WILL DOWNTOWN

May 19 2026ENTERTAINMENT

Reno’s Changing Downtown: Building a New Future

Downtown Reno is getting a major glow-up. Plans are in motion to turn a stretch of West Fourth Street into a lively entertainment zone with housing, stages, and even a towering hotel. The project began years ago when old motels got torn down, clearing space for something fresh. Now, developers are a

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May 17 2026ENTERTAINMENT

Funny Night With a Ghost, a Rock Star and Paul McCartney

Will Ferrell returned to host Saturday Night Live for the 51st season finale, joining Paul McCartney who performed three songs. The show began with a prank where Ferrell appeared as a ghost in prison garb, mocking President Trump and pulling surreal visions that included fake beer bongs and a Home S

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May 12 2026BUSINESS

When water vanishes: How a break left a town high and dry

Downtown Lake Orion turned eerily quiet after a big pipe cracked early Sunday morning. On Monday, most shops stayed shut while crews worked to fix the damage. The loss of water hit restaurants hardest, especially since Sunday was Mother’s Day—a day usually packed with families dining out. One local

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May 11 2026BUSINESS

Making Bangor Better: How a New YMCA Hub Could Change the Region

Downtown Bangor is getting a big upgrade with a $57. 8 million project to build a fresh YMCA center. Older buildings can’t always keep up with modern needs, so replacing the current 45, 000-square-foot space with a newer 82, 000-square-foot building makes sense. This isn’t just about bigger rooms—it

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May 06 2026OPINION

Reviving Akron’s Downtown: A Fresh Look at New Plans

Downtown Akron Partnership, founded over three decades ago, has kept its promise to build a lively city center. In 2018 it released a Vision + Redevelopment Plan that set clear goals for the next few years. The plan was built from community interviews, public meetings and online surveys, giving resi

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May 04 2026CRIME

Roanoke’s Nightlife Under Spotlight After Recent Concerns

Downtown Roanoke’s nightlife scene has faced fresh scrutiny after police reports tied a popular club to rising crime rates. Authorities acknowledge the venue as a recurring location in local public safety logs, though they haven’t labeled it a primary crime hotspot. The club, known for its high-ener

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Apr 30 2026ENTERTAINMENT

Crime Film “Focus” Climbs Streaming Charts Years After Release

Will Smith and Margot Robbie, both big names in movies, first met on screen in the 2015 crime thriller “Focus. ” The film follows two former lovers who become con artists. Smith plays Nicky Spurgeon, while Robbie is Jess Barrett. After their breakup, Spurgeon’s job gets complicated when Barrett show

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Apr 28 2026FINANCE

Who’s Watching the Watchmen? Willis Lease Payouts Under Fire

Willis Lease Finance Corporation has been handing out some seriously big checks to its top boss, Charles F. Willis IV. Since 2022, his annual pay has jumped from $6. 2 million to $14. 2 million, with more than half of it paid in company stock. That’s a lot of paper wealth—especially when the company

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Apr 28 2026CRIME

Better Safety in Silver Spring: What Changed and Why It Matters

Downtown Silver Spring once struggled with safety issues that scared people away. Back in 2023, serious crimes like shootings and even an unsolved murder made headlines. Business owners worried about customers staying away, and residents felt uneasy walking around. Instead of ignoring the problem, l

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Apr 22 2026CRIME

Silver Spring’s comeback story: what a difference two years make for local streets

Downtown Silver Spring used to be the kind of area where locals hesitated to linger after dark. Walking around at night felt risky, not routine. Police commanders who had patrolled the district since the late 2000s kept hearing the same stories from residents—late-night streets felt unsafe, small bu

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