Birmingham City Council Rejects $30,000 Request For Deontay Wilder Heavyweight Fight
World Boxing Council Heavyweight champ Deontay Wilder defends his title in Birmingham next month, but the Birmingham City Council says it won’t be investing in the fight.
The Birmingham City Council rejected the mayor’s request to invest $30,000 in Deontay Wilder’s WBC fight, saying they support the champ, but the city has pressing needs.
“We’ve got fire station issues. We’ve got police station issues. We’ve got all these issues in the city, but we can find $30,000,” says Councilwoman Lashunda Scales.
There was also an issue about tickets not being available for residents who ultimately would foot the bill for the city’s support.
“If the citizens are paying and putting up $30,000 for a fight, I want to know if they’re going to be invited to the party too,” she said.
Then someone sent Scales an electronic invite to neighborhood leaders from the Mayor’s Office, telling them to RSVP for the Wilder fight. The tickets would be a reward for their hard work for the community. Holding up her cell phone, Scales read the flyer and said: “Isn’t that the fight we’re talking about? If you can’t give it to everybody, you don’t give it to nobody. If you don’t give it on first come first serve, this is wrong, Mr. President.”
April Odom, spokeswoman for Mayor William Bell, says: “The WBC fight is an economic development win for the city. The last fight generated an estimated $3.5 million for the area. Every hotel room was booked and restaurants were packed.”
In photographs, scientists revel in the world they seek to discover
The magazine Nature announced the results of its annual Scientist at Work photography contest. The six winning entries are a set of dramatic, intimate portraits of research from all over the globe.
How homeowners are saving on insurance by upgrading their houses against disasters
Home insurance is getting pricier as hurricanes and wildfires get worse. States are trying new incentives, encouraging homeowners to retrofit homes against disasters to get an insurance discount.
How Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ threatens access to Obamacare
If the law passes, new paperwork requirements and other logistical hurdles could lead to millions of people on ACA plans becoming uninsured, according to Congressional Budget Office.
Hong Kong police accuse mobile game of promoting ‘armed revolution’
The crackdown on the video game and its users is just the latest in what democracy and human rights advocates say is an erosion of Hong Kong's civil rights and freedoms.
Protests grow across the U.S. as people push against Trump’s mass deportation policies
Protests of President Trump's immigration policies grew across the U.S. on Tuesday, with rallies held in New York City, Chicago and Seattle.
A new father finds comfort in a doctor’s words of advice
In 2019, Darren Wayman was about to become a new father. He was terrified. Then, a doctor came into the delivery room and said something that changed his perspective on parenthood.
