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MADISON, Wis. –

The University of Wisconsin Board of Regents voted unanimously Friday to fire a communications professor who wanted to keep his job after he was fired as chancellor of one of the system’s campuses for producing pornographic films.

Joe Gow, who served as UW-La Crosse’s chancellor for nearly 17 years, argued last week that he should retain a teaching position on campus. But the university’s lawyers argued that he behaved unethically, violated the terms of his employment contract, damaged the university’s reputation and compromised its mission.

The regents met in closed session Friday morning before publicly voting to fire Gow. There was no public discussion before the board vote.

Gow said he is considering filing a lawsuit to keep his teaching job. He did not immediately respond to a message Friday morning.

Gow has been on paid leave from his faculty position since the regents fired him as chancellor in 2023, shortly after university leadership became aware of the videos posted on pornographic websites.

The case has drawn national attention both for the salaciousness of a high-ranking university official making and speaking publicly about pornographic films and for the questions it raises about free speech rights.

Gow argued that his videos and two e-books that he and his wife Carmen published about their experiences in adult films were protected by the First Amendment. The university’s attorney argued that Gow’s videos themselves were legal, but that they were not protected by his employment contract.

Zach Greenberg, an attorney with the free speech advocacy group Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, called the regents’ decision “a major blow to academic freedom and the right to free expression.”

“FIRE has said time and time again: Public universities cannot sacrifice the First Amendment to protect their reputations,” Greenberg said. “We are disappointed that the UW has caved to donors and politicians by alienating a tenured professor.”

Republican lawmakers already view Wisconsin’s university system as a liberal incubator. Last year they forced the company to scale back its diversity initiatives. System President Jay Rothman has tried to avoid further angering conservatives as he seeks approval for an $855 million increase in the next state budget.

Gow’s hope of teaching in the classroom again was rejected by his department head, Linda Dickmeyer. She said that because Gow had not taught in 20 years, he would be assigned general education courses, but she declined to allow him to return to teaching in any capacity.

Gow was criticized in 2018 for inviting porn actress Nina Hartley to speak on campus. She received $5,000 from tuition fees for her performance. The university said he came up with the idea of ​​bringing her to campus after filming a pornographic video with her.

Gow and his wife’s e-books were written under the pseudonyms “Monogamy with Benefits: How Porn Enhances Our Relationships” and “Married with Benefits – Our Real Adventures in the Adult Industry.” But they also star in a YouTube channel called “Sexy Healthy Cooking,” in which the couple cooks meals with porn actors.

• Der Senator von Ohio, JD Vance, und der Gouverneur von Minnesota, Tim Walz, werden am 1. Oktober in ihrer lang erwarteten Debatte gegeneinander antreten.
• Die Debatte findet etwa einen Monat vor den heiß umkämpften Parlamentswahlen im November statt.
• Von Vance und Walz wird erwartet, dass sie aggressive Stellvertreter für ihre jeweiligen Mitstreiter sind.

Senator JD Vance aus Ohio und Gouverneur Tim Walz aus Minnesota werden sich am Dienstag zur einzigen geplanten Vizepräsidentendebatte treffen, einem Duell, das den letzten großen Moment des Wahlkampfs markieren könnte.

Vizepräsidentschaftsdebatten stehen in der Regel im Mittelpunkt des politischen Kalenders. Aber derzeit werden Vizepräsidentin Kamala Harris und der ehemalige Präsident Donald Trump nicht noch einmal debattieren. Das bedeutet, dass es am Dienstagabend an ihren Mitstreitern liegt, das Schlussplädoyer vor Millionen Amerikanern zu halten – auch wenn voraussichtlich weit weniger einschalten werden als die rund 67 Millionen Zuschauer, die die Harris-Trump-Debatte verfolgt haben.

Ihre Schlussplädoyers kommen Ihnen wahrscheinlich bekannt vor. Auch wenn sie einander gegenüber auf der Bühne stehen, wird von beiden Kandidaten erwartet, dass sie sich mehr auf die Spitze des Tickets konzentrieren. Insbesondere Vance hat vorhergesagt, dass er zwar auf Walz schießen wird, sein Hauptziel jedoch Harris sein wird.

Peter Loge, außerordentlicher Professor und Direktor der School of Media and Public Affairs an der George Washington University, sagte gegenüber Business Insider, dass die Vizepräsidentendebatte jedem Kandidaten die Möglichkeit biete, sich auf die Botschaft seiner Partei einzulassen.

„Menschen neigen nicht dazu, für oder gegen Vizepräsidentschaftskandidaten zu stimmen, aber was die Kandidaten tun können, ist, den Wählern zu vermitteln, wofür die Partei oder der Wahlkampf steht“, sagte er. „Für Walz ist es eine Gelegenheit, sich vielen Amerikanern vorzustellen, die immer noch nicht wissen, wer er ist, und die Harris-Botschaft der Mittelklasse, des geringen Dramas und vernünftiger Lösungen zu bekräftigen.“

„Vance hatte einen größeren nationalen Bekanntheitsgrad, bevor er Trumps Vizepräsidentschaftskandidat wurde, aber er hat immer noch die Chance, sich bei den Wählern vielleicht ein wenig zu revanchieren“, fuhr er fort. „Vor allem aber, um den Trump-Ansatz in Bezug auf Einwanderung, Wirtschaft und amerikanische Identität zu stärken.“

Beide Männer sind stolze Söhne des Mittleren Westens, aber die Ähnlichkeiten enden dort im Allgemeinen.

Der Republikaner aus Ohio ist ein überzeugter Verteidiger von Trump und hat seine konservative Haltung in allen Bereichen, von reproduktiven Rechten bis hin zur Kinderbetreuung, verschärft.

In der Zwischenzeit versucht Walz, der glückliche Kämpfer für Harris zu sein, dessen Präsidentschaftskandidatur im Juli erst begann, nachdem Präsident Joe Biden nach einer katastrophalen Leistung in der Debatte beschlossen hatte, als voraussichtlicher Präsidentschaftskandidat der Demokraten zurückzutreten.

