SPRINGFIELD — Joseph Hartzler, who was an assistant U.S. attorney in Springfield when he was tabbed as the lead prosecutor in the Timothy McVeigh case, died in Chicago on Dec. 18, according to his family.

He was 75.

McVeigh was convicted of murder in the April 19, 1995, bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in which 168 people died and scores were injured. At the time, the bombing was the deadliest terrorist attack on American soil.

Plans to transform a long-dormant landfill into a sprawling sports complex are on hold as questions regarding the extent of soil contamination at the site remain unanswered.

Pinellas County commissioners approved a $250,000 budget amendment Dec. 16 to complete subsurface investigation and engineering work at the former Toytown landfill. The state decommissioned the 175-acre dump, at 10540 16th St. N., in 1990.

County officials believe the anomalous, wide swath of vacant land near I-275 and Roosevelt Boulevard is ideally suited to host increasingly lucrative youth sports tournaments. In March, a local company submitted conceptual plans that included 20 synthetic turf baseball and softball diamonds, 17 multipurpose fields, 24 pickleball and 12 sand volleyball courts.

Brian Lowack, CEO of Visit St. Pete-Clearwater (VSPC), explained the conundrum to commissioners at a Dec. 11 workshop. “We have a ton of data from throughout the years of what’s under that landfill, but there were existing gaps that needed to be addressed in order to put pen to paper and provide a concrete proposal,” he said.

“What we’ve seen is, because we have this data gap, and folks don’t know what’s under there, they haven’t been willing to take on that risk,” Lowack said. “We haven’t been able to get the private sector to come in at a reasonable amount, limiting that public side investment.”

Clearwater-based Sports Facilities Companies (SFC) was the sole respondent to the county’s request for proposals in December 2024. Lowack said Pinellas would boast the most fields in the Southeast if the estimated $150 million to $200 million plan comes to fruition.

“And given that, with the proximity to the beach, we have the potential to have the best youth sports facility in the country,” he added.

County officials bought the former Toytown subdivision in 1956. St. Petersburg leased 160 acres for a landfill from 1961 until 1983.

Toytown subsequently became a designated brownfield site. Multiple redevelopment attempts failed to gain traction; those efforts were essentially paused in 2016 when plans to build an Atlanta Braves spring training complex unraveled.

Pinellas received a $15 million state grant for environmental remediation in 2023. SFC has experience completing similar projects nationwide and believes an athletic complex would generate a direct economic impact of $350 million within five years.

Lowack said the county has “maxed out” other athletic fields, and local governments around the region and country are increasing investments in youth sports facilities. SFC declined to begin formal negotiations with VSPC until it received additional site information.

“This has been talked about for a long time — it would be a tremendous project,” said County Administrator Barry Burton. “But we have to make sure we understand what we’re getting ourselves into. These firms want to shift the risk to our side.”

Officials planned to redevelop approximately 95 acres. The study will determine if there is potential to expand into other areas.

“We simply don’t know what’s under there, and what materials that consists of, and how deep that goes,” Lowack explained. “If you put just a bunch of fields, with no vertical construction, we can do that. However, it’s going to be difficult, and you likely wouldn’t receive much private sector investment.”

Commissioner Rene Flowers said a complex needs “accessory pieces,” including lodging and restaurants, to attract premier tournaments from other areas. SFC proposed an optional “eatertainment” fieldhouse with indoor putting, sports simulators and an “interactive dining experience.”

Pinellas can use the FDEP grant to pay for environmental remediation, but not subsurface investigations. Commissioners approved using $250,000 in tourist development taxes to fund the studies Dec. 16 without discussion.

Commissioner Kathleen Peters said Dec. 11 that Toytown could host an amphitheater and a sports complex. She also noted that the county could have competing projects.

“It’s my understanding that there’s going to be a significant amount of fields being brought into Clearwater in a public-private partnership that I saw the plans on a couple of weeks ago,” Peters said. “That’s incredible. And a potential minor league soccer stadium. That may produce sooner.”

Lowack said SFC is also working on the Clearwater project. “If you’re working with the same firm, then I’m not concerned,” Peters said.

