Latest news with #Wainwright
New Statesman
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- New Statesman
Martha Wainwright, in her own right
'Though I was a 'daughter of' twice over, doors seemed closed to me,' writes Martha Wainwright in her 2022 memoir Stories I Might Regret Telling You, recalling the difficulty she had getting her music career off the ground in the late Nineties. Wainwright – the daughter of the American songwriter Loudon Wainwright III and the Canadian folk artist Kate McGarrigle, and the younger sister of the singer and composer Rufus Wainwright – was born into a family renowned for its musicality. Yet far from the ease with which some might have expected her to glide into stardom, Wainwright found these associations worked against her. This was in 'stark contrast to the attention paid to the 'sons of' musical stars', she writes, naming 'all those boys' she hung out with in New York and Los Angeles: Teddy Thompson (son of Richard and Linda), Sean Lennon (son of John and Yoko), Chris Stills (son of Stephen), Harper Simon (son of Paul). Two decades on from that time, performing at London's Union Chapel in late May to mark the 20th anniversary of her self-titled debut album, Wainwright, now 49, is far from over this early push-back. After opening her set with 'Far Away', on which her voice retains the almost unbelievable balance of childish twee and adult gravel captured on the original recording, and 'GPT', named after Brooklyn's Greenpoint Tavern bar, she explains why it took her the best part of a decade finally to release this album in 2005. 'There was already a lot of Wainwrights in the room, and a couple of cute McGarrigles,' she says to laughs from the crowd – so the industry big shots weren't much bothered by her raw, untethered songs. How could she ever change that? Martha Gabrielle Wainwright was born in New York State in 1976. Her parents were living in Woodstock at the time, but they soon separated, and Martha and Rufus moved with their mother to her native Montreal, where they grew up in a bohemian, folkish family. Wainwright is often asked if her parents 'made' her do music, she writes in her memoir, and the answer is yes. 'But I liked it and I wanted the attention and fun of performing. I was a misfit, and often unhappy, but singing and playing made me feel good.' But she doesn't consider herself 'naturally gifted. I don't hear music in my head… I get intimidated.' No wonder, given her relatives. Loudon Wainwright (now 78) is a Grammy Award-winning songwriter of tracks that have become classics of Americana, including 'The Swimming Song' and 'Motel Blues'. Meanwhile Kate and her sister Anna McGarrigle (Kate died in 2010; Anna still lives in Montreal) are Canadian folk royalty: their self-titled 1976 record was Melody Maker's 'best record of the year', while The McGarrigle Hour (1998, featuring Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt) remains a stalwart of the modern folk canon. This musical prowess continued into the next generation: Rufus Wainwright signed to DreamWorks Records when he was 22, had hundreds of thousands of dollars poured into his 'artist development' and is now a household name for his baroque pop, as well as his soundtrack and opera work. 'Growing up, I never played the piano – how could I with my brother wailing away on it day and night?' Wainwright writes. Numerous aunts and cousins of the Wainwright-McGarrigle clan are musicians too. At the Union Chapel, Martha's cousin Lily Lanken (Anna's daughter) sings backing vocals. But it wasn't just that her family all wrote and played songs; they wrote and played songs about each other – and no one was more candid than Loudon. Martha Wainwright's father was absent for much of her childhood, 'almost denying my existence', she writes. She portrays a man who instead of caring for his family wrote songs about them. When she was 14 and he was 44, Martha was sent to live with Loudon in New York City for 'a year of discontent'. His song 'Hitting You' is based on that year. Over lively guitar he recalls hitting Martha in the car when she was much younger, moving on to how he felt the need to hit her again: 'These days things are awful between me and you/All we do is argue like two people who are through/I blame you, your friends, your school, your mother, and MTV/Last night I almost hit you/That blame belongs to me.' It's brutal. A decade later, Wainwright learnt that another of her father's songs, 'I'd Rather Be Lonely' – which she'd always thought was 'a bit stupid and mean-spirited', and probably about a girlfriend – was actually about that same year with her. She was in the crowd at a Loudon Wainwright concert, having opened for him, when he