In a fiery and tortuous speech in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, former President Donald Trump vowed to “liberate” the state from what he described as an extreme influx of migrants, reiterating his tough stance on immigration while The 2024 presidential election campaign is coming to a head.

As Trump addressed a crowd at the Prairie du Chien Area Arts Center on Saturday, he took aim at Vice President Kamala Harris, blaming her for what he said was a crisis at the southern border. “I will free Wisconsin from the mass migrant invasion,” Trump declared, adding, “We will free the country.”

The former president’s comments came just a day after Harris visited the U.S.-Mexico border, where she announced plans to further restrict asylum applications. Trump criticized Harris’ border visit and Fox News for broadcasting her comments, claiming: “Everything she says is lies.”

Newsweek contacted both the Harris and Trump campaigns via email seeking comment on Saturday’s events.

Immigration remains a hot-button issue in Wisconsin and other swing states, and the former president is hoping to capitalize on voter frustration. Trump reiterated his controversial stance after previously calling illegal border crossers “poisoning the blood of the country.” He also promised to launch the “largest deportation operation in American history” if re-elected.

The event featured mugshots of people who were in the U.S. illegally and accused of crimes, including Alejandro Jose Coronel Zarate. Local police chief Kyle Teynor addressed the crowd and confirmed that Zarate, who was arrested on multiple charges including sexual assault, was not a U.S. citizen and had fake immigration documents.

Current polls show a close race in Wisconsin. According to the latest findings New York Times/Siena College Poll: Harris leads Trump by a slim 49 percent to 47 percent among likely voters in the state.

The timesThe /Siena poll, conducted Sept. 21-26, surveyed 680 likely voters and has a margin of error of about 4 percentage points. FiveThirtyEight polling averages for Wisconsin show Harris maintaining a narrow 2.1-point lead over Trump (48.8 percent to 46.7 percent).

A recent poll from Redfield and Wilton Strategies shows that 47 percent of respondents trust Trump on immigration, compared to 36 percent who trust Harris. That gap has narrowed in recent weeks, coinciding with a sharp decline in border crossings as a result of President Joe Biden’s executive order restricting asylum applications.

Harris’ tougher stance on border security reflects Democrats’ efforts to close the gap and changing public attitudes toward immigration. Gallup reports that 55 percent of voters — including nearly 30 percent of Democrats — support new immigration restrictions, the highest level recorded since 2001.

The contrasting approaches to immigration policy between Harris and Trump reflect broader ideological differences between the Democratic and Republican platforms. The Republican Party is making immigration a top priority, promising to secure the border and end what they call an “invasion.” In contrast, the Democratic platform emphasizes reforming the asylum system and balancing enforcement with humanitarian considerations.

Trump’s border policies during his presidency have focused on reducing unauthorized immigration, including partially building a border wall, expanding enforcement and imposing stricter asylum rules. His controversial “zero tolerance” policy, which led to family separations at the southern border, was widely criticized and eventually abandoned.

Harris supports comprehensive immigration reform, prioritizing humanitarian protections and a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, including “Dreamers.” She advocates modernizing legal immigration systems and portraying immigration as a benefit to the American economy and society.

Trump and other Republicans accused Harris of failing to implement these policies as vice president, blamed her for the increase in illegal border crossings and called her Biden’s “border czar.”

During the ABC News presidential debate, Trump made baseless claims about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, which were debunked. He has also promised mass deportations of migrants, a plan that has drawn skepticism from Democrats and some Republicans because of logistical challenges.

As the Colorado Buffaloes prepared for Saturday’s game against the UCF Knights, the team was probably still riding high from its thrilling overtime win over Baylor last week.

UCF also had a thrilling comeback win in its conference opener, as the Knights erased a 21-point deficit en route to a 35-34 win over TCU.

Saturday’s game also marked a homecoming for Colorado head coach Deion Sanders, a native of Fort Meyers, Fla., who played at Florida State.

A dominant 48-21 win over UCF improved Colorado’s record to 4-1. The Buffaloes begin their bye week with a three-game winning streak.