VSPC, with the commission’s funding approval, will now hire SFC’s geotechnical subcontractor to complete the studies. Pinellas can begin grant-related work once the process concludes in March 2026.

Lowack expects to receive a final proposal from SFC by the end of June. The redevelopment’s design and engineering phase could begin in October.

This content provided in partnership with stpetecatalyst.com.

The game ended, that’s the best thing we say about the Dallas Cowboys final game at home where the L.A. Chargers got an impressive victory. But how did the Cowboys rookie class perform during the defeat. Let’s break it down.

OG Tyler Booker 

(Game stats- Snaps: 58, Pass Blocks: 38, Pressures: 1, Sacks: 1, Penalties: 0)

Advertisement

Booker quietly put another piece of solid tape in the loss to the Chargers, even while the offense stalled out around him. Dallas allowed just nine total pressures all game and one sack on 30 dropbacks, compared with the 14 pressures surrendered by Los Angeles, which tells you the Cowboys’ protection wasn’t the primary reason the game got away from them.

On the field, Booker’s night looked like what we’ve come to expect, a mostly clean performance. Inside, Booker and Cooper Beebe did a reasonable job keeping the A and B gaps from collapsing. There were no penalties on Booker, the key holding call that stalled a promising Cowboys drive was charged to Tyler Smith on the left side, which knocked off an unbelievable catch by Flournoy in the endzone.

The fairest conclusion is that Booker played well in a mediocre offensive performance. The Cowboys didn’t leak much pressure overall, but Booker was charged with the sole sack during the game. Against the Chargers he wasn’t the problem, instead he looked like a long-term answer at right guard in a game where the scoreboard makes everything else look worse than his individual tape.

DE Donovan Ezeiruaku 

(Game stats- Snaps: 39, Total Tackles: 2, Pressures: 3, Sacks: 0, TFL: 0)

Advertisement

Ezeiruaku’s night against the Chargers was more about flashes than full-game impact, and it came inside a defensive performance that never really got Justin Herbert uncomfortable, which is most concerning. On the stat sheet he finished with two combined tackles, one QB hit, zero sacks, zero tackles for loss and no takeaways, contributing one of Dallas’ five quarterback hits in a game where the defense failed to register a single sack. Herbert went 23-of-29 for 300 yards and two touchdowns and was never sacked, while the Chargers piled up 152 rushing yards at 4.6 per carry, underlining how little consistent disruption the front managed overall.

His best moment came on a third-down sequence where Ezeiruaku and Markquese Bell collapsed the edge and chased Herbert into a hurried, off-platform throw that ended in an incompletion and a field goal instead of a touchdown. That rep showed exactly why Dallas is excited about him with his good get-off, disciplined pursuit and enough closing speed to finish the play even when he doesn’t get the sack. Outside of that, though, his impact was muted. The Chargers’ quick passing game and efficient run script meant Ezeiruaku spent most of the night squeezing the pocket and setting the edge rather than producing splash plays.

Through this week, PFF has Ezeiruaku at a 77.7 overall grade with 34 total pressures on 554 snaps, ranking third on the team in defensive grade, not bad for a rookie. Against the Chargers Ezeiruaku was active and technically sound, but not a game changer. He added a notable pressure on a key drive and one of the few clean shots on Herbert, stayed out of the penalty column, and continued to look like a high-upside rookie.

CB Shavon Revel Jr.

(Game stats- Snaps: 55, Total Tackles: 9, PBU: 1, INT: 0, TD Allowed: 2, RTG Allowed: 145.4)

Advertisement

Revel’s night against the Chargers was really rough, and it showed up both in the box score and in how the game felt. He was effectively a full-time starter on the outside, logging 55 defensive snaps, tied with Malik Hooker for the most on the team. On paper he finished with nine total tackles, which led the team which is telling on how the game script went. But that volume says as much about how often the ball found him and the issues that went on up front in the trenches.