Trump könnte wirklich einen starken Abend von Vance gebrauchen. Harris‘ landesweite Umfragewerte haben seit ihrem überzeugenden Debattensieg zugelegt. Der Wahlbeobachter Nate Silver sieht sie nun als leichte Favoritin auf den Sieg.

Hier sind die wichtigen Fakten, die Sie vor der Debatte wissen müssen.

Wann ist es und wie kann ich es sehen?

Die 90-minütige Debatte zwischen Vance und Walz ist für Dienstag um 21 Uhr ET im CBS Broadcast Center in New York City angesetzt. Es wird auf CBS ausgestrahlt und steht auch als Livestream auf Plattformen zur Verfügung, auf denen CBS News 24/7 und Paramount+ angeboten werden.

Wer sind die Moderatoren?

Margaret Brennan, Moderatorin von „Face the Nation“ von CBS News und Chefkorrespondentin für auswärtige Angelegenheiten des Senders, und Norah O’Donnell, Moderatorin und Chefredakteurin von „CBS Evening News“, werden die Debatte moderieren. Dies wird das erste Mal sein, dass Brennan oder O’Donnell eine Vizepräsidentendebatte moderieren.

Welche Fragen können wir zur Wirtschaft erwarten?

Während nur die Moderatoren und einige wenige andere die Fragen kennen, wird die Wirtschaft sicherlich zur Sprache kommen. Umfragen haben längst gezeigt, dass es das wichtigste Thema für die Wähler im Wahlkampf ist. Trump und Vance haben ihren Ansturm weitgehend auf die Nostalgie einer Wirtschaft vor COVID-19 gesetzt. Harris und Trump erläuterten im Vorfeld der Debatte ihre Wirtschaftsagenda. Harris hat Trump zur Rede gestellt, weil er pauschale Zölle vorgeschlagen hat, die ihrer Meinung nach einer Steuer auf amerikanische Familien ähneln würden.

Verwandte Geschichten

Bradley Tusk, ein politischer Stratege, der zum VC wurde, sagte, es sei wichtig, sich daran zu erinnern, dass die Kandidaten unabhängig von den pauschalen Versprechungen vor einer großen Aufgabe stehen werden, es durch den Kongress zu bringen.

„Es wird praktisch unmöglich sein, irgendeine transformative Gesetzgebung für eines von beiden zu verabschieden“, sagte Tusk gegenüber Business Insider.

Das Repräsentantenhaus bleibt inmitten der wenigen verbliebenen Swing-Bezirke äußerst nah dran. Es ist möglich, dass entweder Harris oder Trump bei einem gespaltenen Kongress vereidigt werden.

Ohne ein Trifecta könnte keine Partei die Versöhnung nutzen, eine Haushaltsbefugnis, die es erlaubt, einige Gesetze mit nur 50 Stimmen zu verabschieden und so einen potenziellen Filibuster durchzusetzen. Andernfalls würde die faktische 60-Stimmen-Hürde des Senats dazu führen, dass beide Seiten ihre Vorschläge kürzen.

„Realistisch gesehen ist ihre Fähigkeit, die von ihnen vorgeschlagenen Ideen in Gesetze umzusetzen, die verabschiedet und in Kraft gesetzt werden, nahezu bei Null. Das Einzige, was wirklich zählt, sind also Dinge, die man per Verordnung tun kann“, sagte Tusk.

Was muss Vance tun?

Vance hatte das rockigste Debüt eines Vizepräsidentschaftskandidaten seit Kurzem. Er erlangte erstmals landesweite Bekanntheit, als seine Memoiren „Hillbilly Elegy“ nach Trumps Wahl zum Bestseller wurden. Heutzutage wird man ihn vielleicht am meisten mit dem Ausruf „kinderlose Katzendamen“ in Verbindung bringen.

Trumps Team erwartete wahrscheinlich, mit Vances Vergangenheit als einem der prominentesten Never Trumper konfrontiert zu werden. Aber es sind die früheren Äußerungen des Republikaners aus Ohio über Frauen, die einen Nerv getroffen haben.

In unzähligen Umfragen seit August wird Walz, ein gebürtiger Nebraskaner, viel positiver beurteilt als Vance.

Verwandte Geschichten

Seit er für den Posten des Vizepräsidenten ausgewählt wurde, war der Abgeordnete aus Ohio wiederholt gezwungen, auf eine Reihe kontroverser früherer Äußerungen einzugehen – einschließlich seiner vieldiskutierten Äußerungen, in denen er mehrere Funktionäre der Demokratischen Partei als „Kinderlose Katzendamen„die kein Interesse an der Zukunft der USA hatten.“

In jüngerer Zeit hat Vance seine Ausweitung entlarvter Behauptungen über haitianische Einwanderer in Springfield, Ohio, verteidigt, denen vorgeworfen wurde, einheimische Haustiere gegessen zu haben. Sogar Vances eigener Gouverneur, sein republikanischer Landsmann Mike DeWine, hat ihn angefleht, damit aufzuhören.

Am Dienstagabend ist vielleicht nicht alles in Ordnung, aber Vance muss die Gelegenheit nutzen, um einen besseren zweiten Eindruck zu hinterlassen.

Wie kann Walz auf seinem jüngsten Aufstieg aufbauen?

Nur wenige Menschen hatten von Walz gehört, einem langjährigen Lehrer an öffentlichen Schulen, der in der Nationalgarde von Minnesota diente und 2006 erstmals für das Repräsentantenhaus kandidierte, als er Anfang des Sommers die nationale Bühne betrat, indem er die Republikaner als „komisch“ bezeichnete.

Andererseits dachten alle, dass Harris in der Vizepräsidentschaftsdebatte im Mittelpunkt stehen würde.

Vance und Trump haben versucht, Walz‘ Akte und seine Falschangaben über seinen Militärdienst aufzudecken. Aber Umfragen zeigen immer noch, dass Wähler, die eine Meinung über den Minnesotaner haben, ihn tendenziell mögen.

