MEXICO CITY — The Diving World Cup scheduled in Mexico next week was canceled due to safety concerns on Thursday.

The meet was to take place from March 5-8 in Zapopan, near Guadalajara in the state of Jalisco, where there has been a surge in violence since Sunday following the capture and death of the leader of the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), Nemesio Oseguera.

“A thorough risk assessment of the situation included consideration of travel restrictions and advice given by a number of international governments regarding travel to Mexico at the current time,” World Aquatics said in a statement. “The safety and participation of all athletes remain a fundamental priority for World Aquatics.”

Mexican sports officials have yet to comment on the cancellation.

Cartel members have burned cars and blocked roads in nearly a dozen Mexican states and authorities report that at least 70 people have died. The CJNG is considered the most powerful and violent cartel in Mexico and it is centered in Jalisco state.

Even though Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has said things are getting back to normal, in Guadalajara there was still fear among its citizens.

Four high-level soccer matches were postponed last Sunday, including one in the central city of Queretaro, where Mexico defeated Iceland 4-0 on Wednesday in a friendly. Top-tier team Atlas held workouts through Zoom.

On Wednesday, four softballers from the Guadalajara-based Jalisco Charros of the Women’s Professional League asked to be released from the team for “personal reasons.” They were American Nicola Simpson, Canadians Natalie Wildman and Janet Lung and Dutch player Eva Voortman.

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By Alex Brown, Stateline.org

The five East Coast offshore wind projects that recently won court victories over the Trump administration have restarted construction, but they make up just a small fraction of Atlantic states’ ambitious plans for offshore wind. And the dozens of projects that have yet to start construction have little chance of advancing while Trump remains in office.

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“If you were going to make the best estimate of what’s going to happen, it would be that no other projects other than these five are going to move forward over the next three years,” said Warren Leon, executive director of the Clean Energy States Alliance, a nonprofit coalition of state energy agencies.

State leaders have been relying on these projects to underpin their transitions to clean electricity and to meet their growing energy needs, largely driven by data centers and artificial intelligence. But Trump’s hostility toward offshore wind has shown the political vulnerability of an industry that operates in federal waters and relies on the government as a landlord.

Trump has opposed offshore wind for years, making false claims that it harms whales, is unreliable and drives up energy costs. He seems to have adopted that stance following the construction of an offshore wind farm near his golf course in Scotland, viewing the turbines as an eyesore.

In trying to halt the five East Coast projects, the Trump administration cited classified national security threats. But judges reviewed the classified materials and ruled that those concerns were not sufficient to stop work. They also noted the irreparable economic losses from delays and the likelihood that the developers’ lawsuits could eventually succeed.

Some analysts have noted that Trump’s long-standing campaign against wind may make it difficult for federal lawyers to convince the courts that the stop-work orders were not politically motivated.

If completed, the five projects will produce nearly 6 gigawatts of electricity to East Coast states, enough to power roughly 2.5 million homes. Offshore wind advocates say the projects will provide a massive boost to the region’s energy stability.

Projects move ahead

In December, federal officials issued a stop-work order for the five offshore wind projects currently under construction, off the coasts of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island and Virginia. Developers and states sued to block the orders.

In a ruling earlier this month, Judge Royce Lamberth of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia granted an injunction blocking the federal order for the Sunrise Wind project off New York. He cited the four previous cases in which offshore wind developers had prevailed against the feds.

“Every court to review this question has now found that the loss of specialized vessels and resulting delays amounts to irreparable harm,” Lamberth said from the bench, according to the East End Beacon. “I agree.”

The Empire Wind project, off the coast of New York, is expected to provide enough electricity to power 500,000 homes.

“We absolutely need this energy, and we need it yesterday,” said state Sen. Andrew Gounardes, a Democrat. “The fact that now we are back on track and anticipating energy to start coming through by the end of this year is enormously exciting and enormously beneficial.”

Sam Salustro, senior vice president of policy and market affairs with Oceantic Network, an industry lobbying group for offshore wind energy, noted that many states have seen surging electricity demands in recent years, adding to the urgency of completing the projects.

“These projects are so close to the finish line and putting electricity on the grid,” he said. “Every single time we get another turbine up, it gets harder to justify stopping the industry from moving forward.”

Some Republicans have joined Trump in challenging offshore wind and clean energy. But nine U.S. House Republicans wrote a letter to federal officials last month questioning Trump’s efforts to halt construction on the projects.

“America’s energy policy should be grounded in facts, fiscal responsibility, and the national interest — not ideology or politics,” the lawmakers wrote, according to E&E News.

While developers resume work, some observers have noted the rulings were specific to the construction phase on the projects, not their operation. Some expect Trump to mount a fresh challenge once turbines are actually spinning.

“This administration has had fervent and frequent opposition to offshore wind and has demonstrated a retaliatory posture when they lose in court,” said Timothy Fox, managing director at ClearView Energy Partners LLC, an independent research firm. “We could see the administration trying to stop these projects again.”

Backers note that the projects have already undergone extensive, yearslong reviews in consultation with federal agencies that found no national security concerns.