The defining play was the first-quarter touchdown to Quentin Johnston. Revel was in tight coverage down the right sideline, but never truly played the ball. Johnston went up and made a spectacular one-handed grab for a 23-yard score. Revel looked in phase on the play but never got his head around quickly enough to contest the catch point. Later, he was singled out again for two more costly moments – failing to force Tre’ Harris out of bounds, allowing extra yards after the catch, and missing a tackle on KeAndre Lambert-Smith on third down, extending what turned into a 16-play, eight-minute Chargers drive. When you layer that on top of Johnston’s final line of four catches on five targets for 104 yards and a touchdown, with Herbert posting an insane 132.8 passer rating

All of this, however, has to be viewed through the lens of his health and development. Revel is less than a year removed from a torn ACL that ended his final season at East Carolina, and he missed the first 10 weeks of his rookie year rehabbing before being activated in mid-November.  Even this week, he only cleared the injury report on Friday after being limited earlier in the week with a knee issue.

Throwing a rehabbing rookie corner into full-time duty against a hot quarterback and big, explosive receivers is exactly the kind of trial that can either accelerate his growth or dent his confidence if the staff aren’t careful.

Advertisement

LB Shemar James

(Game stats- Snaps: 50, Total Tackles: 5, TFL: 0, Sacks: 0)

James finally got a real defensive workload against the Chargers after DeMarvion Overshown went out, and he looked like exactly what he is right now, a young, fast linebacker who’s still learning but didn’t look out of his depth. Once Overshown left, James’ snap count climbed sharply compared with Minnesota, where he was exclusively a special-teams body. You could see Matt Eberflus trust him more as the game went on, rotating him into the nickel and dime looks rather than just keeping him for base or obvious run downs.

On the field he did the things you want from a backup suddenly pushed into a bigger role. He flowed to the ball, triggered downhill quickly against the run and finished a couple of tackles in space that easily could’ve turned into extra yards. In coverage he was mostly asked to handle underneath zones and running backs out of the backfield. The Chargers completed some short stuff in front of him, but he kept a lid on explosive plays and didn’t have a clear “that’s on James” bust on any of the big gains.

Advertisement

Overall, it was a promising, if unspectacular, step. For a rookie who’d been living on special teams the last few weeks, that kind of steady, next-man-up performance is exactly what you want as a foundation going into next year.

DB Alijah Clark

(Game stats- Snaps: 13, Total Tackles: 0

*Snap count are all special team snaps*

Clark’s night against the Chargers was as low-impact as it gets, simply because he never got a chance to affect the game. He didn’t play a snap on defense and logged 13 snaps on special teams, where he finished without a tackle and without showing up on any of the major special teams swing plays. In one sense that’s neutral rather than negative, but in a game where Dallas needed a spark in the third phase, he was essentially anonymous. For a depth safety still carving out his role, this was more of a placeholder outing than any kind of statement.

Advertisement

CB Trikweze Bridges

(Game stats- Snaps: 26, Total Tackles: 1)

*Snap count include special team snaps*

Bridges had a low-key but meaningful rotational outing against the Chargers, splitting his work between defense and special teams. He logged 17 snaps on defense, which is enough to count as part of the game plan but still very much in a depth role, coming on as an extra defensive back rather than a full-time starter. With that kind of snap count, his job is mostly about being assignment-sound and holding up in zone landmarks.

On special teams he added nine snaps and made his one contribution with a tackle on a kick return, a classic do-your-job play for a back-end corner trying to cement a role on game day. Taken together, 17 defensive snaps and nine on special teams with a solid kick-coverage tackle paints the picture of a depth defensive back who handled his assignments and quietly justified his place on the active roster, even if his name never showed up in the headline moments of the night.

RB Jaydon Blue

Inactive

OT Ajani Cornelius

Inactive

DT Jay Toia

Inactive

RB Phil Mafah

Injured reserve

WR Traeshon Holden

Practice squad

TE Rivaldo Fairweather

Practice squad

LB Justin Barron

Practice squad

The top stories and transfer rumours from Wednesday’s newspapers…

PREMIER LEAGUE

Manchester United are hopeful that Bruno Fernandes will return from injury before their clash with Manchester City on January 17, meaning the captain would miss only five matches – The Times.

Chelsea could have signed lifelong Blues fan Antoine Semenyo for just £2m six years ago – The Sun.

Antoine Semenyo’s release clause at Bournemouth is only active for the first 10 days of the January transfer window – BBC.

Roma want to sign Chelsea defender Axel Disasi on loan – BBC.