Als Gouverneur verfolgte Walz eine populistische progressive politische Agenda, indem er einen Gesetzentwurf unterzeichnete, der bezahlten Familien- und Krankheitsurlaub garantiert und das Recht auf Abtreibung weiter im Staatsrecht verankert. Als Kongressabgeordneter gelang es ihm immer wieder, seinen Sitz in einem Bezirk zu behalten, der sich von seiner Partei abgewandt hatte.

Harris liebt es, ihn als „Coach Walz“ vorzustellen. Wenn die Zuschauer die Debatte am Dienstag mit diesem Eindruck verlassen, wird sich Walz‘ volkstümliche Art durchgesetzt haben. Und da Harris in den nationalen Umfragen und in einigen der wichtigsten Swing States bereits einen knappen Vorsprung hat, könnte das gerade ausreichen, um die Zeit zu verlieren.

Was haben Vance und Walz übereinander gesagt?

Beide Männer aus dem Mittleren Westen haben sich ineinander zerrissen. Vance kritisierte Walz wegen des Zeitpunkts seines Militärrücktritts und argumentierte, dass der Veteranenkollege seine Einheit vor dem Irak-Krieg verlassen habe. Die Sachlage ist komplizierter, da Walz nach 24 Jahren in der Army National Guard in den Ruhestand ging, um für den Kongress zu kandidieren. Seinem Bataillon wurde erst zwei Monate nach Walzs Rücktritt offiziell mitgeteilt, dass sie in den Irak entsandt werden würden.

Walz hat Vances Eliteausbildung in Frage gestellt und gesagt, sie sei nicht repräsentativ für den typischen Mittleren Westen. Vance wurde in Armut geboren und besuchte die Flaggschiff-Schule seines Heimatstaates, die Ohio State University, bevor er einen Abschluss in Rechtswissenschaften in Yale machte.

Welche wirtschaftlichen Ansichten hat Vance?

Vances Heimatstaat wurde von den 1990er bis 2010er Jahren wirtschaftlich durch Rückgänge im verarbeitenden Gewerbe verwüstet. Allerdings war der Sektor bereits vor dieser Zeit rückläufig, insbesondere mit der Deindustrialisierung in den 1970er und 1980er Jahren.

Als Senator verfolgt er in Wirtschaftsfragen einen ausgesprochen populistischen Ansatz, unterstützt höhere Zölle auf chinesische Importe und bringt seine Unterstützung für die Arbeit der Vorsitzenden der Federal Trade Commission, Lina Khan, im Bereich Kartellrecht zum Ausdruck – insbesondere im Zusammenhang mit Big Tech.

Was verrät Walz‘ Wirtschaftsbilanz?

Mit Hilfe einer demokratisch kontrollierten Legislative hat Walz eine Reihe fortschrittlicher politischer Maßnahmen eingeleitet. Walz hat eine schrittweise Neufassung des staatlichen Steuergesetzes wegen der Einwände von Geschäftsinteressen im Staat vorangetrieben. Nach Angaben der überparteilichen Tax Foundation hat Minnesota die landesweit größte staatliche Steuergutschrift für Kinder verabschiedet. Walz unterzeichnete außerdem gesetzliche Steuersenkungen bei Sozialversicherungsleistungen und eine vorübergehende Ausweitung der Grundsteuergutschriften.

Walz unterschied sich auch von den meisten anderen Gouverneuren, einschließlich seiner Demokratenkollegen, als er auf Steuererhöhungen drängte. Nach Angaben der Tax Foundation ist Minnesota der einzige Bundesstaat, der eine Zusatzsteuer auf langfristige Kapitalgewinne und andere Nettoinvestitionserträge von Besserverdienern erhebt. Am umstrittensten war, dass Walz sich auch für eine neue Lohnsteuer zur Finanzierung allgemeiner bezahlter Familien- und Krankheitsurlaube im Staat einsetzte, die 2026 in Kraft treten soll.

A group of Jersey swimmers who swam across Lake Geneva hope their success will inspire others to give open water swimming a try.

Sally Minty-Gravett, Fay de Gruchy, Alice Harvey, Karen Le Cornu, Rachel Sayers and Julia Morris were members of the Jersey Girls team who completed The Ultimate Trophy Swim on Tuesday morning.

It took them 28 hours and 56 minutes to swim about 70 km (43.5 miles), which is twice the width of the English Channel at its narrowest point.

Alice Harvey from the team said she hoped it would show others the benefits of open water swimming.

Conditions were difficult as they began swimming at Chillon Castle in Veytaux on Monday. They completed the challenge on Wednesday morning.

Ms Harvey said she thought “we all underestimated how hard it would be” and “as the swim progressed the winds increased and the currents were against us for most of the swim.”

She added: “I’ve always swum and we’ve done a lot of local swims but this is something bigger and it’s important to get out of your comfort zone to show others how great open water swimming is.”

Ms Harvey also said “warmth and sun are on the list” for the next challenge after the “cold and dark experience” at Lake Geneva.

Looking to bounce back from an 0-4 start, the Cincinnati Bengals (0-3) face the Carolina Panthers (1-2) on Sunday at Bank of America Stadium. Carolina is 1-2 overall and 0-1 at home, while Cincinnati is 0-3 overall and 0-1 away. The Bengals are looking to bounce back from their 38-33 loss to the Washington Commanders on Monday Night Football in Week 3. Meanwhile, the Panthers want to build on their 36:22 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. Andy Dalton is expected to start again at quarterback for Carolina. Adam Thielen (hamstring injury) is out for the Panthers.

Kickoff in Charlotte, NC is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET. The Bengals have a 4.5-point advantage in the latest Panthers vs. Bengals odds, according to the SportsLine consensus, and the over/under is at 47 points. Before you decide on Bengals vs. Panthers, check out the NFL predictions and betting tips from SportsLine’s proven computer simulation model.