introduced the next song as being about his daughter, and proceeded to sing: 'You're still living here with me, I'd rather be lonely/All the time I look around/For excuses to leave town/Everybody wants somebody, but I'd rather be lonely.' It's no wonder, then, that when Wainwright came to write, her songs burst out with a wily, frenetic energy, as though charged with resentment for her father's tunes and insistent on making their own mark. Many of the tracks from Martha Wainwright use unusual guitar tunings – 'what I thought were genius tunings,' she says at the Union Chapel, 'now it turns out they're just a pain in the ass' – a lot of piano, and rickety drums. On stage she introduces 'Ball and Chain' as a song of 'desperation, about wanting to be loved and desired', before giving in to its jangling intensity, anchored by her five-piece band. On the fan favourite 'Factory' she sings, 'These are not my people/I should never have come here,' with ferocity. Yet as the song goes on, her vocals, elsewhere hard edged, morph into a beautiful sloppiness, her vowels soft around these words as her body, too, finds an elastic effect, her legs bending and slinking below her guitar. Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe If Wainwright's assertion of being withheld the full benefits of nepotism because of her gender is hard to swallow for those of us who will never have the luxury of benefiting from nepotism whatsoever, another of her declarations is undeniable: that unlike Loudon and Rufus, her career has been held back by motherhood. Wainwright is the mother of two teenage boys, their father her ex-husband and former producer Brad Albetta, who comes off particularly badly in the memoir. In London she plays an unreleased track, singing: 'I chose my children over my career/But I still have to feed them and they are dear/And that is why we are here tonight.' Further into the song, she reflects: 'I sound more like my father every day/But I can't call him on Father's Day.' She is being at least partially comedic, the song a wink to the audience who know exactly who her father is – and that he writes about her too. All of this is, of course, part of the appeal. 'She's got her father's wit,' one woman behind me whispers, approvingly. But the song's point is potent: Wainwright is one of many women whose careers have not run as ascendant a course as they might have had they not paused to have children. That hits harder for Wainwright, given her absent father continued to garner renown as a prolific songwriter. Although her family patter occasionally feels like theatrical shtick, it ultimately lends a melancholia to Wainwright's performance, reinforcing her belief that she hasn't found proper success in the context of her family name. 'In so many ways, my career is a failure,' she writes in her memoir. It's immensely sad, because these songs are fantastic. They are jagged, raucous, yet introspective things, and live, her unburdened stage presence and full-bodied guitar-playing makes them all the wilder. Martha Wainwright was acclaimed upon its release 20 years ago, but never placed higher than 63 in the UK charts, and 43 in the US. The six albums she has released since then have been similarly well received by critics without breaking through into the mainstream. But it is a feat to sell out a 900-capacity venue, in a country that is not your own, playing a record that's two decades old. Wainwright's cult listeners don't care that Rufus isn't there to join her on her rendition of her brother's song 'Dinner at Eight' (about Loudon, of course) – yet she still sounds apologetic when she tells them so. They do, however, care for the single encore track, the rambunctious 'Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole', first released on an EP in 2005, included on the debut record, and now performed by Wainwright solo on acoustic guitar. It's the song that made her name, although she doesn't play it often any more. It is typically – and wrongly – described as a song about Loudon. Wainwright admits she once told a journalist it was about her father, which probably didn't help the matter. But really it is about the industry, about 'getting the short end of the stick' in her career, she writes – being that 'daughter of' rather than 'son of'. 'I will not pretend/I will not put on a smile/I will not say I'm all right for you/When all I wanted was to be good/To do everything in truth,' she sings, boldly and then softly. Martha Wainwright will always be a Wainwright. It is up to her whether she chooses to write like one. [See also: Keir Starmer's grooming gang cowardice] Related
Spectator
5 days ago
- Spectator
Is the Lake District still as Wainwright described it?