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The fourth win of the 2024 season also matches Colorado’s win total in 2023, Sanders’ first year at the helm.

UNRANKING KENTUCKY UPSETS NO. 6 OLE MISSES AFTER KICKER MISSES POTENTIAL GAME-WINNING FIELD GOAL

Travis Hunter, Colorado’s two-way star, struck a Heisman pose after catching an impressive diving shot.

Hunter finished the day with nine receptions and scored a touchdown on a 23-yard reception.

On the ground, the Buffaloes ran for 128 yards, and running back Isaiah Augustave led the way with 39 yards. Quarterback Shedeur Sanders had another good day with 290 passing yards and three touchdowns.

Colorado’s improved defense also held up and slowed the offense, which came into the game averaging a national-leading 375.7 yards per game. The Buffaloes forced four turnovers – they intercepted KJ Jefferson twice, once in the end zone – and also denied UCF points on a drive that stalled inside the Colorado 1.

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Earlier this week, Deion Sanders was asked where his team stood after four games.

“You will never live up to my expectations,” said the two-time Super Bowl champion. “You can’t achieve that because I have big, big dreams and big ambitions for each and every one of these kids on the field and off the field.”

Sanders and the Buffaloes left Colorado on Wednesday to anticipate the arrival of Helene, a storm that wreaked havoc across the southeastern United States

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Pinellas County – Pinellas County Schools will be open for normal operations on Monday, September 30 for all schools except Gulf Beaches Elementary, Madeira Beach Fundamental K-8 and Disston Academy.

Both Gulf Beaches Elementary and Madeira Beach Fundamental K-8 were hit hard by the storm surge from Hurricane Helene and will remain closed to students through Wednesday, October 2nd. Disston Academy will remain closed until October 2 as part of the district’s post-storm recovery plan.

Hurricane Helene: 9 found dead in Pinellas County after Hurricane Helene: PCSO

Superintendent Kevin Hendrick and school administrators will report on the damage at 9 a.m. Sunday at Madeira Beach Fundamental K-8 School.

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CLEVELAND, Ohio – It was a pitching duel of opposites.

Houston sent 41-year-old Just Verlander to the mound in his 57th career start against Cleveland. The Guardians sent 32-year-old Ben Lively to the middle of the diamond to make his first start against the Astros.

Verlander and Lively were gone when the Astros’ 4-3 victory over the Guardians became official on a wet Saturday night at Progressive Field, but they left their mark on the game.

Lively’s early wildness and a critical error by shortstop Brayan Rocchio put the Guardians in a hole. Verlander (5-6, 5.48) was burned by Jose Ramirez’s two-run home run in the first game – Ramirez needed another to make it 40-40 in the final game of the season – but otherwise delivered six solid innings the victory. He is 24-24 against Cleveland in his career, but as an Astro, including the postseason, he is 4-0.

Speaking of the postseason, these two teams could see each other soon. The Guardians have home-field advantage in the American League Division Series, which begins Oct. 5. If the Astros pass their wild-card series, they could return to Cleveland for the best-of-five series.

The Astros have won eight of the last 10 regular season games against the Guards.

The Guardians had a chance to at least tie the game when Ramirez led off the bottom of the eighth with a double after a 10-pitch hit against Ryan Pressly. Josh Naylor moved him to third on a ground out, but Lane Thomas, with Ramirez running on contact, recovered to Pressly and Ramirez got caught in a rundown.

Lively (13-10, 3.81) was wild in the first two innings in his last regular-season start, which hurt the Guardians.

He struck out seven Astros in the first inning and eight in the second. The Guards were lucky that they were only two runs behind at 4-2.

Zach Dezenzo’s two-out bloop single to left gave Houston a 1-0 lead in the first. Dezenzo, a Canton native who played at Ohio State, went 2 for 5 with a home run in Friday’s 5-2 win over the Guardians.

Kyle Tucker and Victor Caranti topped Lively with consecutive one-out singles in the first. Lively pulled away from Jon Singleton but couldn’t get past Dezenzo.

The Guardians had an immediate answer when Will Brennan, who took over while Steven Kwan had the night off, opened the game with a double off Verlander. Ramirez gave Cleveland the lead with one out with a two-run home run to the right field pitches.