Officials with the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management declined a Stateline interview request, citing ongoing litigation.

Larger plans stalled

Across the East Coast, eight states have committed to building more than 45 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2040 — enough to power more than 30 million homes. Those states have also invested heavily in upgrading their ports to handle specialized vessels and giant turbines, building manufacturing facilities, expanding transmission infrastructure and training an offshore wind workforce.

While no states have yet abandoned their commitments to offshore wind, even industry backers say their timelines will be nearly impossible to reach after Trump’s attacks on the industry.

“You’re going to have to change the timeframe,” said New Jersey state Sen. Bob Smith, the Democratic chair of the Senate Environment and Energy Committee. “I don’t think there’s any way you can avoid that.”

Since taking office, Trump has halted permits and leases for other planned offshore wind projects, canceled $679 million in funding to support manufacturing and ports, ended clean energy tax credits and announced plans to cancel the approval of a Maryland offshore wind project.

Maryland state Del. Lorig Charkoudian, a Democrat who has been a key backer of offshore wind, said the state’s commitment of 8.5 gigawatts by 2035 is “probably not going to happen.”

Trump’s administration has said it will revoke the permit for a pending project in federal waters off Maryland, but Charkoudian expressed hope that it will survive legal challenges and move toward construction. But in two other lease areas that Maryland was counting on to meet its target, developers have been thwarted by Trump’s halt on new permits.

States still committed

Despite the setbacks, state lawmakers say they still believe in the long-term future of offshore wind.

Smith, the New Jersey legislator, said it’s a matter of basic economics. He pointed to the country’s rapidly increasing energy demands, and the massive amounts of power offshore wind can provide.

“The more wind farms that are up and the more they’re providing electricity for America, the more they prove the value of the concept,” he said. “My bet is that in two years and 11 months [when Trump is out of office] we’re going to have a very robust wind program in the U.S.”

Smith is pushing for improvements to the state’s transmission infrastructure, so new projects can be added quickly in the future.

Massachusetts Democratic state Sen. Jamie Eldridge said he also believes offshore wind can outlast Trump.

“Massachusetts is facing high utility bills, brownouts and blackouts as energy use goes up,” he said. “Offshore wind is a very dependable source of energy, and projects coming online will provide assurances for that power in times when there’s significant energy needs on the grid.”

In Maryland, state leaders are focused on building more battery energy storage facilities as they wait for wind to catch up.

“I don’t want to downplay the damage that this administration is causing, but we’re resilient,” Charkoudian said. “We’ll be a couple of years delayed for sure, but we do have a path forward.”

But some analysts say Trump has exposed the political vulnerability of offshore wind, which could make developers and investors wary even if a new administration takes office. Fox, with the energy research firm, said that the best case for offshore wind may actually be a more traditional Republican winning the presidency.

“A Democratic administration could revert right back, but if you saw a pivot among the Republican party to a more traditional all-of-the-above energy ethos, favoring state rights, that could provide the four-plus year stability that may be necessary to rebuild this industry,” he said.

Stateline reporter Alex Brown can be reached at abrown@stateline.org.

©2026 States Newsroom. Visit at stateline.org. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

What constitutes ‘public outcry’?

My thoughts about the death spiral St. Paul is in were confirmed after reading the article in Friday’s Pioneer Press about the St. Paul City Council voting to not extend the terms of a state grant awarded to a start-up business in the Energy Park business district.

This business according to the article has brought 83 well paying jobs (range of $47/hr to $127/hr) to the city with a goal of at least 113. The article cites “public outcry” as the reason the City Council declined to extend the terms of the grant.

I’d like to know what constitutes “public outcry”? The Council heard from 30 or so anti-ICE and pro-Palestiian activists in person and another 32 via email. They voiced their opposition to this company that makes semiconductor microchips for missiles and F-35 military bombers plus other plug-in modules used in the aerospace industry. So you basically have 62 people shutting down commerce and shrinking the tax base in St. Paul because of their activist positions (anti- ICE and anti-Israel). Allowing radical activists to influence these types of decisions is a prime example of why St. Paul is in such dire financial straits. We have  a hollowed out downtown, another retailer (Evereve) just announced they are leaving Grand Avenue, and property tax increases seem to be the only fuel to feed this failing engine. I wonder if the last one to leave will remember to turn off the lights.

Kevin J. Kelly, St. Paul

 

Grow up

Endorsing songs like “F— This” (how very articulate; this guy should run for mayor) and “Minnesota Nazis” (facile and an insult to Jews everywhere) does nothing to contribute to the discussion about ICE policy and tactics. Grow up.

Martin Johnston, Somerset

 

Don’t let data centers use groundwater

I hope long before the end of this legislative session the Legislature bans data centers from using groundwater. It is insane to allow them to use groundwater.  Aquifer depletion is something that humans cannot restore. The data centers can build holding ponds or build huge holding tanks, like you see on these tank farm locations where fuel is stored, that can help to cool the water they need but under no circumstances should they be using any groundwater. During flooding season the data centers can divert water from the rivers into ponds or tanks. I wish there were a jail sentence for any legislator who votes for data centers to use groundwater.