The model, which simulates every NFL game 10,000 times, has gained well over $7,000 on top-rated NFL picks since its launch for $100 players. The model enters Week 4 of the 2024 NFL season with an incredible 188-130 run on top-rated NFL picks dating back to the 2017 season. Since Week 7 of 2022, the top-rated NFL picks are also 42-22. The model also ranked in the top 10 in straight-line NFL picks on NFLPickWatch in four of the last six years, beating more than 94% of CBS Sports Football pick’em players four times in that span. Anyone who has followed it is way up there.

The model has its sights set on Bengals vs. Panthers and has just finalized its picks and NFL predictions. You can now head over to SportsLine to see the model’s picks. Here are several NFL odds and betting lines on spread, moneyline and over/under for the Panthers vs. Bengals game:.

• Panthers vs. Bengals Spread: Bengals -4.5
• Panthers vs. Bengals over/under: 47 points
• Panthers vs. Bengals money line: Bengals -219, Panthers +181
• Panthers vs. Bengals picks: See picks at SportsLine

Why the Bengals can cover

The Bengals suffered a 38-33 surprise loss to the Washington Commanders in Week 3. Despite the loss, quarterback Joe Burrow was outstanding. The 2019 Heisman Trophy winner completed 76.3% of his passes for 324 yards and three touchdowns.

All-Pro wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase also had his best game of the season, catching six passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns. The entire offense benefited from the return of wide receiver Tee Higgins, who caught three passes for 39 yards. His presence opened up the breakthrough for Chase and was a big reason why Cincinnati finished the game with 436 total yards. See which team you should choose here.

Why the Panthers can cover

The Panthers’ 36-22 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders was a true team effort with many players putting in solid performances. Perhaps the best of them was Andy Dalton, who threw for 319 yards and three touchdowns. Dalton replaced Bryce Young, who was on the bench, and provided the spark Carolina’s offense needed to get going.

Dalton played for the Bengals for nine years and had some success against his former team. Dalton is 2-1 against the Bengals and has thrown four touchdown passes with no interceptions in those three starts. Running back Chuba Hubbard was solid for the Panthers, totaling 169 yards and a touchdown against the Raiders. See which team you should choose here.

How to pick the Panthers vs. Bengals

The model has simulated Panthers vs. Bengals 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is based on the overall score and has also generated a point spread pick that hits in well over 50% of simulations. You can only see the model selection at SportsLine.

So who wins the Bengals vs. Panthers in Week 4 and which side of the spread concedes well over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Panthers vs. Bengals is further behind, all under the model that has returned well over $7,000 on top-rated NFL picks, and find out.

Penn State will face Illinois on Saturday, September 28, 2024 (9/28/24) at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania on NBC.

How to watch: Fans can watch the game for free through a trial of fuboTV and DirecTV Stream, or through a subscription to Sling TV, which offers $25 off the first month.

Here’s what you need to know:

What: Big Ten football

Who: Penn State vs. Illinois

When: Saturday, September 28, 2024

Where: Beaver Stadium

Time: 7:30 p.m. ET (6:30 p.m. CT)

TV: NBC

LIVE STREAM: fuboTV And DirecTV stream

Best Streaming Options for College Football Games in 2024:

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ESPN+ ($9.99 per month): ESPN+ broadcasts college football games every weekend for just $9.99 per month. These games are exclusive to the platform.

Peacock TV ($5.99 per month): Peacock will simulcast all NBC Sports college football games airing on the NBC broadcast network this season, including Big Ten Saturday Night. Peacock will also stream Notre Dame home games. Certain games will continue to stream exclusively on Peacock this year.

Paramount+ (free trial): Paramount Plus will live stream college football games broadcast on CBS this year.

Thank you for trusting us to provide you with the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting us with a subscription

Tim Walz is trying very hard to make it look like he’s not trying too hard.

“Look, a few weeks ago, I was sitting in St. Paul, minding my own damn business,” Walz said recently at a rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This has been a standard line of his since Kamala Harris picked the Minnesota governor to be her running mate and special envoy to the coveted “White Dudes for Harris.” These particular dudes are both the literal folksy folks in the crowd in their literal White Dudes for Harris T-shirts and the potential swing voters spread across the mythical sectors of Whitemanistan, U.S.A.

The point is, Walz likes to emphasize that he was not out there gunning for this job like some try-hard politician would. He didn’t go looking for this assignment. He was just minding his own damn business one day, puttering around at home: playing with his dog, or inspecting his gutters and picking up some new downspouts at Menards.

Something authentic like that.

But then, after President Joe Biden’s debate face-plant on June 27, and his exit from the campaign a few weeks later, Walz decided he might as well get himself out there a little more. He would shed his camouflage hat, throw on a tie, and try to fit some TV interviews into his busy schedule of changing air filters, hunting pheasants, and governing Minnesota.

And wouldn’t you know it, Walz was an instant sensation: He relentlessly touted Harris and crushed Donald Trump and dismissed certain Republicans as “weird” in a punchy procession of appearances. Next thing he knew, in early August, Harris was on the phone asking him to be her running mate, and Walz was saying, Sure, why not, he’d be happy to help—just as he would if, say, Harris were his friend down the road who needed help shoveling out her car after a blizzard.

“As I told the vice president, whatever I can offer, I will do,” Walz said in Grand Rapids, recounting Harris’s fateful “Let’s do this, buddy!” invitation. A sensation was born.

David A. Graham: It’s Walz

“I love this guy,” Barack Obama raved about Walz at the Democratic National Convention last month, the night before the effervescent everyman himself delivered arguably the best speech of the week. “You can tell those flannel shirts he wears don’t come from some political consultant,” Obama said. The guy was just so genuine, so pleasing, and seemingly everything the Democrats needed.

In early September, I set out to get a closer view of the pop-up populist persona—to see this happy accident in action. I wanted to get a better sense of how much of this character was real, how much was a bit, and how the whole Walz phenomenon was evolving beyond his homey debut.

During the run-up to the most important night of Walz’s campaign—his debate Tuesday with his Republican counterpart, J. D. Vance—I attended several campaign rallies and smaller meet-and-greet events across four states. I talked with his friends, past and current staff members, and people I met along the way. In a few cases, his team allowed me access to Walz while he worked crowds and greeted donors, dignitaries, and volunteers in receiving lines. The campaign did not make Walz available for an interview.