The Lake District isn't really meant to be about eating. It's about walking and climbing and gawping. The guide one carries is not that by Michelin but Alfred Wainwright, whose seven-volume Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells turns 70 this year. Food is mainly to be consumed from a Thermos rather than a bowl, and eaten atop a precariously balanced upturned log rather than a restaurant table. The culinary highlight should be Kendal mint cake, gratefully retrieved from the pocket of your cagoule. And so I was as surprised as anyone to find real gastronomic delights on a recent trip. Not from Little Chef, though that was where Wainwright religiously went for his favourite meal: fish and chips, a gooseberry pancake and cup of tea. While the fells may stand immutable, the culinary landscape of the Lakes is unrecognisable from Wainwright's day. Thus, in this polite slice of England, I found an operatic dollop of Italian gusto in Villa Positano, tucked off the high street in Bowness-on-Windermere. As with San Pietro nearby, it's all family-run charm with the odd culinary mishap waved away as trattoria rusticism in a way only an Italian can get away with. Together with a trendy sourdough pizza joint just up the road (Base Pizza), it appears a small group of Italians have decided they've had it with Lake Como and are making Lake Windermere home instead. Though no amount of tiramisu can surpass a sticky toffee pudding from Cartmel. Then there is the famed Sarah Nelson's Grasmere Gingerbread. Spicy and sweet, it is like the ginger nut of one's dreams. Wordsworth's grave is just around the corner, in the shadow of St Oswald's Church, and I wander lonely as a cloud through the wild daffodil garden planted in his honour. There is nothing wrong with cliché when it is this idyllic. In Ambleside there is lots to enjoy. The venerable Great North Pie Co (choose between chicken and Stornoway black pudding or 14-hour braised beef, Manchester union lager and Henderson's Relish). Serious fine dining is to be found at Lake Road Kitchen and Old Stamp House, both with Michelin stars. To enjoy a roast loin of the region's iconic Herdwick lamb, there is the beautiful restaurant at Rothay Manor. Or for ales brewed on-site and hunks of sourdough dipped into fir oil and stout vinegar, drop into the Drunken Duck Inn. You can munch on fish and chips at the Waterhead, overlooking Windermere. Though a sign advertises that the chips are fried in oil, not beef dripping, and the fish batter made without beer. That is nothing to show off about. What else? You can sit outside at the Windermere Jetty Museum's cafe, spotting fast jets on low-flying training manoeuvres from nearby RAF Spadeadam. In Grasmere, stop for coffee at Mathilde's, or on the little terrace of the Tea Gardens by the stream. Lunch at Lingholm Kitchen, walking off your meal in the walled garden as Beatrix Potter used to do. Dinner could be at Fellpack House in Keswick, The Schelly in Ambleside or Brackenrigg Inn in Ullswater, or more upmarket at Heft in High Newton, or The Cedar Tree at Farlam Hall near Brampton. Come morning, we report to a retro 1950s dining room, frozen in aspic. What follows is one of the best cooked breakfasts in the land The Lakes may boast the (three Michelin) starry heights of Simon Rogan's L'Enclume, but there are simpler culinary pleasures to be found from a rucksack. A picnic at Friars Crag in Keswick, or at Haystacks, Wainwright's favourite. A hunk of ewe's milk cheese nibbled under a tree near Cockshot Point. The contents of your hip flask while watching the sunset at Fleetwith Pike. Arriving in the driving rain to the Old Rectory near Coniston, there is complimentary hot tea and moist cake served from bone china. The lemon and poppy seed is homemade by Ann who runs the B&B assisted − or impeded − by her other half, Michael (half Falstaff half Manuel from Fawlty Towers). We fill out complicated forms for our breakfast order (I half expect a Farrow & Ball colour chart to pick my preferred tea strength) and, come morning, report to a retro 1950s dining room, frozen in aspic. A Japanese couple inspect the golden syrup with close fascination while a colossal Hyacinth Bucket holds a fan in one hand and skewers kiwi with the other. What follows is one of the best cooked breakfasts in the land – the Cumberland sausage dense, the Cumbrian back bacon just the right amount of crisp. Not even reading over breakfast of the sewage discharges into Windermere can ruin it. Ann troops out from the kitchen concerned my boiled eggs are too hard. They aren't; they are what all eggs should aspire to be. The eating options in the Lake District may be better now than in Wainwright's day, but the Lakes also differ in a way that would not have pleased him: the crowds. Alfred would go out of his way to avoid fellow hikers, seeking seclusion. 'There are boulders you can get behind,' he told Sue Lawley on Desert Island Discs. One can still find escape here thankfully (tip: the North Lakes are less crowded than the South) but nowadays, in peak season and good weather, to dodge other walkers you might have to hide behind your boulder for rather a long time before the coast is clear. Good food is good. But a soggy sandwich and a Kendal mint cake isn't bad, so long as it's consumed in the bliss of solitude.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
