LAS VEGAS (AP) — Steve Hill, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, said he was optimistic three key documents needed to begin construction on a new stadium for the Athletics would be approved Dec. 5.
“We're rounding third and heading for home,” Hill said after Thursday's Las Vegas Stadium Authority board meeting.
Hill and the LVCVA were so hopeful the approvals would come at that December meeting that three others were canceled. The board will next meet Oct. 17, and a meeting has been set aside for Dec. 12 as a “safety valve.”
The three documents that need to be approved for the planned $1.5 billion, 33,000-seat domed stadium on the Las Vegas Strip are the lease, non-relocation and development agreements. The lease agreement was presented Thursday without a vote.
That agreement provides an initial 30-year lease that ultimately can be extended up to 99 years. The agreement for the NFL's Las Vegas Raiders is 30 years without language beyond that time frame.
Allegiant Stadium, which is home to the Raiders, opened in 2020. The A's hope to open their ballpark in time for the 2028 season.
“I think mostly it wasn’t contemplated in 2016 when we passed the law,” Hill said. “You don't necessarily need that information in the law. It gives us optionality. We talked about it during the process that we’re going to get to 15 or 20 years and the parties involved will probably reopen the lease and renegotiate it.”
This is the A’s final season in Oakland. They agreed to play the following three seasons, with an option for a fourth, in a Triple-A stadium in West Sacramento, California. The A’s will share that facility with the River Cats, the San Francisco Giants’ Triple-A club.
The A's have said they expected to spend $350 million in public money rather than the $380 million allocated by the Nevada Legislature.
The club has said it plans to finance $300 million of the stadium cost and the other $850 million would come from private equity. Hill said it's possible the A's could present their financing plan at the October meeting.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Oakland Athletics' JJ Bleday (33) and Zack Gelof (20) celebrate with teammates after a baseball game against the New York Mets, Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024, in New York. The Athletics won 7-6. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
FILE - The Oakland Athletics and their design teams released renderings, March 5, 2024 of the club's planned stadium in Las Vegas. (Negativ via AP, File)
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio (AP) — For many Haitian immigrants, Sunday mornings in Springfield, Ohio, are spent joyfully worshipping God as they sing and pray in their native Creole. This Sunday, they needed that uplifting balm more than ever.
Their community is reeling — confused, frustrated, hurt — from false accusations that they are eating their neighbor’s cats and dogs. The now viral and highly politicized rumors are being fueled by former President Donald Trump, his running mate JD Vance and others, and violent threats against the community are upending daily life in their city.
“Jesus is with us in truth, and the truth is that Haitians are not eating pets and geese in Springfield,” said the Rev. Carl Ruby, preaching at Central Christian Church. He invited community members to join his congregation in prayer and peaceful protest of the false rumors leveled against their Haitian neighbors.
They also demanded an apology.
“It is truth that a retraction of these rumors will help to restore peace in Springfield," Ruby said. “We respectfully call on all politicians and media figures who are promoting this rumor to help make Springfield great and safe again by speaking the truth about our community.”
Viles Dorsainvil, the leader of Haitian Community Help and Support Center in Springfield, accepted Ruby's invitation to worship together at Central Christian, and was grateful to be relying on his faith.
“It’s important to be here because we’re Christian — despite everything, we worship in good times and bad times,” he said. “I’m relieved that I’m in the presence of God. It’s therapeutic.”
And he had a message for Trump and Vance: “If they have the heart of God, they will think differently and speak differently.”
The rumors, spread on social media and by Trump during Tuesday’s televised presidential debate against Vice President Kamala Harris, have exacerbated fears about division and anti-immigrant sentiment ahead of the election in the mostly white, blue-collar city of about 59,000 where more than 15,000 Haitians now live and work.
Thousands of temporary Haitian migrants have legally landed in Springfield in recent years under the U.S.'s Temporary Protected Status program, as longstanding unrest in their home country has given way to violent gangs ruling the streets.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, has said the federal government needs to do more to help cities like Springfield serve the influx of migrants. On ABC’s “This Week," DeWine called the Haitians good, hardworking people who are in the U.S. legally, and said the false rumors are a piece of internet garbage.
“There’s no evidence of this at all,” he said during the program.
Despite the governor and local officials debunking the rumors, Vance reiterated the conspiracy theory on Sunday's “Face the Nation” on CBS while blasting Harris on her U.S.-Mexico border policy.
At Central Christian Church, Ruby encouraged his congregation to help hand out thousands of cards around Springfield that had been printed in Creole and English with a message of support for Haitians. It reads" “I’m glad you are here. Christ loves you and so do I."
As the service ended, Ruby praised parishioners for a beautiful moment amid what he called a storm of chaos. Looking at the Haitian members in the first pew and at the rest of his congregation, he asked them to come together in prayer: “Pray and think what it is to be a Haitian parent sending their child this week to school."
One of those parents is Mia Perez, 35 an immigration lawyer whose 9-year-old daughter had to evacuate her school twice because of bomb threats to a nearby DMV this week.