Backstage in Grand Rapids, I ran into Gretchen Whitmer, the governor of Michigan. Whitmer had just introduced her friend Walz at the rally, telling the crowd of about 800 that both he and Harris “understand our lives because they live lives just like ours.” She agreed to talk with me later about Walz. Like many people who know him, Whitmer described her midwestern neighbor in terms of mundane life scenarios. “If you drive by someone who’s stuck on the road,” she told me, “they might need a lift or a phone call or a tire change. I wouldn’t be able to change the tire, but I could make the phone call or give them a lift. Tim could do all three.”

When Harris picked Walz, she knew that this would be an abbreviated race, with limited time to make an impression. The campaign clearly saw Walz as embodying an archetype of American masculinity that would stand in contrast with the noisy grievance guys in the red MAGA hats and creepy venture-capitalist types like Vance, who can’t order a damn doughnut without breaking into hives. Walz is a much more approachable avatar for would-be Harris supporters, those classic rockers, tellers of dad jokes, and football-watching wearers of Taylor Swift friendship bracelets. They are content to sit at home and mind their own damn business unless called upon, in which case they’re happy to pitch in and help. How could these dudes—who ideally live in places like Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin—not relate to Tim Walz?

Several people in Walz’s crowds held signs reading coach, a reference to Walz’s former career as an assistant football coach at Mankato West High School before he ran for Congress in 2006. So what if it’s been nearly two decades since Walz has worn a whistle around his neck? The coach thing has been a key component of the regular-guy shtick, one that he does tend to lay on a bit thick.

In a video that the campaign released last week, Walz can be seen popping his head up from under the hood of the figurative turnip truck in his driveway. The vehicle is in fact his 1979 International Harvester Scout, which has served as a recurring prop in Walz’s stage set—just as Harris has deployed Walz himself as a kind of prop.

In the ad, Walz is schooling his online audience in the finer points of keeping a dirt-free carburetor. “You can always tell something about somebody’s maintenance by how clean their air filter is,” Walz said, picking up the truck’s filter and then putting it back down again (for the record, his hands are also immaculate). He is like a midwestern version of the Car Talk guys—except that Click and Clack could never pivot as seamlessly as Walz can into a discussion of, say, the evils of Project 2025.

Read: The political tradition Harris and Waltz are bringing back

But that’s the beauty of Walz, the Harris campaign and his allies will tell you a million different ways: He can do both. “He’s someone who can connect with people and knows what it’s like to be in their shoes,” Jen O’Malley Dillon, the Harris-Walz campaign chair, told me. “To be able to work on a car and talk about Project 2025 is great. But also, to know what it’s like to not have a ton of money in your checking account, and have the kind of struggles to go to the grocery store and live the life that people live.”

“THIS car video is why Tim Walz is so loved,” gushed Victor Shi, a member of the Harris-Walz youth-engagement team, while sharing the link on X. “No one else can deliver a message so authentically & get to a demographic that Democrats have struggled often to reach.”

Here’s another thing that Democrats sometimes struggle with: subtlety.

Let me pause now to remind everyone that Tim Walz is a politician. He is a former six-term congressman and two-term governor who until recently served as chair of the Democratic Governors’ Association. He can hustle, grandstand, “misspeak,” and be opportunistic, just like the rest of them. When Biden dropped out in July, Walz saw an opening. He seized it.

Walz had been thinking about what he might do when his second term as governor ended at the end of 2027. He’d kicked around the idea of running for president himself, according to people in his political circle. “But then, when it looked like Biden might drop out, things got accelerated for him,” Blois Olson, a longtime political commentator in the Twin Cities, told me.

Read: The good-enough primetime debut

The idea was that being mentioned as a possible running mate in 2024 would help if Walz wanted to be part of the conversation for 2028. He did not appear to be on Harris’s original shortlist. But as soon as it started looking like Biden might quit, Walz started doing as much cable TV as he could. He was an instant phenom and shot quickly into Harris’s top ranks of running-mate candidates.

“Having a good shtick is part of being a good politician,” Brendan Buck, a Republican communications strategist who was a top aide to Speakers John Boehner and Paul Ryan when Walz served in Congress from 2007 to 2019, told me. “Walz always struck me as a bit of a loudmouth, who was one of those guys on the Hill who maybe seems to be trying a little too hard.” This doesn’t make Walz a bad person, Buck added, or especially unique among politicians. “But it doesn’t give him special status as The Authentic One, either.”

Olson says that in his brief career as a running mate, Walz has benefited from the frenetic pace of contemporary politics: the fact that people tend to experience candidates as impressionistic blurs and pay little attention to anything that lies below the surface. Being able to cultivate a persona and ace a role can get you a long way. Olson said that Walz has unquestionably proven himself a talented political performer throughout his career. But veteran Walz watchers can also grow weary of his practiced yokel act. “Oh, he is totally full of shit,” Olson said of Walz. “And he’s also really good at being full of shit.” Olson seemed to mean this as a compliment.

In a crass sense, being “really good at being full of shit” distills a certain essence of what it means to be a good politician.

Walz is unquestionably a good politician. This has been evident in a variety of settings, beginning with cable interviews, the format that, more than anything, positioned him for this job. Back in July, he was firing off lines about Democrats fighting to preserve basic American freedoms—over their own bodies, lifestyle choices, health-care options, and whatnot—that went immediately viral. “These are weird people on the other side,” Walz said on MSNBC. “They want to take books away. They want to be in your exam room.” His message: Americans should be free to mind their own damn business, and have others mind theirs.

Oddly, since Harris picked him, Walz has been largely hidden away from the national media. The campaign has been content to deploy Walz as more of a cartoon than a multidimensional character: dress Coach up in camouflage, pop in the Bob Seger eight-track, juice him up on Diet Mountain Dew, and send him onto the stage. His rallies are loud, boisterous, and well attended, usually more so than Vance’s.

