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RandySF's JournalPhantom BC to face Mist in Unrivaled final after teams win semifinals at packed Barclays Center
After the success of taking the league to Philadelphia in late January for a weekend that drew over 21,490 fans, Unrivaled decided to move the semifinals to New York a few weeks ago. Playing at Barclays Center was a homecoming for Stewart, the Unrivaled co-founder who led the New York Liberty to its first WNBA championship in 2024.
The star-studded sellout crowd of 18,261 for the semifinal games included basketball greats Carmelo Anthony and Sue Bird; actors Ashton Kutcher and Jason Sudeikis, and gold medal-winning U.S. hockey player Hilary Knight.
The crowd gave a loud ovation to Liberty guard Natasha Cloud, who walked down to the court through the fans as she was introduced before the first game.
She gave them a lot to cheer about as she rallied Phantom in the third quarter from a 59-50 deficit. Cloud drew an offensive foul on one end and then had a three-point play on the other. Her team was up 71-64 heading into the final quarter, which meant it needed 11 points to win under the league’s format.
https://www.wcia.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-unrivaled-hits-the-road-for-semifinals-at-barclays-center-as-phantom-loses-aliyah-boston/
ME-SEN: Platner sat for lengthy interview with antisemitic conspiracy theorist, said he was 'longtime fan' of his show
Weeks before Graham Platner promoted an antisemitic conspiracy theorist in a now-deleted social media post on Thursday, the controversial Maine Senate candidate appeared on a popular YouTube show whose host has spread specious claims about Jews and Israel.
Platner faced blowback this week for boosting a social media comment about a looming war with Iran by Stew Peters, a neo-Nazi influencer who has frequently espoused antisemitic tropes and engaged in Holocaust denial. Platner’s team said the post was made in error and “immediately” removed it after learning it elevated a “despicable account.”
In late January, however, Platner sat for a lengthy online interview with Nate Cornacchia, a retired Green Beret who has also promoted antisemitic conspiracy theories. Near the end of their hour-long conversation, Platner, a fellow military veteran, called himself “a longtime fan” of Cornacchia’s YouTube channel, “Valhalla VFT,” and said it was “an absolute pleasure being” on the show.
Cornacchia, whose show claims nearly 500,000 YouTube subscribers, has in recent months helped stoke a burgeoning far-right conspiracy theory alleging that Israel was involved in the assassination of the conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/platner-sat-lengthy-interview-antisemitic-075439570.html
North Carolina early primary voting surges ahead of 2024, driven by Democratic enthusiasm
More voters cast early ballots in North Carolina’s 2026 midterm primaries than in the 2024 presidential primary, a stark display of voter interest — and a result driven by a huge surge in Democratic voter participation even as Republican turnout fell slightly.
“The Republicans seem to be less motivated to come out than Democrats, and that holds no matter how you calculate it,” said Chris Cooper, a political scientist at Western Carolina University. “In general, what this is telling me is [that] people are not sitting this one out, particularly Democrats.”
More than 296,000 Democrats have cast early ballots, as have more than 215,000 unaffiliated voters and roughly 200,000 Republicans, according to North Carolina State Board of Elections data updated Monday morning. Unaffiliated voters, who are allowed to choose either a Democratic or Republican ballot in North Carolina, have broken toward Democrats, with around 55% casting a Democratic primary ballot.
The early results suggest a Democratic voter base motivated to vote by opposition to the second Trump administration, whose sweeping cuts to federal programs, hardline immigration crackdowns, and aggressive military actions have sparked backlash from the left and pushed some independents away from the GOP.
https://ncnewsline.com/2026/03/02/north-carolina-early-primary-voting-surges-ahead-of-2024-driven-by-democratic-enthusiasm/
Braddock Voters To Fill School Board Seat In Special Election
BURKE, VA — Braddock District voters are heading to the polls Tuesday in a special election to vote for their representative on the Fairfax County School Board.
Small business owner Tom Dannan and Saundra Davis, who has 10 years of leadership experience serving vulnerable communities, are on the March 3 ballot.
Polls in the Braddock District will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Once the polls close, Patch will report the returns as they come in on Tuesday night. Check back here to see the latest numbers.
https://patch.com/virginia/burke/braddock-voters-fill-school-board-seat-special-election
Nancy Mace under House Ethics Committee investigation
Driving the news: The Ethics Committee said in a press release that it is reviewing an Office of Congressional Conduct report into allegations that Mace engaged in "improper reimbursement practices."
The report says Mace consistently "requested and received the maximum allowable reimbursement" from a program meant to help House members pay their D.C. living costs.
An OCC review of invoices, utility bills and other documents "identified discrepancies between the amounts requested and received by Rep. Mace ... and the total of these associated bills," the report says.
