CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. (July 22, 2025) – The Charlotte County Economic Development Office has awarded the Excellence in Business Award to Chris Lansdale, owner of Charlotte County Beef ‘O’ Brady and their team for their outstanding leadership, continued growth, and deep-rooted commitment to community service. 

Presented by Charlotte County Economic Development Director Kay Tracy, the award honors Lansdale’s contribution to Charlotte County. Over the past decade, Lansdale has grown Beef ‘O’ Brady’s from a modest 3,000-square-foot pub into a 12,000-square-foot community hub. He opened a second location in Deep Creek in 2021, and a third is already underway. More than a restaurant, Beef ‘O’ Brady’s has become a trusted gathering place and community partner. 

The team has contributed more than $160,000 to local causes, sponsoring everything from school fundraisers to youth sports, veterans’ groups, and local nonprofits. Their quiet motto is simple: If we can help, we will. 

“Beef ‘O’ Brady’s has shown that business success and community success go hand in hand,” said Kay Tracy, Director of Economic Development. “They have built something lasting through relationships, trust, and heart.” 

For information, contact Maria Vastola at 941-764-4942 or maria.vastola@charlottecountyfl.gov. 

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Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego, once praised for his support of LGBTQ+ rights, is under fire from advocacy groups. Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego, once praised for his support of LGBTQ+ rights, is under fire from advocacy groups. (File photo by Kelechukwu Iruoma/Cronkite News)

PHOENIX – Attorney generals from 28 states sent a letter to the NCAA Tuesday urging the organization to strip records and titles from transgender women who competed in women’s collegiate sports.

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes was not among the group, but at least one state politician still finds himself in the crosshairs of the debate. U.S. Sen. Rubén Gallego, once viewed as a staunch ally of Arizona’s LGBTQ+ community, is facing sharp backlash after stating that transgender athletes should not participate in school sports aligning with their gender identity.

In a turnabout from his previous comments, Gallego, a Democrat, called concerns about fairness and safety in women’s sports “legitimate,” telling Politico in a May 29 interview, “We love you. We want you to be part of our community, but this is just the one place you can’t play. Let’s find other activities for you to be involved in.”

Gallego argued that decisions about transgender athlete participation should be made by local school boards and athletic associations rather than the federal government. His comments align with a growing group of centrist Democrats who have expressed concerns about competitive fairness in youth athletics while maintaining support for transgender individuals in other areas of life.

Tuesday’s letter was signed by Republican attorneys general and stated that “there is no doubt that the women forced to compete against biological males in female events were impacted negatively and unfairly disadvantaged.”

LGBTQ+ groups react to Gallego

Advocacy groups that once supported Gallego’s campaigns swiftly condemned the senator’s remarks, calling them harmful to transgender youth.

Phoenix Pride, a Valley advocacy organization that was founded in 1981, said the comments were “hurtful” and “a betrayal,” warning that statements like Gallego’s can damage the self-esteem of transgender youth and contribute to mental health struggles.

“When our already vulnerable transgender youth need his protection, he has instead chosen to make comments that could easily lead individuals to self-harm or worse,” the organization said in a statement.

Urging leaders to prioritize inclusion over exclusion, Equality Arizona President Michael Soto said Gallego’s stance “align(ed) him with those who spread fear and misinformation for political gain.” Katelynn Contreras, a policy strategist with the ACLU of Arizona, said Gallego’s remarks “double down on a larger strategy to push transgender people out of public and civic life.”

Gallego’s office did not respond to a request for further comment.

The senator’s remarks mark a departure from his past record of supporting LGBTQ+ rights. As a House member, Gallego co-sponsored the Equality Act, opposed federal restrictions on transgender athletes and frequently attended LGBTQ+ community events during campaign seasons.

Real-world tensions: San José State and Lia Thomas

Gallego’s remarks came in the wake of national headlines from San José State University, where the women’s volleyball team forfeited a match in support of a transgender athlete’s participation. The incident led to walkouts and public statements by university officials defending the volleyball player and condemning what they described as “hateful and harmful attacks,” underscoring how debates over transgender inclusion in sports remain deeply divisive on campuses.

The debate also comes amid renewed scrutiny of Lia Thomas, the former University of Pennsylvania swimmer whose records were stripped by the school under new policies banning transgender women from competing in certain women’s categories. The ruling has drawn national attention, fueling discussions over fairness and inclusion in competitive sports.

Nationally, debates continue to intensify

Since 2020, 27 states have enacted laws banning transgender students from competing in sports aligned with their gender identity, a trend that has drawn legal challenges nationwide as debates escalate. In Arizona, a 2022 law barring transgender girls from participating on girls’ sports teams remains partially blocked after a federal court issued a preliminary injunction in 2024, leaving the measure in legal limbo as advocacy groups and lawmakers continue to clash over its implications for athletes.