Vance, in contrast, has been a constant media presence, often on friendly networks (such as Fox News). Polls show that Walz is much more popular than his Republican counterpart across the broader voting population, although Vance has received strong reviews from Republican-base voters, to whom he has become the ticket’s main message ambassador.

It’s a bit of a mystery why Walz has largely stopped doing national media, especially given how effective he was over the summer. The campaign seems to have trapped him in the same hyper-protective Bubble Wrap it has placed around Harris, and that was placed around Biden before her. This strikes me as a massive waste of Walz’s talent, but what do I know?

Perhaps this will change after Tuesday. The debate—between two midwestern populists of very different backgrounds, styles, and sensibilities—will be fascinating. Walz can detonate a line with the best, packs a lot of words and umbrage into tight sound bites, and has proved adept on TV. But how will this translate against the cool, cerebral vitriol of Vance? Will Walz’s default nonchalance survive the high stakes of the event?

What’s clear from watching Walz these past few weeks is that he can land a speech. He is honing his lines as he goes and trying out new ones that he’ll likely reprise against Vance. And he projects a particular relish on the stump when attacking his opposite number.

“We saw Senator Vance lead an audience when he said, ‘Well, they reduced interest rates this week; how terrible is that?’” Walz said last Saturday during a rally in a high-school gym in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. “WHO BOOS FOR LOWER INTEREST RATES!?” Walz yelled, drawing out his disgust. He paused before dropping his punch line: “Venture capitalists, apparently.” (In fact, Vance reacted to a crowd booing a reporter’s question about the drop in rates by saying that it wasn’t enough to help struggling families.)

Read: Authenticity just means faking it well

Walz is a winning retail politician, a prodigious hugger who laughs easily and is always passing out little pins imprinted with loons—the Minnesota state bird—to the kids he meets. At every stop he is endlessly deferential to Harris and careful to portray himself foremost as a servant to her success. He projects none of the self-important traits of certain past running mates who envisioned themselves as presidential “partners” (Biden always made a big deal out of saying he would not have accepted the No. 2 job from Obama unless he was assured that his vice presidency would be sufficiently consequential and worthy of his talents). Walz, in contrast, carries himself as a charmed political lottery winner, plucked from the prairie.

“Look, I just want to help,” I kept hearing Walz tell people. He cuts a convincing beta figure, content to play the ultimate assistant coach. Minnesota has a proud and winning tradition of vice-presidential candidates: Hubert Humphrey in the 1960s and Walter Mondale in the 1970s. (Both fared less well when they tried to run as alpha nominees—Humphrey losing to Richard Nixon in 1968, and Mondale to Ronald Reagan in 1984.)

Walz takes the stage to “Small Town,” the rollicking hayseed homage by John Mellencamp, released in 1985. The tune is fun, familiar, and apt for Walz’s rural upbringing in Butte, Nebraska, where he says there were 25 students in his high-school graduating class, 12 of them his cousins.

But for what it’s worth, every time I hear “Small Town,” I think of a previous Democratic running mate, another self-styled fighter for the little guy with a small-town rap: John Edwards, the former senator from North Carolina, a two-time presidential candidate, and John Kerry’s running mate in 2004. Edwards was a dazzling political performer in his own right, and he, too, used to wear out “Small Town” at his rallies. The lesson here is that shticks don’t always age well, and neither did the story of Edwards. His sweet-talking country lawyer routine—righteous champion of justice and handsome family man—would eventually vaporize in a swirl of $400-haircuts, extramarital liaisons, legal woes, a lovechild, and other tabloid unpleasantness.

Yes, Walz, like Edwards, was born in a small town (and he could breathe in a small town). But no, Walz is not John Edwards. He’s much more accomplished and less slick than Edwards ever was. These are very different political times, and just because he and Edwards have the same campaign song doesn’t mean that Tim Walz is also destined to come crumbling down.

The comparison, however, does ring with a cautionary echo. Very little in politics is truly authentic. And nothing is as simple as it seems—in a small town or on a big stage.

STEINHATCHEE, Fla. – For nearly two decades, Scott Peters has poured his heart and soul into the bar at his Crabbie Dad’s, just across the Steinhatchee River on Florida’s Big Bend Coast.

It has weathered storms and floods, the ups and downs of tourism, the economy as a whole, and just about everything else the world has had to offer. And hurricanes have long been commonplace – and usually mild enough to make landfall in the city.

Locals threw hurricane parties, cracked open beers and howled in defiance of the wind. But after 2016, when Hurricane Hermine devastated the small town he calls home, they started taking the storms more seriously.

“We’re basically at sea level,” Peters said Wednesday.

That was before Hurricane Helene barreled ashore and pushed a wall of water forward. Helene’s eye hit the shore a few miles away, and Steinhatchee was hit perhaps harder than almost any other place.

And Peters’ Bar may have been hit the hardest.

He rode out the storm in Gainesville, about 70 miles away, and had not yet returned home to survey the damage.

Seventeen restaurants, hotels and other businesses in and around Wichita were out of compliance during food safety and lodging inspections conducted by the Kansas Department of Agriculture from Sept. 15-21.

They were cited for a number of violations, including ongoing cockroach infestations, flies landing on food and surfaces that touch food, moldy bathtub caulking, water leaks, missing information and equipment, dirty equipment, missing smoke detectors and fire extinguishers, foods that weren’t stored at safe temperatures, an employee who didn’t wash their hands and more, according to inspection reports.

Information about the food establishments and hotels and motels, as well as a summary of their violations, appears below. All of the businesses listed are located in Sedgwick County. The list was compiled Sept. 25.

More than 40 establishments passed their inspections Sept. 15-21. A list of those also appears below. Some may have been non-compliant in previous weeks.

Business owners and managers can contact Eagle reporter Amy Renee Leiker at 316-268-6644 or [email protected] to comment on inspection results that appear in this story. Comments will be added to the online version of this article.

More details about inspections are in The Eagle’s searchable database of non-compliant restaurant and hotel inspections at www.kansas.com/databases.