Lenny Leier, St. Paul

 

Independence

My best  friend and I never spoke of politics before. Then out of the blue, he said he was a Democrat, I thought I would reciprocate and told him I was an independent. He asked why and said, “You know you will never win.” That really got me thinking. To me when you pledge loyalty to either the Democratic or Republican party, it takes away your ability to be a free thinker.

During Donald Trump’s first presidency, he shut down the border to illegal immigration. When Joe Biden was elected he opened the border to illegal immigrants. When Trump was elected, he closed the border to illegal immigrants.

As an independent I ask this:  “Where were the Democratic leadership and Democratic advisers when he did such an absurd thing? Where is the Republican leadership and advisers when he is also doing absurd things.”

I am a proud independent and able to use my vote to get around all these misplaced loyalties that blur common sense. I may never be on the winning side politically but I like what I think.

G.  Mertz, St. Paul

 

Signature moves

Donald Trump is performing one of the signature moves of every tyrant throughout history. When losing popularity with the people, they find a reason to start a war in vain hopes of raising a rush of patriotic fervor. In Donald Trump’s case it is another act of performance with little if any plan or thought of consequences. Once again we have an old favorite, regime change. The leadership of Iran uses war threats to increase suppression of the people. USA is The Great Satan and a mortal enemy. A shooting war gives Trump his reason to declare a national emergency to create even more havoc against the population and what is left of the economy.

Joe Danko, North St. Paul

 

Masks for some?

So St. Paul passes an ordinance that prevents police and federal agents from wearing masks. But I don’t see anything proposed to outlaw masks from
the assaulting, destructive and vandalizing protesters who seem to roam the streets at will. What’s wrong with this scenario?

Lee J. Christianson, Baldwin

 

The luxury of borrowed grievance

I recently attended a service at a liberal St. Paul church where the air was thick with “fear” and “terror” regarding immigration enforcement. As one of the few conservatives in the pews, I found the scene surreal.

The congregants — largely affluent, white Americans — protest with a fervor that suggest they are the ones being victimized. This is a recurring pattern. From Wall Street to current anti-ICE protests, these individuals consistently immerse themselves in the “cause of the week.”

While they act as if they are under siege, they are actually the least vulnerable people in our society. It appears they have been ideologically conditioned to adopt victimhood as a primary identity. One has to wonder: What is the next crisis this movement will push on these willing “victims” to keep them in a state of perpetual outrage?

Warren Poole, St. Paul

 

Restitution?

There appears to be something missing in Feb. 19 article “Man gets probation for copper thefts.” The article failed to discuss restitution to the city. Is there no accountability for the inconvenience to city residents who rely on those lights, who paid for those lights? The effort and money by the police department to identify the perpetrators on top of the $200,000 expense to repair, why are they and Dem-Con Metal Recycling in Blaine that bought the copper — it’s clearly against the law to purchase copper with “City of St Paul Public Works” stamped on it — not required to pay restitution? Or was that a part of the plea bargain and not included in the article. Please do tell.

Todd Roth, Lakeville

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By JAMES POLLARD

NEW YORK (AP) — Dolly Parton’s name might inspire full-throated sing-a-longs to her working woman’s anthem “9 to 5,” or evoke memories of thrilling days spent at her Dollywood theme park.

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Now, the Grammy-winning country music superstar is lending her name to a new cause: advancing pediatric health care in her home state. The East Tennessee Children’s Hospital announced Thursday that it will now be known as Dolly Parton Children’s Hospital.

“Ever since I’ve been in a position to do my part, to help others, I have tried to do just that. Especially when children and families need it most,” Parton said in a video announcement. “I’ve always believed that every child deserves a fair chance to grow up healthy, hopeful and surrounded with love.”

The impact of Parton’s philanthropy is already felt across Tennessee and beyond. Her Imagination Library initiative reports to send 3 million free books every month to children whose parents request them. She donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University’s Medical Center for research that helped produce Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine. And her charitable foundation provides numerous college scholarships and offers disaster relief.

Dolly Parton Children’s Hospital did not share how much Parton donated as part of the naming announcement. But Matt Schaefer, its president and CEO, said her support would ensure “every child who walks through our doors receives the treatment they deserve.”

Adam Cook, the independent not-for-profit hospital’s chief development and public affairs officer, said they would continue offering the same care that the community has come to expect. The gift “encourages us to continue to support our mission,” he added.

“This is a generational collaboration that will transform pediatric care in this region,” Cook said in a statement to the Associated Press. “It will positively impact patients and families for decades to come.”

The support comes as rural hospital closures have left tens of millions of people with fewer health care options.

The East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, now named after Parton, has operated with an “open-door” policy that no child would be denied care for their race, religion or ability to pay medical bills since it opened in 1937, according to its website. Its main campus in Knoxville, Tennessee is one of more than 20 locations across the eastern part of the state.

Parton said she is honored to support the hospital’s doctors, nurses and team members — and invited the public to join her.

“I can’t do it all myself,” she said in the video.

Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits 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. For all of AP’s philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.