No, Adam Wainwright is not running for U.S. Congress anytime soon
ST. LOUIS – Adam Wainwright is a man of many hats: A father of five, a recently-retired St. Louis Cardinals pitcher, a country music artist and an occasional analyst on MLB broadcasts. One title he won't be adding soon? A Missouri Congressman. FOX 2 has learned that Wainwright is not pursuing a run for political office in the foreseeable future, despite recent speculation. Earlier this week, a report from claimed that Wainwright had been 'recruited' to challenge Missouri U.S. Rep Ann Wagner for political office. Wagner, a U.S. Congresswoman of the Republican party, has served in Missouri's 2nd Congressional District since 2013. The report referenced an apparent poll question from Democratic polling firm Public Policy Polling, which was reportedly discussed in a Cardinals subreddit post. According to that post, the poll included questions such as 'Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of Adam Wainwright?' and 'If the candidates for Congress next time were Republican Ann Wagner and Democrat Adam Wainwright, who would you vote for?' (The poll did not identify Wainwright with a particular political party in its phrasing.) The online chatter led some to believe that Wainwright might seriously be considering a campaign for a political office. FOX 2 reached out to multiple sources to verify information, and ultimately heard directly from Wainwright. On Thursday, Wainwright shared the following statement with FOX 2 Sports Director Martin Kilcoyne: 'It was an honor to be thought of in regards to the upcoming congressional election in Missouri. St. Louis has been home to me and my family for almost 2 decades and I couldn't have picked a better place to play the game that I love or raise a family. 'With 5 kids going 5 different ways everyday, Jenny and I stay incredibly busy as it is, not to mention the broadcast schedule with Fox and concert dates thrown in. Right now I would not be able to spend the time needed to serve Missouri like they deserve, but will be praying for great candidates on both sides of the aisle to run so Missourians have great choices for their future. 'I appreciate the consideration and putting all the well-written political jargon aside… That was cool for me and very encouraging that lots of people thought of me that way. Pretty neat stuff.' Wainwright's statement did not confirm whether any political group approached him directly or attempted to 'recruit' him for political office. He made clear he would not be running for political office in the upcoming election cycle. Wagner's seat is next up for election in November 2026. And based on Wainwright's statement to FOX 2, it's unclear whether he aspires to run for any political office. According to Public Policy Polling's website, the organization 'conducts surveys for politicians and political organizations, unions, consultants, and businesses' and formed in 2001 'to measure and track public opinion.' Public Policy Polling's website does not explicitly explain its methodology behind questions asked in surveys. Though its polling methods may include hypothetical high-profile matchups as a way to measure incumbent support, name recognition or voter preferences. That could explain why Wainwright, a well-known St. Louis figure with no previous background in political offices, may have been included in polling. FOX 2 reached out to Public Policy Polling for comment on the matter, but our requests have not been returned as of this story's publication. NOTE: Video is from FOX 2's August 2024 coverage of Wainwright taking on MLB broadcast analyst duties, unrelated to this story. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Yahoo
Rally to be held ahead of competency hearing for man accused of killing Belmont University student Jillian Ludwig