Advocates argue that restricting transgender youth participation increases feelings of isolation among students who already face high rates of bullying and mental health challenges.

Timing amid a national wave of anti-trans legislation

Gallego’s remarks came amid a surge of anti-transgender legislation nationwide. On July 4, President Donald Trump signed into law the “Big Beautiful Bill,” a sweeping federal budget package that bans federal funding for gender-affirming care for both minors and adults under Medicaid, CHIP and the Affordable Care Act’s essential health benefits. The measure expands the scope of state-level restrictions and has intensified debates over access to medically necessary care.

Many medical experts and civil rights organizations warn that such measures would disproportionately affect low-income, BIPOC and transgender individuals, emphasizing that gender-affirming care is medically necessary and often lifesaving.

Advocates call for retraction

Phoenix Pride Executive Director Mike Fornelli said the organization felt “hurt and betrayed” after years of supporting Gallego’s campaigns and welcoming him at community events. Fornelli urged Gallego to “revise or retract his comments,” adding that public figures should “refrain from comment rather than risk the repercussions of their comments landing in the wrong ears.”

“At the very least, we must ensure that harmful messages are kept out of the ears and eyes of vulnerable kids who could hear or read them,” Fornelli said.
The ACLU of Arizona echoed calls for accountability, stating that excluding transgender students from sports “deprives them of opportunities available to their peers and sends the message they are not worthy or equal.”

Political implications in Arizona

Gallego’s remarks have struck a nerve in Arizona’s shifting political landscape, where he made history as the first Latino U.S. senator elected in the same cycle that saw the state favoring Trump’s re-election, reflecting broader ticket-splitting trends. Some LGBTQ+ advocates view the senator’s statements as part of a broader pattern in which Democrats express strong support for LGBTQ+ communities during campaigns but become less vocal when facing political backlash.

In the same May 29 interview with Politico, Gallego reiterated that concerns about fairness and safety in women’s sports are “legitimate” and said decisions around transgender participation in athletics should be made by “local institutions” rather than the federal government, while affirming his support for transgender inclusion in other areas of life.

His comments arrive as debates over fairness, inclusion and identity continue to divide communities across the country. Advocates say restricting transgender athletes can deepen feelings of exclusion in spaces where community and belonging are formed.

As Gallego navigates his first term in the Senate, his stance on transgender athlete participation may become a defining moment for his political legacy and his relationship with Arizona’s LGBTQ+ community.

METAIRIE – A really young New Orleans Saints team got even younger on the eve of training camp Tuesday.

Starting free safety and former LSU star Tyrann Mathieu announced his retirement moments before executive vice president/general manager Mickey Loomis and rookie head coach Kellen Moore spoke to reporters about the camp that begins Wednesday morning.

Moore, 37, is the youngest head coach in the NFL and the marquee storyline of his first training camp as a head coach will be the competition within the least experienced group of quarterbacks in the NFL, though the rearrangement of an offensive line that can make the quarterbacks’ job easier or more difficult will be a close second.

The defense won’t be lacking for attention as new coordinator Brandon Staley implements a new scheme featuring a modified alignment up front.

And now the secondary has become a bigger storyline with the departure of Mathieu, 33, a native of New Orleans and graduate of St. Augustine High School who would have been beginning his 13th season.

Mathieu’s primary backup at the end of last season was Jordan Howden, who will be beginning his third season. New Orleans selected Virginia safety Jordan Sanker in the third round of the draft. Loomis and Moore said the Saints will evaluate whether to try and add a veteran free safety.

“There’s an excitement about having a new coaching staff and a lot of changes,” Loomis said. “There’s a lot of newness about the quarterback competition. We’re excited about how the off-season went.”

None of the Saints’ quarterbacks has started an NFL game that their team has won. Rookie second-round draft choice Tyler Shough is generally considered the favorite to win the starting position, but Spencer Rattler started seven games as a rookie last season.

Third-year player Jake Haener, who is healthy for the start of camp after missing most of the off-season workouts because of injury, and undrafted rookie Hunter Dekkers are the other quarterbacks on the roster.

Moore said he plans to balance practice opportunities for Shough, Rattler and Haener leading up to the preseason opener against the Chargers on August 10 in Los Angeles. He expects to “shift gears” after that game, though he has no specific timetable for choosing a starting quarterback for the regular-season opener.

The former Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator said the young quarterbacks “knocked it out of the park” with their off-season work.