Manchester United are set to appoint Newcastle’s head of youth recruitment Paul Midgley to the same role at Old Trafford – Daily Mail.

EUROPEAN FOOTBALL

Robert Lewandowski will sit down with Barcelona manager Hansi Flick at the beginning of 2026 to discuss his future – Sport.

Monaco will not convert Ansu Fati’s loan move from Barcelona into a permanent deal – El Nacional.

SCOTTISH FOOTBALL

Celtic goalkeeper Tobi Oluwayemi is attracting interest from clubs in England and Europe – The Scottish Sun.

Hearts are set to sign defender Jordi Altena is set to be their first January signing after beating off competition from the MLS – The Scottish Sun.

(Photo Illustration – MetroCreativeConnection)

CHARLESTON — Westbrook Health Services in Parkersburg was awarded two of 76 grants announced Tuesday from the West Virginia First Foundation.
The WVFF named the recipients of the Momentum Initiative Grant (MIG), which is nearly $18 million, to support high-impact initiatives addressing substance use disorder, prevention, recovery, and workforce and system capacity across West Virginia, according to a press release issued Tuesday.
WVFF Grant Awards
Approved by the WVFF Board of Directors earlier this month, MIG represents a landmark opioid abatement investment and reflects a revolutionary, nationally distinctive model for stewarding settlement dollars, one that combines objective evaluation and local expertise. Funding was awarded to 76 projects spanning statewide and regional target areas, reflecting both community-driven priorities and statewide needs.
Wood County is a part of District 3 within the WVFF which also includes Tyler, Pleasants, Ritchie, Wirt, Calhoun, Roane and Jackson counties.
Westbrook Health Services received a $125,000 grant focusing on Youth Prevention through the Westbrook Health Services Thrive Together Project and a $250,000 grant focused on the Westbrook Health Services Workforce Development Project to help with Behavioral Health & Workforce Development.
Other recipients in Region 3 include: $224,000 to Hope House Ministries Inc. for Recovery Housing; $58,329 to TEAM for West Virginia Children Inc. for Youth Prevention; and $113,554 to The Bomar Club Inc. for its On the Road to Success: Expanded Wraparound and Reentry Services as part of its Day Report Centers & Reentry Programs.
There were four statewide awards given to help with foster care and non-parental caregivers. Those awards include: $954,469.45 to the National Youth Advocate Program Inc. for the Foster RISE (Recruitment, Intervention, Support and Expansion) program; $974,751 to Pressley Ridge for the Pressley Ridge Treatment Kinship Care Statewide Services program; $975,000 to the West Virginia CASA Association Inc. for its Continuum of Care for Children & Families Impacted by the Opioid Crisis program; and $947,916 to West Virginia Wesleyan College for its WVWC & WV CASA Capacity Building Initiative program.
MIG investments will support a broad range of efforts, including foster care and non-parental caregiver initiatives, youth prevention, recovery housing, behavioral health and workforce development, and reentry and diversion programs, the press release said. Collectively, these investments are designed to strengthen systems of care, expand access to services, and promote long-term, sustainable impact for West Virginians, the release added.
“We were intentional in building a structure that reflects both feedback and best practices,” said Greg Duckworth, WVFF Board Chairman. “What emerged is a landmark opioid abatement model, distinct from any other foundation of its kind, made possible by volunteer board members and expert panelists dedicated to serving West Virginia.” To support consistency and objectivity, the WVFF review process followed a structured, multi-step approach, the press release stated. This first-of-its-kind model engaged local expert panelists, statewide leaders in their fields, neutral and objective data-driven specialists, and the full Board of Directors (both locally-elected and appointed). Independent, outcomes-based scoring was conducted and focused on program design, feasibility, and potential impact, the release said.
“The Momentum Initiative Grant reflects a new way of responding to the substance use crisis; one grounded in evidence, shaped by local expertise, and guided by accountability,” said Jonathan Board, WVFF Executive Director. “We traveled the state, listened to those holding the line in their communities, and answered the call to honor the lives lost by putting these resources into the hands of those ready to create real, lasting impact for West Virginia.”
For more information about the Momentum Initiative Grant, visit wvfirst.org/MIG.