It was Ramirez’s 39th home run, narrowly making him Cleveland’s first 40-40 man and only the seventh 40-40 player in baseball history.

However, Lively couldn’t find the strike zone. A two-run throwing error by Rocchio added to his distress.

Jake Myers started the second with a single and Lively complicated matters by hitting No. 9 hitter Grae Kessinger. Lively retired the next two batters but issued consecutive walks to Carantini and Singleton to force the game-winning run.

Dezenzo sent a routine rebound to Rocchio for the third period, but he threw wildly to first as Kessinger and Carantini scored for a 4-2 lead. It was Rocchio’s twelfth mistake this season.

The Guardians got one of the runs back in the third. Brennan scored his second straight double against Verlander. He went to third on a ground out by Kyle Manzardo and scored on a sacrifice fly by Ramirez. The sac fly gave him 118 RBI for the season.

Ultimately, Lively made it through the third and fourth innings without incident, but by the end of the fourth inning he had 92 pitches and the bullpen had to be called out.

In four innings, Lively allowed four runs, two earned, on five hits and four walks. He crossed out four.

Verlander struck out five and didn’t walk a batter.

Next: The Guardians are expected to start with an opener on Sunday, followed by RHP Gavin Williams (3-10, 4.86). The Astros are expected to start RHP Ryan Gusto. This year he was a pitcher for Class AAA Sugar Land. Game time is 3:10 p.m. Bally Sports Great Lakes, WTAM, WMMS, WARF and Guardians radio station will broadcast the game.

The eighth-ranked Oregon Ducks will play the UCLA Bruins in their Big Ten Conference debut on Saturday, September 28th.

The game is scheduled to begin at 11:00 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on FOX. Fans who want to watch this college football game can do so for free on FuboTV, which offers a free trial (and $30 off the first month), or on DirecTV Stream, which also offers a free trial. SlingTV also offers promotional offers.

• WATCH THE GAME HERE FOR FREE

With a 49-14 win over rival Oregon State, the Ducks finally looked like College Football Playoff contenders and will now look to extend their winning streak to 13. The Bruins showed fight before fading with a 34-17 loss at No. 14 LSU.

WHO: Oregon vs. UCLA

When: Saturday, September 28th at 11pm ET

Where: Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California

Electricity: FuboTV (free trial + $30 off your first month); or sling; or DirecTV Stream

What is DirecTV Stream?

DirecTV Stream is an Internet TV service that offers your favorite entertainment, news and sports channels, as well as local TV channels and regional sports networks. DirecTV Stream can be purchased for $79.98/month for the first two months when you sign up for the ENTERTAINMENT package and add the DIRECTV Sports Pack.

What is FuboTV??

FuboTV is a streaming service that has made a name for itself in the live sports market in the United States. It offers a range of pricing plans: The basic plan, the “Pro” package, offers a selection of channels including sports, news and entertainment options like Showtime for $79.99 per month.

What is SlingTV?

Here’s what you can watch on Sling TV, with plans starting at $40: Baseball (MLB), Basketball (NBA, NCAAB), Martial Arts (Boxing, UFC, MMA), Soccer (NCAAF, NFL), Golf, Hockey, Motorsports, Olympics , football, tennis and wrestling.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.

“Saturday Night Live” returns for its 50th anniversary season on Saturday, September 28th.

The new season of SNL will premiere at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC. Those without cable can watch the show for free via FuboTV or DirecTV Stream, each of which offers a free trial for new users. Sling is another option for streaming the show and special offers are available.

• WATCH SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE HERE FOR FREE

Jean Smart will host the anniversary season premiere of “Saturday Night Live,” reflecting on 50 years of the iconic show.

Jelly Roll will be the performer.

How can I watch Saturday Night Live without cable?

Those without cable can watch the show for free via FuboTV or DirecTV Stream, each of which offers a free trial for new users. Sling is another option for streaming the show and special offers are available.

what is FuboTV?