Out-of-compliance inspections

54 Craft & Co., 549 S. Rock Road in Wichita — One violation on Sept. 16 during a follow-up inspection. Water wasn’t hot enough at a three-compartment sink. Next inspection: Nov. 16.

Andy’s Frozen Custard, 10788 W. 21st St. in Wichita — Three violations on Sept. 17 during a routine inspection. Water wasn’t hot at a bathroom sink, containers of brownies and candies didn’t have lids on them to protect them from contamination including from flies, flies in restaurant were landing on food and surfaces that touch food. Next inspection: Sept. 27.

Andy’s Frozen Custard, 3425 E. Douglas in Wichita — Three violations on Sept. 18 during a routine inspection. Water wasn’t hot at a bathroom sink, flies in the restaurant were landing on food and surfaces that touch food, a fly landed on brownies that weren’t covered. The next inspection date wasn’t provided.

Baymont Inn & Suites by Wyndham Wichita East, 12111 E. Central in Wichita — Sixteen violations on Sept. 17 during a complaint inspection. There was no cleaning or sanitizing solution in the fitness rooms for guests to use, no towels in the fitness room, no ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) outlets by sinks in some rooms, emergency lights didn’t work, carbon monoxide detectors weren’t checked every six months, smoke alarms didn’t work in two rooms, issue with smoke alarm testing logs, broken microwave, freezers in rooms had individual ice trays in them which isn’t allowed, moldy bathtub caulking, bottles of floor and surface cleaners weren’t labeled, the carbon monoxide detectors in the boiler room and the laundry room weren’t working, no carbon monoxide detector testing logs on site, smoke alarms aren’t checked every six months, no single-use gloves in laundry room. Next inspection: Sept. 27.

Chick N Max, 3520 N. Maize Road, Suite 200 in Wichita — Four violations on Sept. 18 during a routine inspection. Several foods including cheeses and chicken weren’t cold enough in a refrigerated preparation table, leaky carbonator below soda dispenser, hand-washing sink was blocked by a drink cooler and a bucket, equipment including lids and spatulas were still dirty even though they were in clean storage. Next inspection: Sept. 28.

Delux Inn, 8401 W. Kellogg Drive in Wichita — Nine violations on Sept. 17 during a complaint inspection. No records showing carbon monoxide detectors are checked every six months, bottle of air freshener wasn’t labeled, no single-use gloves in laundry room, leaky sink in laundry room, no fire extinguishers on the outside of the motel, no records showing smoke detectors are checked every six months, no emergency management plan available to employees, no smoke detectors in some rooms, battery is missing in a smoke detector. Next inspection: Sept. 27.

Economy Hotel Plus Wichita, 5805 W. Kellogg Drive in Wichita — Three violations on Sept. 17 during a follow-up inspection. Leaky pipe in laundry room ceiling and standing water in the basement, water was coming from under the door for the electrical and sprinkler room, standing water in the hallway, trash and dirt on carpets throughout the building. Next inspection: Nov. 17.

Fat Ernie’s Family Dining, 2806 S. Hydraulic in Wichita — Five violations on Sept. 18 during an inspection that was a follow-up to an administrative order. A pitcher was blocking hand-washing sink, cockroaches in cabinets and in dining room, cockroaches in kitchen, flies, large gap above screen door in kitchen, several dead insects in building including bugs next to bakery supplies and in clean containers, dead cockroaches, containers and pans soiled with sticker residue were in clean storage. Next inspection: Nov. 18.

Fish and More, 2021 S. Oliver in Wichita — Four violations on Sept. 17 during a routine inspection. Cooked food wasn’t held at a safe temperature, no probe food thermometer, catfish nuggets and catfish steaks weren’t kept hot enough, there isn’t a hand-washing sink in a shed where the restaurant prepares yams and cornbread. Next inspection: Sept. 27.

Jacky Chan Sushi, 7820 E. Harry in Wichita — Six violations on Sept. 19 during a routine inspection. Cooked rice left at room temperature, cabbage and cooked pork weren’t held at safe temperatures, no paper towels at bathroom sink, tuna was thawing in intact vacuum packaging, missing information related to cooking and storage procedures for cooked sushi rice, no soap at sink, sushi rice wasn’t labeled with the time it was made. Next inspection: Sept. 29.

Magnolia Cafe, 2424 N. Woodlawn, Suite 111 in Wichita — Nine violations on Sept. 19 during a routine inspection. Several containers of food including chicken salad and sausage gravy weren’t labeled with the correct preparation dates, sticker residue on pans in clean storage, sanitizer stored above uncovered containers of sugar and flour, pan of raw salmon was stored above pan of cooked sausages, bottle of degreaser wasn’t labeled, restaurant doesn’t have a disclosure on menu warning customers of the risks of eating undercooked or raw meats and seafood, cooked sausage wasn’t kept hot enough, the date wasn’t recorded on seafood shell stock tags, shell stock tags weren’t kept in chronological order. Next inspection: Oct. 19.

McDonald’s, 3430 S. Hydraulic in Wichita — One violation on Sept. 17 during a complaint inspection. Flies throughout restaurant. Next inspection: Sept. 27.

O.J. Watson Park Concession Stand, 2901 S. Old Lawrence in Wichita — One violation on Sept. 15 during a routine inspection. No test strips to measure the strength of chlorine sanitizer. Next inspection: Sept. 25.

Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom, 7626 E. Kellogg Drive in Wichita — Five violations on Sept. 17 during a complaint inspection. Gap in back door, flies throughout restaurant, restaurant had cans of insecticide that are rated for use in homes only, several foods including yogurt and meatballs weren’t kept cold enough in refrigeration, sticker residue on plastic containers in clean storage. Next inspection: Sept. 27.

Tom’s Lotus Garden, 822 S. Broadway in Wichita — Three violations on Sept. 19 during an inspection that was a follow-up to an administrative order. A gap around a screen door could let pests in the building, cockroaches in cooler and other areas including in kitchen and by ice machine, dead bugs and grease throughout the kitchen. The next inspection date wasn’t provided on the inspection report.