By the numbers: Over the course of two years, the report alleges, Mace received nearly $9,500 in excess payments.
https://www.axios.com/2026/03/02/nancy-mace-house-ethics-committee-investigation
Election Day Preview: Voters across Kansas decide on school bonds, local tax bumps
WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - Tuesday brings special elections for several communities across Kansas as voters take to the polls to decide the fates of school bond issues and proposed increases on localized sales taxes.
Eight communities have special elections on Tuesday with six deciding on school bond issues and two considering proposed sales taxes. The biggest race in terms of the number of people impacted and the contention leading up to Election Day is the proposed 1% sales tax in Wichita.
Early voting numbers showed just over 9,200 Wichita voters already making their voices heard, a figure Sedgwick County Election Commissioner Laura Rainwater said surpasses early turnout from the previous November election. She said she expects final turnout to exceed the typical 7% to 15% range seen in special elections.
Hutchinson voters will also decide on a proposed sales tax, this one a 0.75% increase.
https://www.kwch.com/2026/03/02/election-day-voters-across-kansas-decide-school-bonds-local-tax-bumps/
Charlotte transit system offering fare-free rides to the polls on Election Day
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - Charlotte public transportation riders will not have to pay to get to the polls, leaders with the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) announced.
CATS will offer fare-free rides to the polls across the region on Primary Election Day, Tuesday, March 3. The primary election will decide the candidates who will run in the general election on Nov. 3.
Several offices are up for grabs across North Carolina.
Voters are assigned a polling place based on their home address. You can find your polling place by clicking here.
https://www.wbtv.com/2026/03/02/charlotte-transit-system-offering-fare-free-rides-polls-election-day/
Bill to Safeguard Colorado's Gold Standard Elections Moves Forward
DENVER, CO – The House today passed HB26-1113 on a preliminary vote to uphold the integrity of Colorado’s gold standard election system.
“Colorado’s elections are the gold standard in part because we continuously update our laws to guard against new threats to our democracy,” said Rep. Emily Sirota, D-Denver. “Coloradans deserve to cast their ballot without barriers, and this bill safeguards against federal interference in our elections and makes it easier to vote. Whether you’re voting in-person, using a drop box or mailing in your ballot, this bill aims to make voting more accessible to every voter.”
“Elections are free, fair and accessible in Colorado,” said Rep. Jenny Willford, D-Northglenn.“This bill makes important updates to Colorado’s elections to safeguard against federal attempts to force people to vote in person and interfere in Colorado’s vote-by-mail elections. In Colorado, we administer gold standard elections that are safe and secure. Voters are counting on us to uphold and protect the integrity of our elections, and this bill makes casting your ballot easier.”
HB26-1113 makes necessary modifications and updates to Colorado’s election system. It extends voting windows by prohibiting polling centers from closing early and allowing them to stay open longer to accommodate voters if the polling center runs out of supplies, such as ballots. HB25-1113 also protects against election interference and attacks on the United States Postal Service by mailing ballots earlier, so there is more time to vote and return ballots if there are mail delays.
https://www.cohousedems.com/news/bill-to-safeguard-colorado’s-gold-standard-elections-moves-forward
Killeen council will likely call for special election, select new mayor pro tem
The Killeen City Council will potentially make decisions at its Tuesday meeting that will address difficulties related to the wave of resignations it faced the previous month, including calling for a special election to fill the vacant District 3 seat.
The council will need to make a decision to select a mayor pro tem now that Mayor Riakos Adams has ascended to his position.
There are only a few choices, however, with Councilman Joseph Solomon — who is running for mayor against Adams — as well as Councilman Ramon Alvarez, who is not seeking reelection, Councilwoman Jessica Gonzalez, who is running for Justice of the Peace and Councilman Anthony Kendrick, who has only been on the council for less than a year.
Former mayor and councilman Jose Segarra, is also running for Killeen mayor in May and has resigned. Former mayor Debbie Nash-King has also resigned to run for City Council.
https://kdhnews.com/news/local/killeen-council-will-likely-call-for-special-election-select-new-mayor-pro-tem/article_520ac7fb-059d-46ce-bcd3-5a12488fe47c.html
York County Board of Elections sues Dover Area School Board over voter access
YORK COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) – The York County Board of Elections is suing the Dover Area School Board over access to school facilities on Election Day.
The election board says it’s made “repeated formal requests” for the board to provide access to district buildings to be used as polling stations.
Specifically, the county says Dover Area High School and Middle School were requested for use as “optimal” polling places for the May 19 primary and future elections due to their size, accessibility, location, and capacity.
The lawsuit claims that the school board has repeatedly denied requests for access, including a Feb. 17, 2026, vote of 5-4 to deny the county request.
https://www.abc27.com/local-news/york-county-board-of-elections-sues-dover-area-school-board-over-voter-access/
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