fans arguing over arcane matters of competition law and issues such as associated party transactions - it feels like the last ten years of the Premier League has all crystallised in this one case," he said. That was echoed by Simon Leaf, who said the case was "truly unprecedented in the history of football and financial regulation in football", before adding that such regulation is only 10 or 15 years old itself. "We've never quite seen anything like it," he said. And with a case of that size comes the challenge of proving it. Martin Lipton said it's a "huge ask" for the Premier League to prove any of the charges, as they'd have to show beyond any doubt that City knowingly "defrauded football". Could only a few guilty verdicts lead to a points deduction? As we mentioned above, it's not yet clear whether the independent commission will find City guilty on all charges - but what if they were found to have broken a few rules? Could we expect a heavy fine or points deduction for each charge broken? Our experts explained that the first problem is that we're effectively in the dark until the verdict is released in full. "We still don't know exactly how many charges [City] are facing," Hughes said, noting that figures have been floating around the 115, 129 or even 130 mark, but nothing is certain yet. "Everything's been done confidentially," Lipton said, adding that we will only get an understanding of what they've actually been charged with with the verdicts. Others may look to precedent. Last season, Everton were twice docked points for breaching the Premier League's PSR. Nottingham Forest were also deducted four points during the last campaign. But, as the experts explained, these were for more straightforward charges of overspending - something fairly straightforward to prove (additionally, this, alongside the number of charges, is one of the main reasons the case has taken so long to reach a conclusion). Many of City's charges relate to overinflated sponsorship deals - which is entirely more subjective and therefore much more difficult to prove. For instance, a sponsorship deal involving a global superclub like Manchester United would have a vastly different value to one with a newly promoted side like Southampton. "What it comes down to is trying to assess the market value of these deals... and it's very hard to know what the value should be from club to club," Leaf said. "Equally, the rights are not the same [in every deal] - some include hospitality access for sponsors," he added. "One of the deals we did a few years ago involved a country's national ballet being able to appear at the [club's] stadium - how do you put a [market] value on something like that?" Could City have Premier League titles stripped from them? "There seems to be no appetite to take retrospective punishment," said Hughes when asked this question. But Leaf said it was still too early to say. "I suspect there will be certain clubs looking at this and saying, actually we would have been entitled to payments for qualifying for Champions League... or even bonuses from sponsors from finishing in a different position," he said, suggesting this would give the commission something else to think about when making its decisions. But Lipton said he'd be very surprised if City were to be stripped of titles, given that that would undermine the Premier League's history. "If you were to strip titles, the single most iconic moment in the history of the Premier League - Sergio Aguero's 94th minute goal against QPR to win the league - didn't happen," he said. " You can't rewrite history to that extent," he said, adding title stripping is just "not going to happen". What if City are cleared? If City's position is vindicated, it is likely to lead to serious questions about the Premier League's ability to effectively govern its clubs and enforce financial regulations. This is at a time when football is on course to become subject to wider independent regulation, something which is widely supported by supporter groups. Other clubs who have faced punishment in the past will also want to pick through the details of the verdict and may have further questions about how the rules are being applied. But it also opens the door for City to go for the jugular, our experts said. "If City were to be cleared of absolutely everything, then the next question will be - what happens to the Premier League leadership?" Lipton asked. He described the case as nothing more than a "brutal civil war" and should City win it, they'll seek "the complete decapitation of the entire leadership". What about an appeal? Either side can appeal against any ruling. "We're hoping to get an initial judgment next month," Hughes said, adding the issue as a whole won't be resolved for a long time, whatever the verdict is. Leaf noted that it's highly unlikely there will be a finding that both sides are happy with, making the possibility of a lengthy appeals process high. "If there's an appeal, there's a separate commission [that presides over it]," Lipton said, suggesting that we'd effectively be starting again.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Sterling lobbyist files state bills for designation offering up to $50M in economic development incentives
Feb. 20—STERLING — Lobbyist Matt Hughes of MRH Solutions has filed two state bills as part of his strategy to secure a designation that, if approved, could provide millions of dollars in additional funding for city development in Sterling. Hughes told the Sterling City Council on Tuesday that he has filed Senate Bill 1309 and House Bill 1919 to help secure a River Edge Redevelopment Zone designation. However, he said the legislative process would not fully get underway until after Gov. JB Pritzker delivered his 2025 budget address Wednesday. "I suspect that our bills will be assigned to committees sometime in the next couple of weeks, which will require the city to testify on behalf of the merits of the bill," Hughes said. "I'm happy to handle that for you guys, and also help the city in that testimony process, and work with the committees on your behalf to try to get the bills passed." Hughes said the bills must be out of committee in both the House and Senate by Friday, March 21, and must pass both chambers by Friday, April 11. He said the city of Alton also has been added to the legislation per recommendations from Rep. Maurice West. The River Edge Redevelopment Zone Act is legislation encouraging economic growth through redevelopment and revitalization projects that are typically in areas along waterfronts. RERZ provides tax incentives for investors and municipalities. If approved, it could provide almost $50 million in tax incentives through the riverfront work the city already has started. According to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, once a city is designated, certain areas are allocated as a "River Edge Redevelopment Zone." Investors and businesses that develop in these zones are eligible for several tax incentives, including property tax abatements and sales tax exemptions. If approved, the designation could mean years of additional growth and funding for Sterling.