FuboTV is a premium internet live TV streaming service that offers more than 100 channels such as sports, news, entertainment and local channels. It offers DVR storage and is designed for people who want to ditch cable but don’t want to miss out on their favorite live TV and sporting events.

what is DirecTV stream?

The streaming platform offers a wealth of content including the best of live and on-demand streaming, starting with more than 75 live TV channels.

what is loop?

Sling TV is the first app-based TV service that lets you stream live television and on-demand content over the Internet. Sling TV lets you choose the TV option that’s right for you, including Channel Add-ons, Premiums Add-ons, DVR Plus, and more.

The former president accused Harris and Democratic President Joe Biden of allowing undocumented immigrants into the U.S. and accused some migrants of wanting to “rape, pillage, steal, plunder and kill the people of the United States of America.”

At one point, Trump admitted, “That’s a dark speech.”

Trump’s speech took place in the small Wisconsin town of Prairie du Chien, where a Venezuelan man was illegally arrested in the United States in September for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman and assaulting her daughter.

According to the administration, about 7 million migrants were arrested crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally during Biden’s term, a record-breaking number that has fueled criticism of Harris and Biden from Trump and other Republicans.

During her visit to the border on Friday, Harris outlined her plans to fix “our broken immigration system” while accusing Trump of “stoking the fires of fear and division” over the impact of immigrants on American life.

Harris also called for stricter asylum restrictions and vowed to make preventing the importation of fentanyl into the U.S. a “top priority.”

Trump also repeated his false claim that his 2020 election loss to Biden was fraudulent. If re-elected and “if allowed,” Trump said he would prosecute those he blames for his loss.

Studies generally conclude that there is no evidence that immigrants commit crimes at higher rates than U.S.-born Americans, and critics say Trump’s rhetoric reinforces racist tropes.

Trump typically focuses on young women allegedly killed by Hispanic attackers to drive home that message, avoiding cases involving male victims.

Trump’s opponents accuse him of cynically exploiting grieving families to fuel his narrative that foreign-born, often Hispanic, arrivals are part of an invading army.

But some victims’ families welcomed Trump’s focus on the issue of violent crime and the death toll among teenagers caused by the opioid drug fentanyl, much of which enters the U.S. through the southern border.

Several parents who lost children to attacks by illegal immigrants in the United States or to fentanyl spoke out in support of Trump ahead of his comments on Saturday.

Schools in the Clinton system are facing a roofing need that administrators say is getting worse and more costly. Total repair costs are currently estimated at over $11 million.

That was the message John Lowe, executive director of technology and support services for Clinton City Schools, delivered to the Clinton City School Board last week.

Both the city and county school systems have had roofing issues for some time, and Lowe said the estimated cost for four of the five Clinton City schools for total roof repairs is about $11,299,600 supplied.

“Going back to the (state) Needs Based Capital Fund, that window opened Aug. 1 and the filing deadline was Sept. 13,” Lowe said. “We met that deadline and I filled out 14 different applications that Dr. (Linda) Brunson was able to sign together with our district representatives. These applications allocate over $6 million for roofing and I included approximately $2.5 million for HVAC needs.

“There is no guarantee that we will receive funding, but in 2021-22 I received almost $900,000, so we can hope for some support from the state in this area,” he continued prices change.”

The $11 million estimate accounts for every school in need, except the newer Clinton High. Among those numbers were cases, Lowe said, that he considered high priority based on their current condition.

“I needed those estimates to support the grant,” Lowe explained. “So you can see some of the updated numbers as well as places that are high priority for me right now. This is Building 300 at LC Kerr, where multiple leaks have occurred in four of the six classrooms. The next equally high priorities are Sampson Middle, both the academic wing and the gymnasium, and then there is the Sunset Avenue wall.

“That wall, I mean, I don’t sleep on it because we have that dividing brick facade,” Lowe confirmed. “If action is not taken, the brick facade above office wing 800 will eventually fall away, from the upper part to the lower part. We have to deal with it.”

The wall project alone, Lowe said, is estimated to cost about $280,000, money he noted is included in his capital expenditure plan. Although there are plans to make the repairs, Lowe said more help is needed.