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — On Sunday, people will rally in honor of a Belmont University student who died after being shot while on a walk. On November 7, 2023, 18-year-old Jillian Ludwig was shot while walking in the Edgehill Community Memorial Gardens Park. She later died from her injuries. Shaquille Taylor was taken into custody, and later indicted, in connection with the shooting. The rally will happen just one day before the court decides if Taylor is competent to stand trial. Ludwig's family said they would never stop fighting for justice. NOVEMBER 2023 | From Nashville to New Jersey: Jillian Ludwig remembered by family, friends 'We miss her. Her parents are inconsolable still,' Jillian's aunt and rally organizer Geri Wainwright said. 'It doesn't go away. It comes in waves.' The peaceful rally will be at 2 p.m. outside the Davidson County courthouse. Wainwright said they hope the community will help advocate for Jillian and a safer Nashville. 'We believe that … his intent was to kill someone, whether it was Jill or not, and he needs to be held accountable for that,' Wainwright said. Taylor had been prosecuted by the Nashville District Attorney's Office for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon related to an August 2021 incident. However, doctors did not find that Taylor met the standards for involuntary commitment and he was released from custody in May 2023. 'Anybody who can hold a job, have a girlfriend, lock and load a gun, have a drivers license, maintain any kind of adult standard of living — certainly can understand the difference between right and wrong,' Wainwright said. AUGUST 2024 | Tennessee's new 'Jillian's Law' already being put to use Last year, the legislature passed 'Jillian's Law,' which requires any person deemed incompetent to stand trial to be entered into the National Instant Background Check System, prohibiting those in a name check database from buying firearms. The law also requires defendants to be admitted in appropriate treatment facilities. Wainwright said Monday would be an emotional day for the family, but if Taylor is forced to stand trial, it's a step in the right direction. For more information, you can or visit the . 'We're hoping that the community'll come out and support us in advocating for Jillian and advocating for a safer Nashville,' Wainwright said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Politico
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Florida's execution expansion
Good morning and welcome to Wednesday. The state put ANTHONY WAINWRIGHT to death by lethal injection Tuesday night after he was convicted of the 1994 kidnapping, rape and murder of 23-year-old mother and nursing student CARMEN GAYHEART. The Associated Press reported that Gayheart's mother-in-law, GALE GAYHEART, told reporters after the execution that Wainwright was 'finally brought to justice' and that she wished other family members were still alive to get closure. Wainwright called the court system 'broken,' in a statement he provided through his spiritual adviser and Florida Alternatives to the Death Penalty (which detailed problems it saw with his trial). 'Please continue the fight,' he said, 'because I can promise you they are not going to let up. They will continue to murder if we continue to let it happen.' He added that he hoped his death brought Gayheart's family 'peace and healing.' Wainwright's execution marks the 13th overall during Gov. RON DESANTIS' time in office. Another is set for later this month, of convicted rapist and murderer THOMAS LEE GUDINAS. With these death warrants, DeSantis is on pace to surpass the record eight executions in Florida in a single year that happened under both Republican Gov. RICK SCOTT and Democratic Gov. BOB GRAHAM. A total of 270 people are on death row in Florida, according to the state's Department of Corrections. DeSantis has expanded the death penalty as governor, including in a portion of the illegal immigration law he signed in February that mandated capital punishment for undocumented immigrants convicted of murder. During this year's legislative session, he opened the door to allowing executions to be done by nitrogen gas, hanging or firing squad amid shortages of the drugs used for lethal injection. And ahead of Wainwright's execution Tuesday, DeSantis signed into law a bill that allows the death penalty if a person uses physical force to traffic or rape a child under 12 or someone who's mentally incapacitated. This comes after years of loosening death penalty laws. In 2023, as DeSantis prepared to mount a run for president, he authorized allowing the death penalty to be pursued against child rapists and signed into law a bill that changed the unanimous jury threshold needed to sentence convicted criminals to death. The push came amid fallout from the Parkland mass shooting, in which convicted mass murder NIKOLAS CRUZ received life in