Moore said he’s eager to see the offensive and defensive lines “come alive” when the team starts practicing with pads on Monday, though it will take “two or three days” for the linemen to “acclimate” to their first contact work since the end of last season.

Rookie No. 1 draft choice Kelvin Banks Jr. will line up at left tackle, Taliese Fuaga, who started at left tackle as a rookie No. 1 pick last season, will line up at right tackle and 2022 No. 1 pick Trevor Penning has moved from right tackle to left guard.

The defensive line was the position that saw the most activity from the Saints during the off-season as they traded for former LSU tackle Davon Godchaux, used a third-round pick on tackle Vernon Broughton, picked end Fadil Diggs in the seventh round and reportedly signed veteran end Jonathan Bullard earlier this week.

Their biggest free-agent signing was safety Justin Reid, who was expected to line up alongside Mathieu.

The Saints announced that tight ends Taysom Hill, the most versatile player on the team, and Foster Moreau will start training camp on the Physical Unable to Perform List as they rehab from surgery. Neither Loomis nor Moore would estimate when either might be available.

New Orleans will be holding its first training camp practices at its facility in two years. The Saints conducted their 2024 training camp at the University of Cal Irvine because of renovations to their training facility.

The less hot and less humid conditions in California have lured them back for a nine-day stretch surrounding the game against the Chargers.

The first of 11 practices scheduled prior to the trip out West will remind the Saints of the contrast between the two climates. New Orleans will be under an extreme heat warning beginning at 10 a.m. Wednesday with the heat index expected to reach 114 degrees.

Although the Saints will avoid the worst of the heat the forecast temperature for the start of the 9 a.m. practice is 88 degrees, 20 degrees higher than the forecast temperature at 9 a.m. PDT in Irvine.

A total of nine practices are scheduled to be open to the public, beginning with the first three before the Saints take their first day off Saturday.

TYLER, TEXAS – UT Tyler athletics, in partnership with UT Health East Texas, is hosting Patriot Sports Camp for a Cause on Aug. 5 and Aug. 6 with all the proceeds from the full-day camp directly benefiting the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country’s Kerr County Flood Relief Fund. Campers are encouraged to pre-register for the camp (Registration Link). 

The concept of the camp was born during a recent head coaches meeting, where the UT Tyler Patriots staff gathered to discuss ways to make a difference for fellow Texans from the devastating July 4 floods that hit the Texas Hill Country. Knowing that the real community need in Central Texas is financial resources, the UT Tyler head coaches developed the Patriots Sports Camp for a Cause concept. The UT Tyler coaching staff will offer their talents, teaching sport skills to encourage donations that will directly impact those who have been affected by the flood.  

“I couldn’t be prouder of our coaches and staff for wanting to step up and make a difference in this way,” said Sam Ferguson, Director of Athletics. “While our Central Texas neighbors are recovering, rebuilding, and grieving, we want them to know they’re not alone. This is a way for us to love our neighbors and play a small role in their recovery process, while our coaches do what they do best!”  

Activities for the camp are scheduled from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Drop-off for the camp will begin at 7:30 a.m. and pickup will end at 5:30 p.m. Ages 6-12 are welcome, and there will be a limit of 100 campers per day. Drop off is at the entrance to the Herrington Patriot Center.  

Admission is a minimum $50 donation per camper to the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country’s Kerr County Relief Fund. Pre-registration is STRONGLY encouraged. Once you have donated, please email your gift receipt to ad@uttyler.edu or bring it with you to registration at the camp.  

“This initiative is a powerful example of what happens when passion and purpose come together — UT Tyler’s coaching staff is using their unique gifts to serve families in need, and we’re honored to support that mission,” said Don McKay, UT Health East Texas Market Director of Orthopedics and Sports Medicine. “We also extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who has contributed time, goods or resources to this cause. In challenging times, Texans always rise to the occasion, and this effort is no exception.” 

Activities will include baseball/softball, basketball, soccer, volleyball, racket sports, swimming, and more. Lunch for the campers will be provided by Raisin’ Canes and Hawaiian Brothers. Additionally, athletic trainers and other healthcare providers will be on-site throughout the day for the campers’ safety. UT Tyler head coaches, assistant coaches, administrative staff, and student-athletes will be on hand to lead the campers through their sport’s respective drills.  

“We are grateful for the partnership with UT Health, Hawaiian Bros Island Grill, and Raising Cane’s,” said Ferguson. “These partners will ensure our campers have a safe environment and are well fed. I continue to be amazed by the generosity of this incredible city!” 

Campers will need to bring at minimum shoes, swimsuit, sunscreen, towel, and a water bottle, but are more than welcome to bring their own baseball/softball glove or tennis racket. For more information, you can call UT Tyler Athletics at 903-566-7212.