“My capital expenditure plan for this school year is to bid and rehabilitate that wall, but we’re going to need some assistance from the Needs Base Public School Capital Funds or an infusion of some (money) from the County Commissioners Fund Balance will help us do that because it will be an expensive project,” emphasized Lowe.

The director also explained in detail how the contractors should repair the wall and when funds will be available for the project.

“The recommendation is to take the brick façade off, replace the windows and install vertical metal roof panels as we are getting water through the current brick façade,” he said. “We made every possible attempt to patch it; We replaced the edging on the bottom and coated the wall with a water repellent to try to contain the problem, but we are now at the point where we have no more paving.”

The Sunset wall isn’t the only place Lowe said she’s at her patch limit.

“We’re also running out of pavers for the 300 Hall at LC Kerr,” he said. “As you know, we keep going back up there and covering the shingles even more and now it looks like a patchwork quilt, but then new leaks keep popping up elsewhere. That’s why I’m sharing these estimates to show where we stand in terms of our roofing needs. This really helped me prepare our applications for the Needs Based Public Schools Capital Funds Grant.”

Regarding the scope of the total roofing needs, Lowe’s provided estimates detailing the estimated 2024 construction costs and the 2024 consulting fee, which were equal to the total cost of the project.

• Butler Avenue – (Building 300) construction $243,000, consulting $19,000; a total of $262,000

• LC Kerr – (gym wall) construction $27,000, consulting $4,000; total $31,000; (300 buildings) $148,500, $12,000; total $160,500; (Building 01.15-Kimbrough Road, end of 200 Hall) $196,500, $16,000; a total of $212,500.

• Sunset Avenue – (Elevation Wall) construction $259,000, consulting $21,000; total $280,000; (Triangular building on Kerr Street side) $636,000, $51,000; a total of $687,000; (Auditorium) $315,000, $25,000; a total of $340,000; (700 Hall at Finch Street) $423,000, $33,800; total $456,800; (Combined Auditorium and Finch Street Hall – not charged as a whole) $738,000, $58,800; a total of $796,800.

• Sampson Middle – (Total area of ​​Sampson Middle – not calculated as a whole) Construction $3,720,000, Consulting $335,000; total $4,055,000; (Academic Wing) Construction $2,025,000, Consulting $162,000; a total of $2,187,000; (Gym Wing) $1,695,000, $136,000; totaling $1,831,000.

Based on these figures, the estimated total construction cost is $10,426,000 with consulting fees at $873,600 for a total cost of $11,299,600. While it is a steep hill to overcome, and while plans are underway to address the worst problems, he stressed that urgent help from other sources continues to be needed.

“There is some good news on LC Kerr, as I mentioned, such as our 2021-22 needs-based funds that I just filed this summer, our recent final reports, and my numbers are exactly the same as theirs. The offers were only slightly below our proposal, which was around $57,000.”

While these funds are only intended for the projects listed on their applications, such as new construction, Lowe said the possibility of using these grants for roof repairs at LC Kerr is an option.

“You (NC DPI) immediately said that we would not like to refund these funds, and I responded that I did not want to refund them either, but according to your information, they can only be used to the extent that was suggested in the grant application.” he said. “They said that’s true, but let me discuss this with my boss Dennis Hilton. Dennis then comes back to me and asks: Are there any other roofing projects at the locations that were included?

Lowe continued: “I said, yes, sir, there is; We have an urgent need at LC Kerr Elementary. It’s far more than what we have left, but would that be eligible?” What ultimately came out of it, and I got this in writing from the Office of School Planning, was that we were going to use the $57,000 that we were awarded for can use the LC Kerr project.

“This is helping us tremendously and I had already budgeted a certain amount for this product,” he added. “I hope the project goes through and receives a fair bid so I can shift the rest of my budget toward the wall at Sunset and both of these issues can be resolved with this capital outlay. That is my intention and then we will tackle the others as best we can, hopefully with the help of the district commissioners.”

Reach Michael B. Hardison at 910-249-4231. Follow us on Twitter at @SamsponInd, like us on Facebook and check out our Instagram at @thesampsonindependent.