prison rather than the death penalty because jurists couldn't agree. Now, the threshold is the lowest in the U.S., requiring eight out of 12 jurists to be in agreement. It's not yet clear whether all the death penalty measures will stand or someday wind up going before the Supreme Court. The child rape law already has a 2008 precedent of being struck down, but that was a narrow decision issued when the court looked different than it does now, with three President DONALD TRUMP appointments. DeSantis hasn't brought up many of the individual executions or how he squares signing death warrants with his stated Catholic faith. Though he's hardly the only Catholic governor to take this position, it conflicts with the church's official stance that it should be abolished. But the record is in line with DeSantis' push for Florida to be a 'law and order' state. It also squares with Trump's positions on expanding the death penalty, which he has said should be extended to drug dealers and others. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget that Playbook should look at? Get in touch at: kleonard@ ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... FLORIDA BUDGET CONTINUES TO COME TOGETHER: A deal reached on education: 'State lawmakers agreed on a $29.5 billion K-12 education budget Tuesday, marking a 3 percent increase over current-year spending,' reports POLITICO's Andrew Atterbury. 'The deal would set a leaner-than-usual budget compared to years past, with the Legislature settling on smaller boosts for key needs like improving teacher pay and keeping student mental health and school safety funding flat. But after considering possible cuts during session, lawmakers did opt to fund top programs that are major draws for students, like Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate, at their current levels.' Property tax nugget: 'Lawmakers are considering $945 million in new K-12 spending for next year, with more than 70 percent of that money generated by property taxes — a significantly higher rate compared to previous budgets,' reports POLITICO's Andrew Atterbury and Gary Fineout. 'While DeSantis advocates for property tax relief, Florida appears to be relying on that revenue to help offset declining public-school enrollment with the nation's largest school-choice program booming.' On transportation: The Legislature 'voted to expedite the construction of two express lanes on I-4's busiest stretch in Osceola and Polk Counties and a separate road project that will better connect I-4 to the rest of Osceola County's transportation network,' reports Natalia Jaramillo of the Orlando Sentinel. 'The joint legislative budget commission approved $1.7 billion for the three road projects,' which otherwise weren't set to begin until 2026. On the Pulse Memorial: 'The House and Senate have agreed to budget just over $394,000 toward building a permanent memorial for Orlando's Pulse nightclub shooting that killed 49 people in 2006,' reports Gabrielle Russon of Florida Politics. For DeSantis: 'The budget coming together during negotiations among lawmakers is several days late and several million dollars short in key areas,' reports Gray Rohrer of USA Today Network — Florida. IT'S NOT A 'BLACKLIST,' BUT ... Florida's mammoth pension fund has shed roughly $2 billion of assets — most of it since the end of March — from companies that have ties to China, according to CHRIS SPENCER, the executive director of the State Board of Administration. Last year, Florida legislators passed a bill that required the state to divest from any companies that were controlled by the Chinese government or military. Spencer said that resulted in the state selling off $117 million between July 1 and March 31 of this year. But under direction from DeSantis and other state officials, the SBA also began looking to divest itself from companies listed on stock exchanges in China. Spencer said that 'we don't blacklist China,' but the SBA began encouraging its asset managers to move away from investments tied to the country, citing growing 'geopolitical risk.' China is also involved in an escalating trade war with the United States. Florida's SBA has divested $1.89 billion under this new strategy since March 31. Spencer said Florida still has 'exposure' in China but that it will be limited to companies that SBA asset managers have 'convictions' will continue to perform well. DeSantis on Tuesday praised the SBA's effort and contended that it could be a 'model' for the rest of the nation to follow. — Gary Fineout HARD SELL — 'A new group that says it represents data center developers argues the state stands to lose out on a 'multi-trillion-dollar economic opportunity' if it backs Florida Power & Light Co.'s proposed rate-hike request,' reports POLITICO's Bruce Ritchie. 