“Kids in school are being asked by other kids: ’How does the dog taste? How does the cat taste?” Perez said, describing her daughter’s distress.
"She’s asking, 'Are we the kind of Haitians who eat this kind of stuff? Is it true? What’s happening?'”
“This is a conversation that I was not ready to have with my daughter," Perez said. "I felt disrespected of our culture.”
On Sunday, Perez attended a service at Saint Raphael’s Catholic church, while a Springfield police officer stood guard outside. Attendance by Haitians was lower than usual, and Perez — after talking with others who did attend — said many from their community stayed away out of fears for their safety,
“This is emotional," she said. "They made a statement of not being here. Catholic Haitian people have such strong faith — not even hurricanes can keep them away, but look at this here today.”
Another service was held at The First Haitian Church, located next to the Haitian Community Center.
“They feel the threat. They feel not welcome,” Bernardette Dor, 51, one of the pastors, said after the service. “Even in the school system sometimes, they feel different, not because of their skin color but because they’re Haitian. But the reality is that we’re beautiful and we’re blessed.”
Though she worries about repercussions of the false statements, she said gathering to worship with her community and feeling support from others in Springfield gives her hope.
“We are united. It is time for good to stand for good,” she said. “This time the city of Springfield, Haitian people, asked the Lord to stay together to fight for good ... America is a great loving country, and American people care for people – it doesn’t matter if they are Haitian. We’re against lies.”
After the service, some parishioners gathered at Rose Goute Creole restaurant for a traditional Haitian meal of rice and beans, fried plantains and pork. One of them, Jacob Payen, said the restaurant has been transformed in recent days.
“We’ve been outnumbered — we have more non-Haitian guests here at the restaurant who are curious to know the culture and Haitian cuisine,” he said. “We feel that they’re sending a strong message: if they’re here eating with us because they trust us.”
Among those attending the earlier service at Central Christian was Rose-Thamar Joseph, 40, who works at the Haitian Community Center.
“I was praying for peace and protection — for the Haitian community and all of Springfield," she said. “I just want Springfield to go back to what it was a couple of months ago."
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AP visual journalist Jessie Wardarski contributed.
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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Phara Pierre, right, and her daughter attend Mass at St Raphael Catholic church in Springfield, Ohio, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski)
Louisette Saintima, right, and other congregants sing during Mass at St Raphael Catholic church in Springfield, Ohio, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski)
Congregants worship at St Raphael Catholic church in Springfield, Ohio, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski)
St Raphael Catholic church parishioners, Berthing Jean Philippe, left, Casey Kelly Rollins and Patrick Joseph embrace after a service in support of the Haitian in Springfield, Ohio, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Luis Andres Henao)
A Springfield police officer talks to a parishioner after a service in support of the Haitian community at St. Raphael Catholic church in Springfield, Ohio, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Luis Andres Henao)
A parishioner walks back to his pew after taking Communion during a service in support of the Haitian community at St. Raphael Catholic church in Springfield, Ohio, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Luis Andres Henao)
Parishioner Rose Carmelle Bellevue looks at his 1-year-old son during a service at St. Raphael Catholic church in Springfield, Ohio, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Luis Andres Henao)
Bernardette Dor, center, holds hands with the daughter of her friend Mia Perez, right, during a service in support of the Haitian community at St. Raphael Catholic church in Springfield, Ohio, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Luis Andres Henao)
Cards printed in both Creole and English display a message of support for Haitians that reads, "I'm glad you are here. Christ loves you and so do I," near the altar at Central Christ Church after a service Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Springfield, Ohio. (AP Photo/Luis Andres Henao)
A church sign is seen at House of Prayer near the First Haitian Church and community center in Springfield, Ohio, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Luis Andres Henao)
Mia Perez, left, an immigration lawyer, and Bernardette Dor, a pastor at the First Haitian Church, pose for a photo together after joining a prayer walk in support of their Haitian immigrant community in Springfield, Ohio, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Luis Andres Henao)
Marie Morette, a congregant of St Raphael Catholic church, prays during Mass in Springfield, Ohio, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski)
Carl Ruby, pastor at Central Christian Church, hugs Viles Dorsainvil during service, on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Springfield, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski)
Members of the Haitian community, from left, Lindsay Aime, James Fleurijean, Rose-Thamar Joseph, Harold Herard, and Viles Dorsainvil, stand for worship with Carl Ruby, pastor at Central Christian Church, in Springfield, Ohio, on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski)
Carl Ruby, pastor at Central Christian Church, hugs Lindsay Aime during service, on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Springfield, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski)
Central Christian Church congregants stand to applaud members of the Haitian community during service, on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Springfield, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski)
Members of the Haitian community in Springfield, Ohio, from left, Lindsay Aime, James Fleurijean, Viles Dorsainvil, and Rose-Thamar Joseph, stand for worship at Central Christian Church, on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski)