U Hungry Truck (mobile vendor/food truck), 4701 N. Glendale in Bel Aire — Four violations on Sept. 20 during an inspection that was a follow-up to an administrative order. Flies, lettuce and cheese weren’t cold enough in refrigeration, fly landed on serving spoon, employee didn’t sanitize spoon after washing it. Next inspection: Nov. 20.

Ziggy’s Pizza, 13605 W. Maple, Suite 111 in Wichita — Six violations on Sept. 16 during a routine inspection. No test strips to measure concentration of sanitizer, dirty can opener, no probe food thermometer, hard-boiled eggs weren’t labeled with their preparation dates, employee didn’t wash hands between handling dirty and clean dishes, pans of cooked chicken wings weren’t covered in the walk-in cooler. The business was in compliance during a follow-up inspection conducted the same day.

Bed bugs. Dead cockroaches. Flies. Grease. Wichita KS restaurant, hotel inspections

Cook didn’t wash after nose wipe. Feces. Bugs. Wichita KS restaurant, hotel checks

How do businesses fail inspections?

Businesses fall out of compliance when they have too many violations, issues that can cause a foodborne illness, when a problem can’t be fixed right away, such as bug and rodent infestations, and more. But most violations are minor and are corrected while an inspection is taking place.

Typically, establishments are reinspected within 10 days to ensure they are following the rules.

It’s rare for a business to shut down over a failed inspection. But it can happen. Usually, closures are temporary, voluntary and due to major problems, such as sewage backups, pest infestations, and water or power outages.

The lists in this story include only businesses from Sedgwick County. But you can search food and lodging inspection results anywhere in Kansas at https://foodsafety.kda.ks.gov/FoodSafety/Web/Inspection/PublicInspectionSearch.aspx.

Complaint? Here’s how to submit it

If you see problems at a food or lodging establishment, you can file a complaint.

To notify the state about unsavory or questionable conditions anywhere that serves or sells food to the public, email [email protected] or call 785-564-6767. You can also file a complaint at www.foodsafetykansas.org.

To report an illness you think was caused by a restaurant, food or event where food is served, contact the Kansas Department of Health and Environment at 877-427-7317 or www.foodsafetykansas.org.

Complaints about conditions at hotels and motels can be submitted at www.agriculture.ks.gov/public-resources/comments-complaints/lodging-complaint.

For more information about foodborne illnesses, visit www.foodsafety.gov.

These businesses passed inspections

• Allen Elementary School, 1881 S. Elpyco in Wichita

• Artichoke Sandwichbar (mobile vendor/food truck), 811 N. Broadway in Wichita

• Breezy’s Snow Shack, 716 E. Dover Drive in Valley Center

• Calvin’s Hamburger Haven, 2417 S. Seneca, Suite 100 in Wichita

• Chisholm Trail Elementary School, 6015 Independence in Park City

• Clearwater Elementary School West, 100 S. Prospect in Clearwater

• Clearwater High School, 1201 E. Ross in Clearwater

• Culver’s, 3220 N. Maize Road in Wichita

• Dollar General, 3445 N. Womer in Wichita

• DZ Ice Cream & Frozen Treats (mobile vendor/food truck), 142 S. Meridian in Valley Center

• Friends University – Retail, 2100 W. University in Wichita

• Grace Market, 1030 S. Oliver in Wichita

• Haysville Middle School, 900 W. Grand in Haysville

• Holiday Inn Express & Suites Wichita Northeast, 2340 N. Greenwich in Wichita

• Hong Kong Express, 7900 E. Harry in Wichita

• Lady Burritos, 204 W. Greenway in Derby

• Leeker’s Deli on the Go (mobile vendor/food truck), 6223 N. Broadway in Park City

• Lee’s Chinese Restaurant, 6215 W. Kellogg Drive in Wichita

• Maize Middle School, 4600 N. Maize Road in Maize

• Natural of Course, 8000 W. Central, Suite 100 in Wichita

• Ossman Concessions (mobile vendor/food truck), 1221 N. Curtis in Wichita

• Panda Express, 2760 N. Maize Road in Wichita

• Paradise Donuts, 612 E. Douglas in Wichita

• Pink Elephant Games and Cafe, 2431 W. Pawnee in Wichita

• Rex Elementary School, 1100 W. Grand in Haysville

• Riverside Cafe, 9125 W. Central in Wichita

• Round1 Bowling & Arcade inside Towne East Square, 7700 E. Kellogg Drive, Suite G03J in Wichita

• Scooter’s Coffee, 3123 N. Rock Road in Wichita

• Scooter’s Coffee, 13335 W. Maple in Wichita

• SnackShack and Us (mobile vendor/food truck), 9923 W. Binter Lane in Wichita

• Sonic Drive-In, 1024 E. Louis Blvd. in Mulvane

• St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic School, 645 N. 119th St. West in Wichita

• Super 8 by Wyndham Wichita North, 3741 N. Rock Road in Wichita

• Supermercado Del Pueblo, 2128 N. Broadway in Wichita

• Taco Bell, 6515 E. 37th St. North in Wichita

• Taco Shop, 1652 S. Webb in Wichita

• Tacos Uruapan (mobile vendor/food truck), 1021 S. Topeka in Wichita

• Tanganyika Wildlife Park, 1037 S. 183rd St. West in Goddard

• Tiendita La Pelota, 2819 S. Fees in Wichita

• Viola Groceries, 26320 W. K-42 Highway in Viola

• Wadadli Island Cuisine (mobile vendor/food truck), 228 S. Ceymarie Circle in Wichita

• Walmart Supercenter, 501 E. Pawnee in Wichita

• Whiskey Dicks, 801 S. Seneca in Wichita

• Wichita Heights High School, 5301 N. Hillside in Wichita

• Ziggy’s Pizza, 13605 W. Maple, Suite 111 in Wichita

Note: Sometimes addresses listed — especially for mobile vendors and food trucks — are not where food is actually served to the public. Contact those establishments directly for specific service locations.

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