'The Florida Energy for Innovation Association made the arguments this week in filed testimony with state regulators as DeSantis on Tuesday argued for maintaining state and local control over where the huge data centers associated with artificial intelligence are built.' DESANTIS SIGNS 'BROOKE'S LAW' — DeSantis on Tuesday signed a bill into law that would have online platforms create a way for people to get images and videos removed when their likenesses have been nonconsensually manipulated with AI to create suggestive postures or sexual acts. BROOKE CURRY, the teen the law was named after because of deepfake images of her that circulated, stood by DeSantis as he signed the bill and spoke to the cameras, saying the advocacy work had been 'painful' but also empowered her by turning 'tragedy into purpose.' 'We are here today because we chose not to look away, because we decided silence was not an option,' she said. 'Because we knew that victims of this crime — many of them young, vulnerable and silenced — deserve a voice, justice and a path forward. Brooke's Law is just not just about me, it's about all of us.' LAND CONSERVATION — Environmental groups and state agency representatives praised votes by the governor and Cabinet on Tuesday to conserve more than 76,000 acres in northeast Florida. The state will spend nearly $118 million on conservation easements across much of what is timber company land in Baker, Bradford and Union counties. The Department of Environmental Protection said in a statement that the acquisitions close the final major gap in a 1.6-million acre conservation network linking the Ocala and Osceola national forests. 'North Florida boasts some of the last remaining untouched, wild spaces in Florida. Partnering with private landowners to conserve these lands is a promise to protect our region, ensuring that water resources and wildlife thrive for generations to come,' RICHARD SCHWAB, vice chair of the Suwannee River Water Management District board, said in the DEP statement. — Bruce Ritchie CALIFORNIA VS. FLORIDA — 'DeSantis' office said on Tuesday that the state's Division of Emergency Management offered to send the state guard to California to help with the recent unrest over immigration protests in Los Angeles, an offer that was ultimately declined by California,' reports Julia Manchester of The Hill. 'Newsom's office confirmed that the offer was made from Florida, but that 'guard were not needed in the first place, we declined Governor DeSantis['] attempt to inflame an already chaotic situation made worse by his party's leader.'' DeSantis offered up more details: 'Their response, though, was that somehow us offering help was going to, quote, 'inflame the situation,'' he told Jesse Watters Tuesday on Fox News Channel, per Florida Politics' A.G. Gancarski. — 'Hidden charges? Patients often face massive bills when Florida hospitals don't provide costs upfront,' by Cindy Krischer Goodman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. — 'Ron and Casey DeSantis to receive National Review's Bill Buckley Prize,' reports Florida Politics' A.G. Gancarski. PENINSULA AND BEYOND — 'The unseen flooding risk in South Florida: Rising water beneath our feet,' reports Alex Harris of the Miami Herald. — ''Everything is uncertain now': Venezuelan travelers blindsided by travel ban,' reports Verónica Egui Brito and Gustavo Ocando Alex for the Miami Herald. CAMPAIGN MODE REPUBLICANS WIN IN SPECIAL ELECTIONS — DEBBIE MAYFIELD won back her old seat in the state Senate while insurance company owner BRIAN HODGERS and former Okaloosa County Commissioner NATHAN BOYLES were elected to the state House. The seats became available after Trump turned to Florida to fill out his administration. DATELINE D.C. COME TO FLORIDA — Sen. RICK SCOTT on Tuesday led a letter from the Florida delegation that encourages the Trump administration to relocate NASA headquarters to Florida's Space Coast. The agency's lease is set to expire in 2028, with plans to build a $500 million new facility. The members promise in the letter that Florida would offer cost savings, a ready workforce and faster innovation. And it would be in the middle of where private contractors have already set up shop. — 'Republicans warn Trump that some deportations go too far,' by Hans Nichols and Andrew Solender of Axios. ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN — Rep. JARED MOSKOWITZ (D-Fla.) met a Senate icon this week. BIRTHDAYS: Pasco County Tax Collector and former state Sen. Mike Fasano … Cesar Gonzalez of Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart's (R-Fla.) office ... state Rep. Tae Edmonds.
